I don't even get why people would be less likely to fold if they think you're a pro.

In my last 2200 hours of 1/3 (all the tracked 1/3 live data I have) I haven't even had any 100 hour stretch where I wasn't a winner.

And +1 to what Callypygian said.

And there's much to being a value bet driven player than just waiting for the premium hands and flopping the nuts. Often I am value betting quite weak hands because I accurately put my opponent on a draw, and often I am able to value bet weak hands because I successfully manipulated the pot preflop so that I had position heads up postflop on a loose player.

Since most low stakes recreational players play too loose and call too much, the standard way of winning for low stakes grinders has long been a value bet driven style. It always has worked and it still does.

That's off topic though and I won't discuss it further. You can disagree and play a different style, and if that works then the more power to you.

The responses in this thread are mostly very very stupid. Except Rush's made perfect sense.

(1) If I told somebody I was an equity trader, or something equally stupid its far more likely they would be offended that I think they are an idiot and feel the need to lie to them than they would be scared off by being in a game with scary pros.

(2) If you are frequently being asked this question, then lol. Unless its somebody first time playing with you and they are just striking up conversation. When this is the case I just answer honestly and lots of times they find it fascinating and enjoy talking about it.

(3) I think most of the stupid responses come from people playing in games where people assume you cant make a living (or at least a good one) like the 1-2 live pros. I'd assume that if somebody sits down in a medium stakes game or bigger (5-10 or 40-80) they likely assume most people play for a living.

I mean jesus, you see a 25 year old kid that spends 50 hours a week in a casino that gambles for tens of thousands of dollars on a daily basis, wtf do you think he does for a living (unless he's awful)... and now you want to insult their intelligence by telling them you are an equity trader. People aren't stupid.

(4) i doubt it kills my action at all that people know what I do. lots o people don't care at all and will ask em to start games short or HU all the time, while others wont play short. I'm sure on average it all breaks even. What matters is if they say Jon lets start a heads up game but you have to have 2 drinks an hour and show me your hand every singe hand I'll say sounds fun lets play.

The fact that I call myself a poker player is largely irrelevant.

Nobody has even mentioned the most important fact which is people also love playing with "pros" becuse when it comes time to borrow money they aren't getting in from the neurosurgeon.

It's common sense. When you tell people "I'm a pro" you are indirectly saying to that person "I make a living by taking your money".

Most people will assume you are a pro if they see you every day, and the winners stand out from the losers pretty easily, but I don't think telling a little white lie hurts just to make people more at ease with playing with you. FWIW, I'm in my 20's so it comes off a little different than when it's a harmless looking Middle-aged-white-guy. Just saying.

No offense, but I feel like the guys who I have seen who tell other people they are pros are usually the biggest nits in the room and they think it makes them look cool or that being a professional poker player is some great achievement. The reality for these guys is that the only reason they are able to win is that all they have done there entire career is fold more than the rest of their competitors. I just chuckle to myself inside when I see one of these guys brag about being a pro because now I know who I can bluff the easiest. Grant it, this observation was only seen at 1-3 or 1-2.

Tell them you live off your girlfriends child support money.

Most people that play poker for a living are not necessarily professionals. I'm talking standard stake 2/5 NL level games.
Most younger "pros" in these type games are as professional as any other random $40,000 a year job in the USA.

Very few truely move up to stakes 10/25 nl or above. An average MAWG would consider these people professionals.

The only people that would care already probably know you play for a living

I could never pick the "sucker" out at the table. I can however pick out the players that I want to play against vs the ones I don't. Now, that being said I am far more likely to want to play what I consider a "good" player with crap and play my aces vs the others. As long as I have position I would rather play the "pro" as they are going to be the ones making the plays that make sense given the situation as opposed to trying to read the idiot drunk that rivered the deuce for trips vs my top two. But then, that's how I run. I would no more believe a twenty something occupational lie than call his 4 bet. mostly cuz I got nuthin' ......

Fyi the guy who bought in for three blacks is the real pro DUCY?

Your response makes a lot more sense for LHE players and only some sense for NL.

There's definitely a cultural difference, and NL players are obsessed with appearing to be awesome. Like maybe with 1-2 exceptions, I don't think I've heard an LHE player state his or her winrate. But NL players and pros especially are constantly bragging. Anyone who makes less than they do is an idiot and anyone who makes more is lying.

The LHE crowd is definitely older, and of course if you say "equity trader" someone's going to call you out because there's probably an equities trader at a midstakes LHE table. But at a NL table, especially small stakes? I think there's a nonzero O/U on the number of people who don't even know that's a thing.

If I show up at a 1/2 NL table, I'd guess that at least half the table assumes I'm terrible at poker because I'm not the L33T PR0Z CRU5HERZ they are and it's 8 people each making $20/hr plus me losing $360/hr.

And if I didn't have a high amount of confidence in my game, I'd definitely care about the near onslaught of negative comments directed at me by "pros."

Risk assessment specialist