It seems to be a common meme on this site that playing poker for a living is a fate worse than death, and only a fool would consider doing so. Assuming this is a reasonable view, and given our love for the game is constant, and our need for income is constant, this begs the following question: what can we do for income that is similarly stimulating to poker but is more realistic/sustainable? Put another way: What careers/jobs are likely to be fulfilling for the mind that loves poker?

It is tempting to lazily answer this question by pointing out that poker lovers are a diverse bunch, and there is nothing close to a one-size-fits-all solution. While this is somewhat true, I think it is unsatisfactory. While many different types of people are drawn to this game, I think there are some underlying similarities between those who love it; you can't love poker and hate competing, or games, or gambling, or people, or suspense, or logic. At least, I don't think you can hate all those things.

It is true that many have a day job that they are not passionate about, and find fulfillment in hobbies and relationships. However, it seems dishonest to act like one wouldn't be happier in an occupation that is interesting and exciting to them. After all, much of our lives are spent working, and enjoying those hours more rather than less necessarily will lead to greater well-being.

How about getting into politics?

-Competitive
-Game of deception
-Every move is a gamble
-Net burden to society
-Pretending to be a people person while really scheming to screw them over
-Look down on people with "normal" jobs while relying on them for their income

I understand maybe not all points apply to all politicians or all poker pros but it seems like there's significant overlap.

Day trading in the sense that you have positive and negative swings daily

The "net burden to society" made me lol. Not sure I agree politicians or poker pros are a net burden, but I understand why someone would have that opinion.

Biggest issue with this I see is a politician's game is one of social interactions mainly, I think poker requires more quantitative analysis and logic. Also, politicians are playing a game that is about popularity and image, and the rules are not clearly set. Poker pros are mostly playing a technical game where the rules are known to all, although I understand networking and perhaps a hustling aspect are important in poker.

Yeah trading is the first one that came to mind, although it seems similar to poker in the sense that it is hard to break into and can require a lot of luck/money upfront.

owning a camping site

funny , but huh? please show your work.

porn

or am i the only one getting ****ed on the regular?

trading or sports betting but both require big roll

when I no longer wanted to play poker for a living, I chose a career that was the exact opposite of poker - formulaic and a little boring, but stable and unstressful (well, compared to poker, my coworkers do experience some stress).

Overall, if you were able to make a decent living playing poker, you should be able to do fine in most professions, so I don't see why anyone would choose something similiar if they wanted to quit poker in the first place

Professional Russian Roulette Player: If you come second out of a million players, you still lose.

My 1st understanding of it was "what other job/career am I qualified for using my poker skills?"

Mcdonalds. No matter how well you flip the burgers, you will still get burned by the grease. That's a bad beat.

It is hard to say as it depends on why you started to play poker in the first place and then why are quitting? If you have done well, but just want to get out, then maybe day trading or something similar would be fine. However, if you understand the math, but struggle with other things like implementing strategies, then something in accounting or banking may work as they have steadfast rules to follow and keep you in your lane, but being good with numbers may help. Others like to learn or talk about theories of poker and may be good teachers or trainers.

This is true. If you played poker because you didn't want to work for the man and wanted your own freedom, but flamed out, then there may not really be a great answer.

A+

Sports betting is practically identical. Variance, luck, small edges, bum hunting incorrect odds.

Programming/Coding or Engineering/Mechanics. I don't do any of these things but the friends of mine who do all share the same ability to zone into long hours of intense concentration in the same way I do with poker and study. I think its the combination of logic mixed with a touch of creativity, and the fact that we are all riddled with ADHD and these things keep us in mental flow.

Real estate, day trading, banking.

a lot of people tend to go into other self employed non traditional stuff

traders, sports betting, dfs, crypto, real estate speculation, market arbitrage (yard sales, magic cards, etc)

but i think a more traditional path that also uses similar skills is computer science and business analyst

in fact, for someone with soft skills (ie they can't code) looking to transition to a 9-5, i'd reccomend business analyst roles, if you were a successful card player you are good at pattern and outlier recognition (most people are terrible at it) and you'll find looking at data for insights and strategic alterations both relatively easy and interesting compared to your peers

just think about how much we love giraffe porn here, most people hate that stuff

Thank you for this post, i feel so great about myself now.

i would have pegged you as a politician actually

Mental Health Nurse

Methadone Counselor


I actually briefly did this

therapist