How do you explain your career?

[666]

I tell them I kill people for money. When the shock of that has worn off, I say that I am a professional gambler.

[cursha]

In my 16 years as an online poker professional, I find that the best answer to that question, other than 'I work with retards', is :-
"I'm an online personal actuary', if they can be bothered figuring it out, then I explain that life is all about odds and reraise the conversation with 'I provide covert tactical logistics regarding provisional permitations of seven variable equations'

That generally shuts them up.

[einbert]

Son, I make my living
by reading people's betting
and knowing what their cards are
by the way they bet their hands
{I use playerview too, of course)

[Dariel86]

Yeah the hot girls love that [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[jtr]

Say you're an aquarium manager.

(This is not mine, but comes from a much older thread on the same topic.)

[intensify1]

Well I have concluded your all insane and that we need to get together for a drink, lol. I like the whole trying to confuse them so they dont ask other questions tactic. The reason for this post is because I have a very close friend who advises me to not mention it, and think of something else to say for fear of something bad happenening, for instance I live in Indiana and they recently pass laws to regulate online gambling to a degree. Good thing I always obey the law. HAHA. Thanks for the colorful replies.

An aquarium manager<-- nice

[jstewsmole]

I tell them i am a professional poker player and if they have a condescending type look or reply, i accidentally drop the keys to my Beamer in plain view.

[timprov]

You could always tell them you're a gentleman jewel thief.

Personally, I prefer having an artistic pursuit to fall back on. When I say I'm a fiction writer, naive people assume I make a ton of money, while informed people are impressed I don't need a day job.

[lehighguy]

People think poker is no different from table games, that your a degenerate gambler.

I don't mind this at all though, it keeps a lot of otherwise good players from getting into the game.

[lehighguy]

nh