Quote:
Originally Posted by CheckRIP
So I´m from a family that I know will have a hard time accepting me taking poker more seriously, especially my mom who comes from a background where gambling is a big nope. I´m an adult and obviously dont need any permission, but I value our relationship and was wondering if someone here has been in the same spot and how you approached it?
Same same
Quote:
Originally Posted by CheckRIP
She doesnt know I play at all and knows next to nothing about the game, just the usual negative prejudice. I´m now considering it as a serious source of income and will have to break this to her at some point, the sooner the better.
very, very wrong, i'll go into this further but the key word is "considering" as in it's theoretical and requires a leap of faith that your family clearly won't jump on
Quote:
Originally Posted by CheckRIP
My thought was to try to expain the game from a mathematical POV, the standard deviation, how variance works and why it is profitable for competent players in the long run. She is somewhat into the stock market and interested in investing so my plan was to take that approach since from a low resolution perspective that is basically exactly what poker is.
terrible idea, this is like telling your mom how much you love oxycontin as a morning pick-me-up and then showing her some charts or even academic journals discussing its responsible applications
doesn't matter what data you feed her telling her it's totally cool and safe, she's not going to suddenly do a 180 and change her mind on opoids and sign off on you becoming a functional junkie based on a single chart
if her mind is made up on poker then theory is only going to have her lose respect for someone who drank the koolaid
Quote:
Originally Posted by CheckRIP
Any ideas? Something I should be prepared for?
they won't take you seriously, especially at a theoretical stage and it's possible you'll keep them up at night worrying about what they did wrong as parents to lead you to this kind of flawed decision making
wait until you have irrefutable evidence that you're not only able to play but able to earn a living from it - one thing i've seen mentioned in a bunch of interviews with well known pros was that it wasn't until they were on tv that their family finally conceded there could be a genuine career there. for me my family didn't accept poker was a possible route until they put two and two together and realized that's how i was paying for a lifestyle where i was traveling the world - even then i still got relentless pressure to get some kind of respectable work, even if part time just so if i wanted to quit poker in my 30s i wouldn't have a black hole on my resume - after a few years i saw enough old and washed up pros who were miserable in their lives and started looking for work outside poker before it was too late - to this day I'm incredibly grateful they did this
not saying to grind the pokergo circuit or live irresponsibly, just that the only way to convince them you can do this is to have already done it and for a lengthy period of time, not just that, but living demonstratably better off than if you chose a path more to their liking, this should be at least 2x-3x earnings because they'll know things like you aren't getting employer matching 401k contributions nor medical insurance, paid vacation and most importantly a career ladder that will pay you much more going forward that it will now
for eample, if you join an insurance company at an entry level position and stick with it and succeed, in 20 years time you'll be earning 3x+ what you are earning now - poker won't offer this, your income will be flat and very likely decrease as the games tend to get harder each year and this current pandemic economy is a unique situation temporarily making the games easier
while some progress and move up in stakes, for every one of them there are 100 who went busto and another hundred who plateued and never progressed - 2p2 is full of people who had strong reputations and then went busto and scammed the community on their way out, it's also full of people playing 2/5 professionally for over a decade with little other options in life
this isn't a knock on those people, just pointing out that even if you crush 2/5 this year, chances are far more likely you'll still be playing 2/5 or bust out within 10 years rather than move on up to 5/10 etc
i don't know if you're doing live or online, it doesn't matter, the path is the same
prove it by doing it, then show them you did instead of trying to convince them you can because until you actually do it, they'll never believe
but honestly, the honeymoon period will wear off after a few years and then you'll be no more personally satisfied with playing than the starbucks barista is clocking into his job
unlike most people who become pros, you seem to have options, you should strongly consider them, the best thing about a poker grind is you can still put in a lot of hours while holding down a regular job
Last edited by rickroll; 03-20-2021 at 07:12 AM.