WSOP "My son dropped out of college to internet poker and we're proud? - Page 4

Steve00007 · #31 08-04-2005, 03:52 AM

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parents should not be proud of this, that doesnt mean college kids shouldnt play poker, but if i dropped out of college to play poker professionally unless i become incredibly rich (making 200K a year is not rich) i would view my life as a failure in many ways.

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Ok because the average US worker makes around $40,000 per year. Horray college.

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I'd be surprised if the average poker player who tries to earn a living from the game even makes $40,000 a year. There are so many losers at the game, and so many people who are undisciplined with their money, that it's a really difficult thing to do for many folks out there.

Steve00007 · #32 08-04-2005, 04:11 AM

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Ok because the average US worker makes around $40,000 per year. Horray college.

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Lets not forget the parents footing that bill or the students themselves paying back thos loans for 10 years to get out of debt in their effort to "get ahead"

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That beats two of the main alternatives:

1. Don't play poker as a pro, and don't go to school. Just work at Burger King for the rest of your life. Of course, some people will do better than this, but they are certainly not the norm.

Or

2. Try to earn your living as a poker player, and waste part of your life away while you are a loser at the game. Of course, some people will win and do fine, but they are the exception, not the norm.

Also, your example of paying to get out debt often isn't the case.

Finally, there are more reasons to go to school besides trying to get ahead or make more money. The most obvious reason is to have an increased amount of knowledge. Despite the amount of money that is spent on it, the public school education system in this country is a joke. The average high school graduate has no command of history, mathematics, science, argumentation/debate/logic, and even the English language. After all those years of school, far too many students don't even know how to properly study for something. I had a lot of years in school where I barely learned a thing, and I don't believe my experience is uncommon at all.

dibbs · #33 08-04-2005, 06:10 AM

If someone makes a lot of money doesnt mean your life isn't a "failure" FWIW. Living a very fufilling and happy life without much money sure as hell shouldnt be classified as a failure.

curtains · #34 08-04-2005, 06:38 AM

I just don't get these recurring debates. For some people it's probably a great thing to attend college. For other people it's not. To argue otherwise or to assume that one knows what's best for everyone seems ridiculous to me.

45suited · #35 08-04-2005, 09:21 AM

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Does anyone else think that segment in the WSOP an coverage was irresponsible, for alot of reasons? Does ESPN have any official response to charges that they are glorifying gambling? Just curious.

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ESPN covers successful people who did not graduate from college all the time.

Maybe you've heard of them: The entire women's tennis tour, a large chunk of the men's golf tour, the vast majority of Major League Baseball players, a large chunk of the NHL (who came straight from Junior Leagues), Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Garnett. Oh, and Lance Armstrong too. Should they defend themselves that they are glorifying tennis, golf, baseball, hockey, basketball, and the Tour de France as well?

So why get on your soapbox about poker? It's ESPN, not the Learning Channel.

jakethebake · #36 08-04-2005, 09:47 AM

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Does anyone else think that segment in the WSOP an coverage was irresponsible, for alot of reasons?

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No.

DarthIgnurnt · #37 08-04-2005, 09:48 AM

Couple of things ...

1) ESPN *is* my moral barometer.

2) You can either pay for college, which means you're drinking, f**king, and playing poker. Or, you can *not* go to college and just focus on drinking, f**king, and playing poker.

3) There's no "right" way to script your life. I have an ivy league degree (granted, it's from a crappy ivy league school). I make low six-figures playing poker, and mid six-figures in my job. I wonder every single day why I "hump my 40-hour job" (to you a GambleAB-ism), and why I went $100K in debt to get a silly degree.

anduril · #38 08-04-2005, 10:12 AM

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parents should not be proud of this, that doesnt mean college kids shouldnt play poker, but if i dropped out of college to play poker professionally unless i become incredibly rich (making 200K a year is not rich) i would view my life as a failure in many ways.

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jebus do you use cristal in your wheaties instead of milk or what? I'd be happy as a pig in sh*t to have that income.

Howard Treesong · #39 08-04-2005, 10:46 AM

You're not unreasonable. But Gamble seems closer to the mark on this one. Kids aren't stupid. Kids are just as smart as they're going to be when they grow up to be adults. Kids are naive, yes, and don't yet perceive how easy it is to make gross mistakes; but it's not at all clear that Gamble is so. He's substantially less naive than I was at his age, FWIW.

Voltron87 · #40 08-04-2005, 11:04 AM

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parents should not be proud of this, that doesnt mean college kids shouldnt play poker, but if i dropped out of college to play poker professionally unless i become incredibly rich (making 200K a year is not rich) i would view my life as a failure in many ways.

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Why would becoming 'incredibly rich' playing poker make any difference to the merits of the activity? And I'm guessing your criteria for 'incredibly rich' excludes all living poker players, or what can be made playing poker.

And all this piffle about contributing to society....

How many college grads really contribute to the betterment of human kind?

Very few people have the talent to really make a difference to humanity, and most college grads are thinking about making bucks, not improving society.

If you can make a living playing poker and that floats your boat, is that any worse than grinding it out as a miserable mid-level manager/executive for some multinational?

And yes, Bush proves you can underachieve your whole life, and still become the 'leader of the free world.' To which I reply - the first rule of ethical conduct is "do no harm." [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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your post doesnt make much sense. where did i say contributing to mankind? and when i said incredibly rich, i meant if i could have enough money to do whatever i wanted. 200k a year is a ton of money, but it is not wealth. playing poker just doesnt float my boat, i never said it shouldnt for everybody.

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So you don't like poker enough to do it for a living, and poker won't earn you enough money to make you 'incredibly rich,' is that the gist of what you are saying?

Frank

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yes. i love to play poker, i enjoy it, and it is a great source of income for me right now. but it is not what i want to do for the next 30 years of my life. there are other things which interest me.