Money Etiquette

[rwanger]

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I'm honest with my friends, not my customers. To them, I'm a perpetual loser with a bottomless bankroll that has lost every session they haven't witnessed and tonight, well, I'm just lucky.

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nh

Not that anyone here knows my name online, but at first I thought it was a bad idea. Now, I'm starting to think, "Hell, if people from 2+2 stay away because they know I win, then PRAISE THE LORD, and fill my table with fish".

Let's all just come clean and then stay away from each other. Sound like a plan? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[rbenuck4]

Let me say that I am a 24 year old medical student.

When I first started playing the higher limits, I would love to tell people how I was doing (good and bad). I got a kick out of tellnig people that I won 3K last night or that I lost 4K the other day. It was fun just for their reactions. However, recently I've stopped telling everyone around me except the few friends I have who understand poker and how the swings work. The thrill of winning a few thousand in a night has worn off, and I feel no need to brag about how much I win or lose.

I see my poker now as a job and usually people don't go around bragging how much they're earning a year. When people ask now, I just say "I'm doing fine," and try to leave it at that. When pressed, I tell them that I'm still paying my mortgage and bills and most people get the hint after that to stop asking.

Honestly, I don't think it's that rude. There are people who are amazing smartasses about it... But for most people... when pulling in $1000-1500 a paycheque after taxes is considered good... I don't blame them for being curious if people can actually make money playing poker.

Of course, I grew up in a lower-middle class life. And maybe that's just why I think people ask the question.

[Percula]

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I'm honest with my friends, not my customers. To them, I'm a perpetual loser with a bottomless bankroll that has lost every session they haven't witnessed and tonight, well, I'm just lucky.

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Good post!

I am honest with close family but try to avoid specific details of a session and prefer to let them know on a weekly or monthly basis. No need in freaking them out over a bad session or get them overly hopeful over a great session. The only person I will talk session by session with is a poker playing buddy (fellow 2+2'er) about wins and losses.

I will from time to time comment on a table that my best night at this game was racking out 300BB or 500BB or whatever, but then go right into I am on such a horible, incredibly bad down swing that it is a gift from the gods to be up right now. And proceed to get some more "gifts".

[Smokey_McPot]

My family I tell the unabridged truth if asked and let them decide for themselves how to handle it.

My friends know I do well enough to get by as a student, and don't make further inquiries as they respect my privacy.

Other than that it doesn't really come up. If I were asked by a stranger I'd simply say I get by and not mention numbers. If I were pressed for an answer I'd tell them to stuff it.

Most coworkers and freinds of mine outside poker dont understand that me playing poker at the stakes i do has totally ruined my prior concepts and understandings of money. i try and avoid telling people unless they ask AND play poker on a serious level themsleves.

also main reason why i don't mention it aside from being extremely vague. even if i hit a few statistical anomaly's (suck out like a pro)I feel i earned this money just as much as i "won" it becasue i feel that i "do" more with the cards im dealt and the situations that come up, while outsiders to poker may view poker as well as other forms of gambling as a huge luckbox.

[Emperor]

My standard answer when people ask what I do.. "Why, do you expect me to buy you stuff?"

They are immediatley embarrassed that they seemed to be golddigging.. Which would be accurate.

[Malachii]

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"Why, do you expect me to buy you stuff?"

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Good answer