I've only occasionally got some of these comments from family members, but for the most part they think I am smart enough to not go bankrupt. Luckily, my mother is very understanding of my poker playing as long as I got my diploma (which I did) and get a real job (which I could have as early as tomorrow).

The most interesting comments that I get are from my friends. They don't give me the degenerate comments because they think that I play decently. What they don't understand is why I stick to 50NL/100NL cash games instead of tournaments. Some of them don't consider cash games to be "real" poker and think that I am wasting my time when I could be playing in the Sunday Million instead. I explained variance and bankroll management to them; some of them got it and some of them didn't.

Here is an amusing anecdote. I have a friend who was the leader of the "cash games don't count" argument. He had a bankroll of $50-$200 and was a HORRIBLE player. I tried to convince him to work his roll up by playing 5NL and 10NL, but he said that he found those games boring (he also couldn't beat those games to give you an idea of his skill level). Instead, he enters a $109 tournament with his whole roll and some how cashed for $160 despite genius moves like open limping in middle position when he had 6 BB left ($800/$1600 level and he had $10000), and then folding to a raise. I haven't talked to him lately, so I have no idea what he is playing right now (and no I will not give you his screenname, lol.)

I had a friend who joined one of those evangelical cults we have here in Hong Kong. She was all like "omg, you play poker? You are addicted to gambling and need treatment."

I did the logical thing and stopped talking to her and she's not my friend any more. I don't see why you guys put up with this stuff.

oh wow, if this is true, wp sir, wp.

God this is insane how universal all the **** in this thread is....

I was just watching a buddies band with a few other friends at this bar this last semester.... a really cute young 30's girl starts talking to me (I was kinda suprised cause she was hitting on my buddy hard and I was just chillin and watching the band)

Anyway she starts giving me the standard grill, where you from, how old are you (I could tell she was older, but still cute, so I guess her mid 20's)...then she asks me what I "do".......no job at the time and I had played online for 4 yrs just for living money etc....

I was like it's to hard to explain...I basically am an investor of sorts....calculated risks with imcomplete information (LOL).... then my buddy is like "f that he is a poker genius" (I am obv not at all but in my group of friends ya)....so I get the hour explanation and have to explain it all...with the typical stupid responses all done in this thread already...

Seriously.... I now have a real job and all so no worries...I eventually gave up and told them I bet sports (I do very well on the NFL and baseball actually) but still get **** for being a degen...

My Q is what should I of said those years?....I did say website design a few times but then everyone wants you to fix there computer....not that it matter anymore but I'm curious what you guys currently with no "reg" job (I know I know insta life tilt) say to wimmenz

ughaments

Is that because you don't have any other friends that the guys u know thru online poker forums?

THIS^^^^

/thread

What?

In all seriousness, say something like "online investor." If she asks you to elaborate, say you can't because of a non-disclosure agreement.

Depending on my mood, I'll usually make up some BS. If I decide to tell the truth, when people ask me about my job I usually preface it with something like "You wouldn't believe me...Ok, if I tell you you have to promise not to turn it into a 30 minute conversation." Then I give a 60-second explanation of how yes, it actually is possible. They usually ask a followup question or two and 99% of the time that's the end of it. What I can't stand is people who don't seem to understand that your income level is personal information.

"So how much do you make?"
"More than I could doing anything else. Heh, my degree is in film studies and that's not he most in-demand field."
"So how much do you make from poker?"
"Enough to pay the bills."
"How much though?"
"I definitely make enough for Laos."
"And how much is that?"
"I make none of your ****ing business dollars, is that specific enough for you?"

I got this for the first time yesterday

I wish I knew about online poker when I was in Laos. It would have beaten teaching for a living.

I got the "how much did you lose?" for the first time the other day.

A friend who knows how to play but can't and knows nothing about anything saw my graph for the last 20k hands of NL10 ($400 or so if you're curious) and I said "yeah, I've made about $400 this year."

"How much did you lose?"

If I hadn't read this thread I would have been like "WTF" but I just said "no, $400 net." He's not a ****** so that was the end of the conversation.

It is. Ty.

A friend asked me how much I had made the other day and I said bout $180k and he said, "But how much have u lost?" WTK is that meant 2 mean?

I just remembered another conversation I had with my gf's grandmother right after I got back from Vegas. A little background info is that my gf's grandmother is strongly against any form of gambling including poker. I've tried to explaing the difference to her before, but she never got it and any time I brought it up it would just turn into her trying to lecture me about the evils of gambling so I always avoided the subject. When I got back into town I spent a few days hanging out with her family and one night we were all sitting around and her grandmom starts questioning me about my trip. It went something like this:

GM: "Did you have a good time on your trip"

Me: "Yeah, I'm glad to be back tho"

GM: "Oh, yeah, well how did you do?"

Me: "Fairly well."

GM: "But how much did you lose?"

Me: "Uhhh... Negative a bunch..."

GM: "See I knew gambling was a bad thing..." (she launches into one of her anti gambling tirades)

Me: "..."

I made an exceuse and left. I was confused that she didn't seem to understand my comment because she is fairly young for a grandmother and a reasonably intelligent person so I asked my gf about it and she laughed and said, "My grandmother immigrated here from Norway, and didn't finish school past the 7th grade so there is no chance that she would have understood what you meant."

him: so you play online huh? don't you know that they just make "set up hands" so that they get paid more? so i was playing 5-10nl the other day...

me: you were playing 5-10 online? how much money did you have on the site?

him: like $2500. a lot. anyway back to my story. i'm playing 4 tables of 5-10 (him with this grin on his face like he is a baller) and my AQ top pair gets busted by someone who hit a set of 3's. then on another table i get it all in pre flop with AJ vs AK and i get a jack. so in the two hands i ended up losing money, but the poker site had it rigged so that i would keep playing in order to pay rake and at the same time eventually lose all of my money which i did soon after!

me: so you played 5-10nl with $2500??

him: ya! i know! i figured that "if" i lost money at 1 table i could make it back at another

me: oh ya. damn i should really re-think this online poker thing

This one can be both annoying and incredibly fun.

I just moved to a new city where nobody knows me at the local casinos, and whenever I play somewhere new I try to do everything possible to make it seem like I'm new to the game (without being a complete jackass, that is). However, when all the 'tips' start coming in, sometimes I just want to tell them to STFU... it's hard to bite my tongue at times, but I just keep telling myself that I'm there to take their money, not to explain how much I've played.

I love when you make a good play based on a read and then get lectured after because you 'shouldn't have been in the hand'. "How could you call with middle pair with that action?". "I just felt like gambling. I was hoping to catch something else on the turn or river." This is when it becomes fun, and it sets up such a donk image.

Substitute 'work' with 'in the world'.

Talking to people that don't 'get it' can be such a hassle. And the more you try to explain it the more they just see it as you reasoning with yourself about your 'addiction'.

When I was out for a smoke one day I made the mistake of telling my neighbor I was out for a quick puff while I was on a tourney break. Now every time I see her she asks if I'm playing poker, to be careful, and that if I keep playing she may have to recommend a 12 step program. Umm, thanks mom.

*smack*

The last few times I've just told her that I'm not playing anymore and it was just for fun for a couple weeks. Hopefully she'll zip it now.

A sign that you take poker seriously...

I met a girl online and we totally hit it off right from the start... it was like we'd known each other for years. Then the subject of poker came up, and I told her that I play regularly.

"Oh, so you're one of those people that contribute to the destroying of families?"

At first I thought she was kidding, as it's hard to tell sometimes when you're chatting online, but no, she was dead serious.

I've talked to her once since, to say that I'm pretty busy these days and I probably won't be online much over the next while, and I really have no interest in talking to her anymore. That one single comment completely killed it for me.

The way I see it, if you take poker seriously you either (a) have to be single, or (b) be with someone that doesn't necessarily understand the game in-depth, but realizes that YOU take it seriously, and doesn't treat it like some kind of fad or straight up gambling.

If you don't have someone supportive by your side, you simply can't play your best game.

Donk: "Can you turn this $50 into a few hundred for me?"
You: "Well it's not that easy, but if you're willing to lose the money and not be upset I'll give it a shot"
(one week later)
You: "Last night was awesome, I won a big tournament online and make $20k"
Donk: "That's awesome!! So how much did you end up making me with my $50?"
You: "Oh, that... right. Sorry, I lost your $50 just before my win. My bad. But here, I'll buy you a pop with my winnings."

Ah, the people that ignore the fact that you say it's a JOB, or that you do it for a LIVING. They're in the mentality that you've jumped online to play poker for a bit, so they equate it to a friend going to the casino for a night of gambling. And usually in those cases you get, "I went to the casino on Friday and won $x, it was great!"

They don't realize it's basically the same as asking someone what their salary is at their 9-5.

The internet doesn't count, ldo.

sounds like youre the moron...

if you tell someone something like that then they will just think you cheated them out of their money.

also, if you are a decent person, you would just give them their 50 back or even the few hundred.

wow that post tilted me, youre a douche

I can see ur point soooo hard

LOL! Yeah, because I was being serious with that post.

Since some people don't have a sense of humour, I'll be serious for you then.

I'd never agree to that in the first place, and I think anyone that would is a bit of a tool.

If that situation were to ever happen (which it wouldn't, as I just stated), they'd be getting a lot more than their $50 back.

If a joke that you thought was serious tilted you, then you, my friend, are the douche.

work on making your jokes funny then

or were you like "i bet im gonna LEVEL someone here then make them look STUPID afterwords HAHAHAHAhAH!"