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174 - I Quit My Job for Poker: Leah Hauer on Going Pro in Public
11/12/2026
174 - I Quit My Job for Poker: Leah Hauer on Going Pro in Public
Summary Leah Hauer didn’t know the rules of poker until mid-2024. A year later, she left her job in London to try going pro, giving herself a year of savings as a stop-loss, and she films the whole thing on her YouTube series I Quit My Job for Poker. In this episode, Stephen and Leah talk about what it’s like to go through the pro journey in front of an audience: the pressure to show wins, how to handle the comment section, and a tough five-week Vegas trip where she made a final table in her first ladies event and then bricked the rest. Stephen shares how he coaches players through the reality of tournament variance, why “I don’t want to feel emotions” isn’t a realistic goal, and a practical system for structuring study so it actually sticks. In this episode How Leah went from complete beginner to quitting her job, and why she chose to document it Making content and playing poker at the same time, and the pressure to only show the wins Choosing between cash and tournaments, and why Stephen sees cash as a smart foundation Her Vegas ladies festival trip, and coming to terms with a roughly 15% in-the-money rate Why negative emotions are part of the job (“wanting to surf without any waves”) Knowing when to skip a tournament, and telling ordinary nerves apart from real reasons not to play Why study still matters at low stakes: you can’t exploit a deviation from GTO if you don’t know what GTO is Stephen’s study framework: play some online so your coach can see your full game, work on your three biggest leaks each quarter, and use mind maps, flashcards, and five-minute “teach it back” videos Leah’s goals: becoming the biggest female poker content creator and winning enough to live on poker alone Mentioned in this episode GTO Wizard Grit by Angela Duckworth Mastery by Robert Greene Darren Elias’s advice: if you have doubts about playing a tournament, don’t play it About Leah Hauer Leah left her job in London to become a professional poker player and documents the journey on her YouTube series I Quit My Job for Poker. She is also a GGPoker UK and Ireland ambassador. Find her as Leah Hates Poker on: YouTube: Instagram: Twitch: All her links:
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