Dice Poker: The Professional

Dice Poker: The Professional is the second tier of the dice poker side quest chain in The Witcher, part of A Game of Dice. It opens up in Act II once Geralt has finished the novice tier, because the serious gamblers of Vizima will not waste their time on a beginner.

There are eight professional players spread through the game, and Geralt only needs to beat four of them to earn his place among the pros. Among them are Thaler, who runs games in the back room of his shop, Zoltan’s friend Munro, Count Roderick de Wett, Velerad, the druid Hierophant, Tobias Hoffman, the merchant Julian and the Hermit. Each of the first four wins is worth 200 XP, and becoming a professional adds 1,000 XP more.

Walkthrough

Finish Dice Poker: The Novice to unlock this tier.
Seek out professional players as you meet them: Thaler, Munro, Count Roderick de Wett, Velerad, the Hierophant, Tobias Hoffman, Julian or the Hermit.
Ask them about dice first if needed; some will not play until you have unlocked the dice option in conversation.
Beat any four professionals. The order and journal entries can vary.
Approach your first Sharper-level opponent to start Dice Poker: The Sharper.

Quest Consequences & Choices

Do not leave it too late: in Act IV, Hoffman and Julian will only play if you unlocked them before reaching Sharper status, and in Act III a remaining professional will not play unless you asked him about dice first. The Hermit plays regardless.