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 ******ed" 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"

LOL at anyone being threatened by a self-proclaimed pro at the table. All that means is that he/she doesn't have another job.

I know for a fact it happens. I've been playing when other people say "yeah I'm a poker pro". Some fish are cool with it and think it's awesome to play with a pro, but for the most part they'll make a sarcastic comment about "oh so I guess you're just here to take my money then". Fish are there to play a social game and have fun, knowing they'll most likely lose money. Talking about being a pro changes it from a "we're all having fun trying to get lucky" environment to "I'm preying on the fact that you suck at this game to make my living". Fish aren't generally dumb in real life, they usually have that money because they are successful in other areas.

So yeah it's not that I think they'll suddenly play better (but they may try to play better and remember the guy in their home game who told them "tight is right" and result in a small loss of edge, but that's not really my issue), it's that I'd rather keep a friendly fun atmosphere at the table. I think the fish will have a lot more fun and I sure as hell will. Being a poker pro is boring anyway. I'd much rather just say student and then talk to the fish about their job which is almost definitely infinitely more interesting than mine. I've talked with fish who own nightclubs, buy/sell property, own a cruise line, and do a bunch of other things that I find really interesting. I've won 5 figures off fish in a night and had them still smiling and joking around with me at the end of the night, and there's one guy in particular who table changed to sit with me when there were multiple tables going. I get a lot more action than most of the nit live pros, partly because they don't talk at all but also partly because it just seems like they're there to take the money rather than have fun and gamble. So not only is there a demonstrable edge but it also increases the enjoyment for all parties involved. The fish didn't want to sit with me because he thought I wasn't there to take his money, he just enjoyed playing with me. Maybe if I had answered poker pro to the question of what I did for a living it would have been the same as long as I talked instead of did the whole ipod/hoodie thing, but I doubt it.

Admitting that you are a professional can for sure come back to hurt you and your hourly. Poker tables are so situational, just like poker, and if your read on the table is that it would not be the most +ev to divulge that you are a pro or semi-pro, then don't do it! It's so simple. The way we make money is by being able to adapt and to adjust to different situations that ultimately give us the biggest edge possible, even if that edge is small, it's still an edge!

I don't care if people lie at the table about their profession, I know people who do it, I do it some times myself but not always. It just depends on the table dynamic and the type of game being played and my read on the situation and if I feel it will affect me positively or negatively.

Everyone saying that it's dumb to lie about what you do at the table - I really don't get this...it's live poker...information and reads mean a lot in this game...

The best answer so far

I wouldn't recommend that either.

My friend came up with Short Term Equity Analyst so I have that on my twitter and any dating profiles I make from time to time.

It sounds so boring so nobody asks me about it at first which is fine by me.

Obviously as I get to know them better then I will explain poker to them because by that point I will have figured out if they are dickheads or not.

Edit: I'm not a lady btw. Just wanted to chime in.

I think it's okay to say "I'm self-employed" or "I'm an entrepreneur" since I think this is accurate if you play for a living.
Linda Johnson

Which begs the next question.

I guess a thing to say would be "I gamble", just a tip, at least on MTT's when you're switching around anyway.
Unemployed seems so fake. Heck are you doing at this or that buy:in then?
And no, you don't looked to washed up, do you?

take that thread to BBV.It would be fun.

I was at the doctor's today and suddenly didn't know what to put in the "occupation" blank. I left it blank, haha.

Not a pro, but I play a lot and play in many different casinos around the US because I travel a lot for my job, which means people will sometimes ask if I'm a pro because I'm not from around there but play enough to be recognized in some places. I will mention that when someone says they're a student or unemployed, I usually assume they're a pro, depending on the buy-in/levels at which I'm playing.

I'm a software trainer, which is what I tell them when I'm asked and when they (inevitably) ask what kind of software I usually say porn, just to watch their reactions and because I'm a crude and horrible person.

tell them you work for the IRS.

Hi Everyone ,
This is my first post on 2+2. I felt the necessity to respond to this thread cause I am actually going through the same situation... I am starting to play poker for a living since a couple months. First it was easy to answer to that question cause I would say that I was Unemployed since I left my job but now it's starting to anoy me. I try to tell the truth as much as I can to the people that I care the most. Some accept the Idea of me doing this for a living and they support me, but others, they know but they avoid the subject. They never ask how well I am at my "work".. It should be normal .. I mean.. I know that there's a lot of negative things that are related to Poker (addiction, lack of legal sistem that recognize Poker as a Profession , no contribution for IRS etc). I understand all of that but damn.. Why do people judge so much? 50 years ago there were no website designers for example, or other jobs that today exist.. So I assume Poker is another "new" profession. They should adjust to that new reality!
Why am I starting to feel less accomplished than others? I'm also hating the fact that to the eyes of my government I just don´t exist and I always have to say that I am unemployed! it's getting frustrating! I do have a job! I work just like anybody else..
For example: The other day I wanted to rent an apartment but since I am oficially "unemployed" I couldn´t be the one to sign the papers. My friend had to sign although earns less money than me..
I am starting to get really tired of this. Last time someone asked me about my job I answered that I was an online database analyst (This is me saying I analyse my hud and interpret the information ahaha). Of course they didn´t questioned me anymore cause it sounded boring to them. Maybe I should answer this more often.. anyway.. maybe in a couple of months when regulation will be officially made in my country it will be easier to me. At least I hope..

http://forum.parttimepoker.com/appea...ppeal-dns.html

this what you do?

+1 to what Lady In Red responded. I too am new to poker as a profession and have been getting that question alot. Some of the responses I have used are situational, depending on my image and opponents at the table. He're a sample, with the first being the most used..

1. Self-employed, followed by the the response "self-employed" when they ask again.

2. To the prodding soul, "I assist my husband with his business."

3. "How often do you play?" "Only a few days a month"

4. When on a table filled with guys and winning lots, sometimes it's been beneficial to say "I do this for a living". Its amazing the stares and responses you get, as well as instant respect....

5. I talk about my prior job as a manager when I feel the need to avoid the question.

6. Turn the question back on them..."What do you do?"

7. Just smile....and avoid the question entirely....women can get away with it sometimes, just like asking their age

"Author" is my favorite answer at the tables as well. I write mainly about sustainability and simple living, so that way we steer away from the pro question pretty quickly. Usually I am not suspected to be a pro anyway. No headphones, no hoodies, too cute. So may they please underestimate me forever.

Now, when on boring parties, I am still running my own experiment on whether I prefer writer or poker player. It kind of depends on the setting. If it is very boring, I prefer the poker player line, it makes up for more interesting discussions. That is, once you navigate away from the inquisitive questions like "You can live of that?" - "Oh, so you are addicted?" - "What do your parents say?".

And THOSE questions are a whole new universe... (and good to teach me to hold my temper).

If anyone gives you a hard time about calling poker your job, you can inform them that as of 2012, the US Department of Labor included Professional Poker Player in their list of recognized occupations.

I get that question a lot. Usually I answer: "I'm unemployed" or my new favorite: "I'm between jobs". If I answer: "Nothing", they of course take that up as a challenge to "crack my code". That's usually followed by "What does your husband do?" I'm at a point where I think I'll start a checklist of questions, bring it to the poker table and check off each one as it is asked and then hand off the completed checklist to the guy who asked the most questions.

Once I answered that I retired early after the internet boom. That was a mistake. I suddenly became a potential "sugar mama". Never seen a guys eyes spark up that fast. Apparently money is a big turn on.

Whenever I attempted to tell the truth, while I was living in Vegas and told them "I play poker", they just stare at me, stare at me, keep staring at me, smile kinda funny and usually say, "No, really, what do you do?". Of course you get the usual "Can you make money doing that?"

I no longer answer honestly, not because I don't want people to change how they play against me, but because I just really don't want to see their faces and the dawning of realizations/assumptions when they either accept or discard my answer. I've seen them all. I am just saddened by humanity. Then there are ones that don't need to ask, the ones that do what you do for a living, THEY know. They look at you with a knowing glance as the idiot next to you finishes his sentence and you both smile slightly as you lie.

I've found that most men don't want to know the truth about the women they are playing against. They have a preconceived fantasy/notion about every woman they play against. They label us as the "hot chick with boobs", "the dyke", "the mama san", "the crazy Asian", "the rich man's wife", "the bingo grandma", "the giggling ditz". It's better for everyone concerned that we don't burst that fantasy.

I think it would be very helpful for each poster to mention what stakes they are playing at.

I'm obviously a male, so I can't relate to this question fully, but personally I stopped lying about what I do for a living over 5 years ago. I have found that as long as you are social and polite, fish aren't put off by playing against a pro at all. Of course if you're sitting there with headphones in and sunglasses on then the fish aren't going to love playing with you. But I think you'd be surprised at how many Vegas tourists love the idea that they can go home and tell all their buddies that they played against a professional(and maybe even bluffed him/her out of a pot or two).