Re: Going Pro: The Other Side
Your friend is a degenerate gambler who ended up broke and in jail like many other addicts. I feel bad but there's nothing that unique about it, and nothing specific to the game of poker. He needs medical/psychological help to deal with his addiction.
However, I do agree with an earlier poster who said magazines like CardPlayer, and especially televised tournaments, play up the glamour and easy money aspect of poker, and barely mention the flip side. The poker boom is no doubt creating many gambling addicts on college campuses.
However, your friend did not really, "go pro" in my opinion. He just became addicted to gambling. He really had no plan like a true professional - he just won big early, got hooked, and lost it all. Sadly this pattern happens to gambling addicts every day.
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