The whole poker room thing is silly - I know a bunch of folks who play full time but aren’t often in a poker room. I work full time but can play 5-5 plo Monday and Tuesday, 5-5 NL wed, drive down to Charleston and play 5-10 NL Thursday, then back here 1-3 on Fri and Sat, and finally 2-5 on Sunday. Those all are games with dealers, automatic shufflers and free food and drink. And that’s not hitting them all.

I was watching the 06 WSOP yesterday and it was such a fun trip down memory lane to see all the old faces that were around during the boom. Huburto and his shark, Pharlad Freeman, Annie, Alan Cunningham, Lisandro. Just so many names that seem to be almost completely non existent in today’s poker world

So I actually did some research through the bureau of labor statistics, and as of end of year 2016, the answer to this question is: less than 13,400 people in the USA, not include prop players.

How I found this:
Go to data.bls.gov

nerd out.

end up with:


We assume all professional poker players are self-employed, so only look at the 13,400 figure. This figure also includes other self-employed people:
* Acrobat
* Aerialist
* Amusement Park Entertainer
* Bareback Rider
* Baton Twirler
* Clown
* Comedian
* Continuity Director
* Fortune Teller
* Impersonator
* Juggler
* Magician
* Marionette Performer
* Palmist
* Professional Poker Player
* Prompter
* Puppeteer
* Rodeo Performer
* Story Teller
* Stunt Performer
* Tumbler
* Ventriloquist
* Wire Walker

But many of these people may be employed by a casino or comedy lounge or something, so eh.

Anyway, less than 5,000 in the USA is my best guess. Also, if you are a pro poker player, the government thinks your job is similar to that of a fortune teller, impersonator, ventriloquist or wire walker. Go think about that for a few minutes.