im stealing this

The way to make it obvious is to then say "ok, let's flip a coin. If it comes up heads you give me $5.50. If it comes tails, I give you $5". I imagine most people will understand it's the same proposition.

Jemy is unfortunately right, the truth hurts. Unless you are a successful high stakes player that likes to show off his wealth I would just avoid the poker conversation all together. It's just too hard to explain poker to people that have strong preconceived notions that our favorite game is just gambling. Accept it, create a strong cover story, and work on your game until you are in a position to mention that you play poker for a living to the masses.

This is my millionth post in this thread on the same subject, but I've never had any of these negative conversations. In the past 9 years I've played poker for 3 and worked for PS for 6.

The closest I've come was with my hairdresser and even that ended up with her recognising that what she thought happened wasn't true. I couldn't explain how you win well enough to convince her why I was right, but she believed me when I said it was possible.

I can only imagine that most people who've had bad conversations just aren't very good at having conversations.

Ive used this even saying " I will give you $10, and you give me $5" You would be surpised how many people still say no.

Most people are more risk averse than a poker player is going to be - we have the same attitude once the money gets important to us, it's just that theirs kick in earlier.

They won't take the bet because they don't want to gamble rather than because they don't understand it's positive expectation.

I'm semi-pro and they start hatin' hard. I don't tell anyone anymore cuz it's none of their business.

LMFAO

Is it possible that this is because you're not from the U.S.?

I just can't fathom this....

I can definitely fathom it...if u explain it correctly to anybody with a normal IQ, they will understand it, at least to some extent...its not that hard to explain

So are you saying that the almost 3000 posts in this thread (WHICH WAS CREATED FOR JUST THE OPPOSITE REASON) are by people who are "doing it wrong"?

Why I don't tell people I play poker:

Because I don't play anymore

In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king

Because it's illegal

Because most people launder clothes and not teh monies.

[x] rumours

When I say I play poker for money online, my friends challenge me to play on zynega (facebook) and then assume they're a better player than me because they went all in every hand like the rest of the table and won with lowest pair or something

so I say, fine, put $10 on stars and I'll play you heads up

no-ones accepted that challenge yet

so baller omg

baller on a budget son

Tried telling my mom about me playing poker online for money, she goes on about its illegal and immoral.. turns on the tv and hears all the poker sites are taken down due to illegal activities such as money laundering, she has a go at me and tells me she doesn't want to see me playing poker as long as I live in same house.

Moral of my story is dont tell your ****ing parents.

Or move out of the basement.

Some of my pokerbuddys watched me play when I won a pretty big score and somehow one of them couldn`t keep his mouth shut and told it so much people
(I don`t like people knowing that I play poker at all and especially I don`t want them to know how much I won).
So I go to a bar the next days after the score and a couple of people run into me congrulating me and were like "Ohh man and I did beat you Headsup once". I was like "lol samplesize" they then proceedrf to tell me how good they are and that they don`t like onlinepoker and liveplayers are much better than onlineplayers etc.
I started drinking then, again someone talked to me taking out his iphone showing me Screenshots of badbeats I only thought "C`mon u mother****in fish, I`m here to drink and want to have a good time and don´t want to talk about mother****in poker and especially I`m not interested in seeing your ****in badbeats"
He showed me a couple hands and told me that it was Cashgame I totally saw that those were SNG hands(Ldo he was playing NL2k, I srsly wanted to punch him in the face when he tried to convince me that it was NL2k). Also later that night about 10 people asked me for coaching, it was so ****in annoying.

did you get the young clerk's #?