Taxes

[Gambit]

I have a tax question that I have not seen addressed (I did attempt a search first, so apologies if I missed it).

I plan on reporting my poker earnings and losses on my taxes. I play *almost* exclusively online, that's the heart of the issue. For my online winnings, I have a spreadsheet detailing a history of my balance at each site, as well as data from PokerTracker. If I need to back track, I can produce a transaction history from NetTeller as well as from the individual sites. In addition I have transactions recorded in my checking account.

However...

I also have three B&M card room sessions this year, which all happened to be losing sessions. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I have no physical records of these sessions or even an exact recollection of the dates. They were all low-limit games and I'd guess the total losses in these sessions is less than 10% of what I won (net) online.

1. Can I (should I) include these B&M losses along with my online losses although I have no hard documentaion on them? (I am about 95% sure on the amounts, and 99% sure I could find the exact date by checking my email, calendar and other clues)

2. Probably more importantly, going forward for the new year, will card rooms typically give you a receipt if you ask when you buy in or cash out? (sorry if this is a stupid question)

Thanks for any insight.

[John Deere]

You absolutely should claim those B&M losses. I believe that, according to the IRS (it is listed in the full documentation for your tax forms), the "proof" required is a daily log in which you track yours wins and losses. If you already have a spreadsheet in which you do this for online play, simply add the three entries for your B&M sessions. (Perhaps make a note in an auxiliary column of the casinos and, err, the tables, where you played.)