A Hard Way to Make an Easy Living --making money playing poker

If you are reading this blog you are probably interested in getting rich. We all want to find the easiest and quickest way to get there. These days there is all this talk about how you can make a career out of playing poker. I googled “poker” and “career” and got 1,970,000 hits. Sounds an awful lot like the day-trading craze back in the dot-com era.

Yes, some people do make money playing poker. Just like some guys make money playing football or basketball. Most of us realize that mastering some athletic skill takes hard work effort and a certain innate ability. We give up our dreams of going “pro” at a very young age. If you are thinking that you can make money playing poker you need to recognize that, like professional athletes, very few people have what it takes to consistently win at poker.

Trying to make money at poker sounds too much like work to me. If you don’t think I know what I am talking about how about taking the advice of a successful poker player, Barry Greenstein? Here are some of the comments found on his web page http://www.barrygreenstein.com/

What advice do you normally give to someone starting on a poker career?

Normally, I advise people to put their energy into something more productive. I explain that I have played cards since I was a young child. I am a mathematician. I am well versed in psychology. I am very easy going, yet very competitive. In short, I believe I have the essential qualities to be a good poker player. But even with that, it has not always been easy.

Maybe it's the TV and participating stars, I don't know, but around here, poker seems to have captured a whole new generation in a big way. Junior high and high school kids are having big games routinely and it's far more widespread than I ever remember. Beyond TV, the popularity of the game has led to a lot of other forms of media attention, and now your book, which has all this potential for mass-market appeal that just wasn't there even five years ago. Any thoughts, any qualms, about how this came to be?

Televised poker is similar to reality TV, but poker players are really competing for a million dollars and are not acting. When people watch professional sports they may project themselves as being able to “play with the pros,” but they know it is a fantasy. Viewers of poker can think along with the players and really feel that if they had the opportunity, they might be one of the players at the final table. Many of the viewers actually play poker with family or friends at least a few times a year.

I am uncomfortable when teenagers ask me for poker advice, even though I played a lot of poker when I was in my teens. I have told my teenage son Nathaniel and my teenage nephew Michael that I will not teach them to play poker until they have completed their educations and have accomplished something productive.

Take it from one who has been there, a poker career is best considered after establishing yourself in some other profession.

What you are not going to find in all those articles about making a career out of poker is the dangerous downside. Google “poker” and “addiction”and you get 1,340,000 – almost as many as for poker careers. Very few people get addicted to playing football but the sad fact is that many get addicted to poker and other forms of gambling. There is a lot ofeducational materials out there about the dangers of drug, alcohol andtobacco. Gambling addictions are just as bad if not worse. My advice is to stay away from competitive poker to avoid any potential for addiction. Compulsive gambling is a sure way to ensure that you will NOT become financially independent!

LaunchPoker has a good article on poker addiction. If you are not yet convinced about the wisdom of my words, I suggest you read it. http://www.launchpoker.com/psychology/-poker-addiction-/ The article has the 20 questions taken from the official site of Gamblers Anonymous that ANY poker player should ask themselves at least once a year. These questions are provided to help the individual decide if he or she is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop gambling. If you answer “yes” to more than 7 of them – you have serious problems. And remember – its not a joke!

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve
   financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your
   losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

If you play poker please ask yourself these questions. If you answer yes on 7 or more please seek help by talking with someone you trust and/or contacting Gamblers Anonymous or some other gambling addiction treatment organization. Gambling is NOT the way to financial independence!