Does Phil Ivey have a gambling Problem?

[Yeknom58]

Woa,

I never thought about this..excellent point.

[Trainwreck]

Sorry daryn your response was the dumbest... LOL! <funny dumb, hopefully purposely for laughs>

Dolly was young once.... LOL!

>TW<

[scotnt73]

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Hi mrraise,

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I don't think he has a problem, since a gambling problem only becomes a problem when you consistently lose[.]

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For the record, this is not true. One can be a compulsive gambler and be a winner. The issue is the compulsion, and there can be severe consequences even if you're "winning." If your relationships are fractured, if you're missing time from work because you were at the casino too late the night before, if you can't imagine playing a round of golf (or bowling, or horseshoes, or whatever) without betting on the outcome, if you're having to play for higher and higher stakes to keep the "edge," you may well have a gambling problem ... even if you're winning.

Cris

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but what if you JOB is to gamble and you are good at it. i gamble 40 hours a week playing poker and its not even my job. i then gamble very small amounts on sunday on football with friends. for vacations i goto Vegas and since the wife is with me we play video poker which is -EV and i know it but i enjoy doing it and spending time with her while on vacation. im not going to sit at a poker table but for maybe a few hours while shes in the spa. so i bring money that i know im going to lose and can afford it.

to someone who doesnt play poker im a compulsive gambler. but i am definitely not. it actually improves my life with extra money(poker) and fun drinking time(video-poker and football).

you are right on one point. if it comes before your relationships you have a problem. but just because you do it all the time in amounts you can easily afford and these guys can afford WAY more than me doesnt mean you have a problem.

[mrraise]

Chris, what you say is true, but my comments were directed specifically at Phil. His job is to gamble, it is his chosen livelihood. If he was a non-pro gambler, then yes, I would agree that he probably had a problem. Obviously, gambling doesn't get in the way of his relationship with his wife since she knew what she was getting in to when they married. I would venture to say that his gambling actually enhances / helps to sustains their relationship due to the security and comfort provided by his success / talent at it. I would also venture to say (without any supporting empirical evidence mind you), that the vast majority of relationships terminated due to compulsive gambling are because the individual loses and the resultant financial strain (among other things) becomes too much. I can't imagine two people not being to work something out when the gambler consistently makes enough money to support them comfortably. People are too quick to associate the word compulsive with "bad". For the majority, yes it is, but not everyone. Just like not every compulsive eater is overweight for example, not every compulsive gambler is a financial loser. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Greg (FossilMan)]

I haven't read through this thread, but I think I can close it.

I discussed this issue with Phil Ivey during the filming of the TOC for ESPN. He said something like yes, he's a compulsive gambler. Doyle Brunson chimed in with something like all of us here are compulsive gamblers, we're just really good at it.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Kevin]

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My favorite bet was where John Hennigan got paid $100k to live in Des Moines IA for a month. I doubt Hennigan even knew where Des Moines was and imagine the locals reaction to a british gambler moving into town.

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I could be wrong here, but I am pretty sure that Hennigan is a Philly boy - at least graduated from high school there..

[alittle]

I know there's a casino with a poker room about 40 miles outside Des Moines, so he'd still have opportunity to play, even there.

[mosch]

If you want to correct your impression, I suggest you read Katy Lederer's book.

[Tyler Durden]

"I just cant imagine that ivey, lederer, and the other guy are dumb enough to gamble on golf. Makes no sense."

Maybe this is further down in the thread, I haven't read all the responses, but Howard Lederer and Doyle Brunson made a big golf bet a few years back.