Is it possible to be a winning degenerate poker player? What makes one a degenerate? Consider these scenarios:

1. I play only a little, but usually lose more than I can afford

2. I play so often that my family life or health suffers, but I am good enough to make a very good living.

3. I play so often that my family life or health suffers, but I barely eek out a profit - making much less that I could with a "real job"

Which, if any of these would qualify someone as a degenerate? What is your definition of the term?

IMO/IME a degen is someone that will ruin their life as a result of gambling. Often its not just poker, but poker players that can not stay off the table games or other vices.

E.g. There was a guy a couple years ago that regularly played the upper section at CAZ. He drove a $200K+ Italian sports car. I would see him win or lose $10K+ and then go hit the BJ tables. He ran really good for a couple of months, even seen him cashing in 2+ racks of purple one night off the BJ tables.

One day parking my car I see his nice little sport car being loaded on a flat bed. I asked one of the security guards what was happening... "Repo'ed". It wasn't long after that he was begging for money and playing the largest stakes he could dig up the money for, then would run to the BJ tables and dump it all back, assuming he won at poker which wasn't all that often at that stage.

I found out later that he was "old money" and had burned through >$1M in about 6 months. His family cut him off, his wife left him, lost his house, cars, etc. Not sure where he ended up, but I haven't seen him since.

Bottom line some people have destructive/addictive personalities and it wouldn't matter if it was poker, table games, drugs, sex, or whatever they will find some way to ruin their life with the addictive behavior.

The scenarios you pose are more along the lines of compulsive gamblers. IMO, degenerates are more like this ...

I'm a misersble cretin who never bathes or brushes and always smoke gnarlboro blacks and drink black coffee and have breath that could slay a mastadon and bitch and moan and whine every single time someone else wins a pot in the 2-4 game and absolutely hate all people everywhere yet insist on playing a game of people all day every day except when I'm at the offtrack betting under the bridge between camden and philly and never ever ever ever tip anyone no matter what and generally make everyone around me wish they would die just so they don't have to listen to my crap anymore etc etc bla bla ad infinitum foreverus ...

Hope that clears things up for ya.

Al

[x] drug history
[x] broke several times
[x] jail time
[x] compulsive gambler

And keeps on doing it....

Degenerate =

Guys who fail to be fathers to their children because they are too busy playing poker. Also though less common ladies who fail to be mothers to their children because they are too busy playing poker.

Another qualifing factor could be failure to be a good husband/wife because poker is more important - but that is only if the person you are failing deserves a good husband/wife.

Either way you know you are a degenerate when you end up alone, because it happens to all degenerates be it poker, alcohol, drugs, pokemon tournaments, etc.

People who spend all day on poker forums when not actively playing poker?

Stu Ungar was the ultimate degen.

A degenerate is someone who has very few if any prospects, whether it is job/family/love. They think that playing poker will improve their life standing, but they stink at it too. They don't wash their clothes, shower or brush their tooth.

When you ask where they're staying, they'll say their car, or will ask where the nearest la cucaracha motel is for $23/night. They make bad calls and go on tilt easy because they won't have money to make it home to their miserable existence.

Some of the posts above are people who are less degenerate and more gambleholics (who could turn into degenerates)

Seek help if you can't control yourself.

Ding..ding...ding. We have a winner.

One of my least favorite things about poker is that so many players worship guys like this, and this is the image most that don't play have of those who do.

Wow, this is so way off the mark it's actually funny.

No, sir, no.

Again, wow, this is way off.

A degenerate, as exemplified by Doestoevsky's Gambler, HAD prospects by definition but chose addiction instead.

.

I don't know what one is, but I know when I see one...

in the mirror while shaving.

I'm way off the mark? Maybe so, I don't really care one way or another. But you didn't say why, and didn't back up your claims at all, with anything whatsoever. So it seems to me you are the one who is way off the mark. Try again. Convince someone besides yourself.
*
Al

If you bet on the WNBA you are a degenerate. If you play PL stud you are a degenerate.

This is the picture when you look up degenerate in the dictionary...

At least these are sports/poker. I think prop bettors, in general, are much bigger degens.

Dictionary definition:
1- having sunk to a lower and usually corrupt and vicious state
2: being mathematically simpler (That would explain losing players)

I do both of these things.

A degenerate gambles with money he can't afford to lose IMO. I wouldn't call a successful poker player who is a bad father a degen bc if he was a successful lawyer instead he would be called a workaholic.

Think a degenarate is doing something harmful to yourself or the people around you over and over again due to your addiction to the activity.

E.G. You blow all the money you can earn/beg/steal on scratch off lottery tickets hoping to win big to escape your miserable life.

I think all the situations you described don't make a person a degenerate.

My opinion of a poker degen is one who play's so much poker it take's over his life. It's not a matter of winning or losing.

There are people who ruin their lives gambling overnight. You cannot call him a degen just because he made a bad choice and lost all his money overnight/or in a few short day's now can you?

End of Discussion. So you can win at poker but not type degenerate into google, ey ^^

de·gen·er·ate
/diˈjenərit/
Adjective
Having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline.
Noun
An immoral or corrupt person.
Verb
Decline or deteriorate physically, mentally, or morally.
Synonyms
deteriorate