Martin turned professional in 1980 by beatingEugene Hughes 9–6 in the final of the 1980 Professional Ticket Event, and reached the first round of the WorldChampionship the same season, losing 4–10 to Bill Werbeniuk. The next season, he reached the semi-final of the International Open, beating Bill Werbeniuk 5–2, Eddie Charlton 5–2, and Graham Miles 5–1, before losing 1–9 to Dennis Taylor. He followed this up by beating Eddie Sinclair 9–7, to qualify for the UK Championship, where he lost in the first round to Alex Higgins. He once again qualified for the World Championship in 1982, losing once again in the first round, this time to Graham Miles 5-10. The following season was a moderately successful one for Martin, he reached the first round of the Pro Players Tournament, losing 3–5 to John Spencer. He then reached the first round of the 1982 UK Championship, losing again in the first round to Higgins by the same scoreline as the previous year. He then qualified for the 1983 World Championship, beating Murdo MacLeod 10–7 in the final qualifying round. At the Crucible Theatre, he lost in the first round 4–10 to Bill Werbeniuk. The following season began with Martin once again qualifying for the International Open, beating Patsy Fagan 5–0 in the final qualifying round. In the first round, he defeated Alex Higgins 5–2, before losing 0–5 to Doug Mountjoy. He also reached the first round of the UK Championship, however he lost 4–9 in the first round to Terry Griffiths. The 1984–85 season was a reasonably successful season for Martin, he qualified for the Grand Prix, losing to Tony Meo 4–5 in the first round. He also qualified for the British Open, he beat Ray Reardon 5–4 in the first round, before losing 4–5 to Dene O'Kane. He also lost 8–10 in the final qualifying round for the World Championship against Dene O'Kane. The following season, Martin did not progress beyond the first round in any tournament, he did however qualify for the Grand Prix and the British Open, losing to Silvino Francisco and Steve Davis respectively. He qualified for the 1986 World Snooker Championship, losing 3–10 in the first round to Joe Johnson, the eventual winner of the tournament, this would be his last appearance at the Crucible. Martin reached the quarter-finals of the Mercantile Credit Classic in 1988, beating Doug Mountjoy 5–4, and Jimmy White 5–2, before losing 1–5 against Tony Knowles. His last appearance in the main stages of a tournament came at the 1991 UK Championship, where he lost in the first round 3–9 to Jimmy White.
