Try being a cop and having everyone you know ask how to get out of their DUI or if you can fix a speeding ticket. It is even worse when you are in uniform and random people want you to fix speeding tickets from different states.

Im in the same situation.. "helping" computer illiterate people or having a conversation with someone who has no clue about poker besides the WSOP really does make me want to kill myself. I had to stop telling my friends what I made while I was in high school because they were working 30+ hours a week and taking home <$200. It's like honestly, I rolled out of bed yesterday and im pretty sure I made $400. Somehow I even managed to let it slip to my barber when he asked me if I worked, now he asks me every time im there when I'll be on TV. My dad even has his own theory about online poker's odds being flawed.. what a JOKE this is.

Ok I could understand if you were friends with the person, but this is wild. Random people actually just walk up to you and expect you to fix their speeding tickets? that is really really insane.

Not to single you out, because other people have said similar things, but why do 2+2ers feel the need to be ****s like this? As annoying as these things can get, at least most of the people are trying to relate to you. There's no need to go and act like you're superior to them because you risk larger amounts of money.

No. Not funny. Not in the least. I explain to people why this is not true and no one understands. I get that question so damn often.

-webcam
"oh ok, that makes sense"

problem solved

Yeah!

Just do as I do preppie's, and you'll all be ballin outta control in no time.

This isn't really a 2+2er specific thing. There's a temptation to one-up someone when they're going on about something of that nature. If you were a world champion ping pong player and a guy went on for a while about his cousin, who won a county championship, would you keep silent so they don't feel humbled?

The thing is in the process of them trying to relate to you they are also annoying you. When I have conversations with people I don't like to talk about really stupid basic poker stuff.

I get the online money thing a lot, but you can't buy stuff with it rifght now so it's not real money.

Another one I get a lot is multitabling. OMG you play x tables that's so crazy I can't play even 1.

The other thing is when people are bragging about there $14/ hr office jobs where they sit in a cubicle all day punchining in numbers.

One good quality shared by civilians is that they actually like hearing bad beat stories. You can stretch the definition of bad beat pretty far, too. Stories of butchered hands and mild beats for big pots that would invite derision on BBV can be squeezed for a good dose of sympathy from casual players (if not mom).

this thread is solid gold.


Have you guys ever had an intelligent conversation about online poker with someone who has never played before? I've had a few and I was very impressed with them afterwards.

No.

I get this one a lot.

As well as "Oh, do you count cards??"

My grandfather found out I play poker and told me one day:

"You know python49, I was watching this poker thing on tv the other day and let me tell you something.... im about positive theres a way for some of those players to see the other players hole cards. If I can see them sitting at home from my own TV theres got to be a way the players at the table can too."

I told my family I play poker.

I then got told that my mum's side of the family used to own a casino in london (the vic) and my grandpa on my dad's side used to be a semi-pro poker player who won a "world poker tournament" (even though it was 5 card draw and only involved english ppl) and me and him still talk poker strategy.

But wow, your guys experience sounds fun too

after telling one guy about my 5K bankroll, he replies, "do you just play against a bunch of idiots or what?"

never again will i bring up poker in a conversation.

I'm an engineer, therefore my co-workers are engineers. It all makes perfect sense to them, yet neither of them plays. Of course guys like that have a much deeper understanding of mathematics than most.

Ive learned to add poker to the list of things I dont disucss with people in detail specifically for these reasons.

In middle school I was the kid to go to for computers, and wow did that get annoying fast. Random kids, teachers, parents, relatives, etc. asking questions that really dont make any sense at all. Then trying to explain it to them, them not understanding, you just giving up with it and so on. With that though it was easier because the people were generally well intentioned, with things like poker I feel like its completely different.

People telling me that Ill lose it all if Im not careful dont bother me a ton because they dont know any better, but its the people who ask how much I make and so on that really bother me. I dont ask them what they make at their job, its just rude.

Growing up in a politically connected family I got used to people jsut losing all sense of etiquette in regards to personal questions. I can imagine how it is for police officers, doctors, etc. as well.

I guess Ive gotten used to the more innocent questions/concerns that come along with it and have just tried to find the easiest way to move on in the conversation and think the easiest way to handle it is just to agree with whatever they are saying and moving on. I still cant help but be put off by some of the comments that come off as just plain rude.

Meh, whatever though, Ill deal with it while making a good amount of money. It comes with the territory.

I was more amused then anything that he thought the $5 SnG's would respect his raises ><

Next time I'll tell him "lol Dink & Donk & Go's"

Why not? He's right, isn't he? Now that my dad understands what I do, he often describes it as "taking candy from a baby." As in, you really don't have to be very good to make money at the game, and when the games dry up I will be in trouble. That's a little annoying because I get the impression that he thinks I'm just a little above average or something, while I definitely think I'm better than that . So to a degree I think they're both right, but I can understand why you might find what he said upsetting.

my favorite new one is telling some co-workers how to casino whore. I explained how you are going to lose money, but less than the bonus, etc, etc. I was like, you can easily make several thousand dollars in a month or so, check out this site, this site, and this site.

oh, well, if i give you $200 to start with, can you just do it and give me back $3000 at the end of the month.

Tell him to move up to the 20s. They respect raises there.

I never tell any of my friends that I play poker online. Everyone will think you are a degenerative.

"Are you up from poker?"

If I say yes, thier response will think I'm a degen and say "Be careful"
If I say no, they will think i'm a degenerative

No matter what you do, if you play online poker everyone will think you are a degen and think less of your opinions on other subjects.

Also I get alot of stupid quesitons about it too.
"Isn't online poker rigged?! My friend said he saw 5 aces on party poker before"

"How can you play 6 tables at once?! That's crazy!"

"What the [censored]?! You need at least $2,000 to start playing the nl 100 tables?! You should be playing nl 400 with that!"

"You are going to lose it all, you luck will run out"

Sadly poker is still considered the same as house games. Everyone think it invovles no skill. But they are the kind of people who we take money from.

zeebo is right. as annoying as it is, think about this.

say you tell them you're a septic engineer.

are they going to ask you to come into their bathroom and inspect their [censored] just to make sure it looks normal? hopefully not.


you get the point.

Same. I talk to pretty much no one about either. Just read any /. thread that touches on technical support, friends, & family. I got sick of it and now "I know noth-ink".