Ok guys. Admit it. Poker is NOT cool.

[Subfallen]

[ QUOTE ]
Say you're retired.

Then if they ask "how" at such a young age, then just say "trust fund."

Then watch as they hate on you.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is clearly the correct answer.

[Dave H.]

[ QUOTE ]
My suggestion? Say you're an independent software developer. Nobody ever asks questions.

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Or even better: Say you are an independent tester of software...kind of like a Quality Assurance individual...just don't tell them what kind of software you test!

[Shoog]

How about saying you're a risk management analyst.
If they ask, "what's that?"
Say something like, "I assess people's investments and try to show them how they are putting too much money in overly risky endeavors or not enough in other more sound investments, given their financial limits and objectives. I'm compensated partially on a commission, based on whether I'm right or wrong.
chrs

[vexvelour]

[ QUOTE ]
You should either aggressively tell the truth or aggressively lie. Don't be weak passive.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol.

If a guy walked up to me and told me he was a poker player you'd have to peel me off him.

[Fitz]

This is the first time I've posted this, but here goes. I do enjoy poker; I have loved it for years. I don't play full time, but I do treat it as a lucrative part time job.

To the title of my post. I'm a big guy. Big enough that my doctor tells me I need weight loss surgery. If I don't have it, I can/will face some serious health problems going forward. My health insurance through my employer is refusing to pay for the surgery. I'm waiting to hear the results of an appeal right now. If the insurance company doesn't pay, I will. The surgery is going to cost between 15 and 20k; if it weren't for the money I've won playing poker online, I wouldn't be able to afford it.

I don't care if it's cool or not. The money we make playing can help us in ways we might never imagine until life throws us a nasty curve ball.

Good luck all,

Fitz

[vexvelour]

[ QUOTE ]
The surgery is going to cost between 15 and 20k; if it weren't for the money I've won playing poker online, I wouldn't be able to afford it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Funny how life works out sometimes. Good luck with your appeal and your surgery.

[The Don]

[ QUOTE ]
if you beat around the bush and then finally cave that you are a professional poker player, it resembles that you are struggling and that is not what you want to portray. come right out with confidence and throw money around. if you are at a 7/11 buy them the [censored] they want. if you are doing well then the $15 or whatever it is wont matter to you. a nice benefit of driving a really kickass car is that when you tell people you are doing whatever you are doing, they assume you are doing well.

another theory is that when you tell them you are a pro poker player, rather than arrogantly throw your hourly rate out there for all to see, slip into the conversation that you are gonna take a vacation to some exotic country in a few weeks. most 20ish kids will be extremely jealous that you are able to drop a few thousand like that on a vacation as most people in this age group are very broke. if you have a laptop then tell them that you are bringing that along with you and will probably multitable while youre down there. it makes the ladies all wet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree... let your $$$ do the talking. I am very generous with it and all of my friends and people my age respect me for it. If you are a truly successful player then money should mean nothing to you and it won't hurt to throw some around to bolster your image.

Older people will not understand... they are programmed to know what is "right" and "wrong" according to social norms. Who cares if you are leach on society? I would rather be a leach than one of the mindless drones that are "young professionals." (filing their TPS reports and whatnot)

[aces_full]

Tell them you make adult videos. Alternatively, some chicks might think "pot dealer" is a cool occupation. The most +EV answer to the question is the one that will most likely lead to you seeing some boob.

[mike4bmp]

I have the same problem...although I don't play professionally since I have a job and go to school, I find it hard to tell people that I play poker for a secondary source of income. However, since poker is sort of a cold-blooded thing to get into (i.e. exploiting others for their mistakes)in which you don't really care what your opponent thinks of you (with the exception of your table image of course) then you should not really care what the general public thinks of it. If someone labels you then they are the type of person who won't be able to see past their preconceived ideas anyway so why associate with them....uh they're too SHALLOW for my liking! So don't stress on them...I wouldn't worry too much about this these days anyways especially with the onslaught of popularity of tournament poker...its becoming more widely accepted. What I would be concerned with more now is being labeled as a wannabe! LOL
Peace!

[bohemian]

I admit it. Poker is not cool.