I just tell people I'm a Chippendale.... Adjust accordingly for gender....

When at a table of recreational players, that is akin to saying, "I'm better than you and my job is to take your money."

For a very long time I used to say I was a student. I was in/just out of a PhD program so it was something I could talk about with credibility. Now I just go with the unemployed line. I find it works better and people definitely find it less threatening.

I was playing cash the other night, and someone at the table told me they had read my blog (thinly veiled brag?) and asked how long I'd been a pro. Feeling like I'd been caught red handed, I answered, then a few hands later admitted that I felt dumb whenever it came up at the table because I feared that it made me look arrogant. This changed the table's mood from on-edge (after the dude's initial inquiry) to inquisitive.

Then I switched the convo on to what everyone else did for a living, and focused on the interesting aspects of their jobs. Overall, it went better for me than any other time I've been outed, and I capitalized on the people not wanting to play against me with a laggier style.

When I was playing in a smaller card room in my home town

Guy next to me: "You from around here? Haven't seen you play here before."
Me: "Yeah, I'm from here, but I don't live here anymore. Just visiting."
Him: "Where do you live now, Vegas?"
Me: "No, NY. I'm taking a semester off before grad school. Where'd you get the Vegas idea?"
Him: "Aren't you a pro?"
Me: "Nah, probably just some fish on a heater"
Him: "Except no fish would ever say that. You eye the other pros in this room like another pro. And you had the same tell when you made up the grad school story as you do when you're bluffing"

Ok, why the hell would he tell me all that? If he was just trying to get inside my head it worked, he scared me away from the game. Good thing that wasn't my main casino.

A few minutes before that convo, I 3-bet his CO open with T7o from the button. Flopped a 7 and pot controlled/called him down, since he's pretty LAGgy. When I won and showed down the hand, it made him look stupid. So I guess he decided to call me out after that.

easiest way to get people to leave you alone after the "what do you do for a living?" question is stare at them dead-on and say, "i work for the IRS. i trust you'll be reporting all of your cash-game earnings from this evening?"

instant boner-killer.

I like it! My recent accusatory exchange is probably only one of the few situations it wouldn't find its place, but that answer will definitely be noted. FYI, I actually have a CPA-prep degree, so it's even consistent with the rest of my life story, even if I choose not to bluff about anything else

+1

lmao idk why but I find that hilarious. If someone asks me if I'm a pro (which is rare, most people realize it's a pretty rude question to ask at poker table), my response depends on if I'm winning or not. If I'm up I'll be like "tonight I am" and point to the stack or if I'm stuck a bunch I'll be like "how could I be a pro if I'm losing this much money?"

Can't believe all the weak stuff itt. Pretty pathetic to downright lie to someone just to get a super small extra edge.

It's not about an edge, it's about not having to have an awkward conversation with no upside and a lot of downside. I see the question "are you a pro" to someone playing poker just about on par with "how much do you make?" Do you ask other players at the table how much they make? Obviously asking "what do you do for a living?" is not a disrespectful question, but answering poker pro will elicit reactions that range from "oh so you're just here to take my money?" to "yeah right you're retarded" to "omgomgomg let me ask you a billion questions and tell you a million bad beat stories for the rest of the session". None of these are pleasant results. It has nothing to do with an edge, it has to do with me wanting to have a fun time.

I dont know where you guys are coming up with this idea of fish having animosity towards pros. Half the people at the table are there to lose their money, and theyre aware of it, and they dont care. Theyre going to the casino to have a good time and play a game they enjoy. If they ask me what I do I say "this".

Its not really going to affect your bottom line telling them what you do. The 'fish' are bad at poker, and now that they know your good, they arent going to magically become good as well.

Of course it can affect your bottom line.
Information is valuable, even to a fish. The more they know may cause them to play a hand against you differently. Them playing a hand against you with them knowing you are a female pro vs them playing a hand against you thinking you are a recreational female player can go very differently.

+1 to what gimmedacrown said

I don't care about the small edge, it's about avoiding the "Hey fish, this is a game of skill a I'm superior so I can take your money for a living"