Look Mom/Dad I won 12K

[AceHiStation]

So this thread has been done before plenty of times, but after my recent encounter I figured I'd post about mine anyways. It all started Thursday night. I had a strange itch to play in the Super Thursday tournament(played before, biggest cash was $1750 but I was 60%/40% with a roommate who also entered).

I deposited into PartyPoker as my account was empty since switching to Empire for rakeback. I registered for the tournament and next thing I know I'm at the final table and people are dropping like flies. I ended up busting out 3rd for almost $12k. To this point, my biggest profiting day was about $2K in $400NL ring games.

My parents have seen me watch WSOP on TV a couple times and have seen me reading HOH volume 1 and TPFAP on recent vacations we went on. I never read for pleasure purposes and thought this might help influence my parents that playing poker was OK. My parents also knew I went to Las Vegas and came out +300 on the tables even while running horribly(lost KK to AA twice, for $550 and $600 otherwise it would have been a bit more). My parents were fine with me going to Las Vegas but I could tell they had their concerns. I currently am 22 and living with my parents while finishing up a co-op for school-credit so I can graduate.

Up until this point my parents had no idea that I played poker online. I decided I would tell my parents of my recent win and after telling my mom she was bothered a little bit but more didn't believe the money was actually real. I kept telling her to not be close-minded and she started joking about it a little and I didn't feel horrible about her reactions.

"One down, one to go," I thought. When my dad got home from work I told him "Last night, I played a poker tournament that I paid $22 to qualify for, and out of 959 people I got 3rd and won about $12,000." My dad looked like he didn't even hear me. I waited what felt like 10 seconds and almost repeated myself when my dad said, "I'm not impressed." He then went on to lecture me for 15 minutes making me feel worthless. I explained that it wasn't typical gambling as you're not against the house and how it is a skill game more similar to chess(Which they loved that I played in highschool). He went on to say that chess is well-respected around the world and compared my getting $12k to winning the lottery. This was insulting as I played incredible poker to reach this level and he belittles me while having basically no knowledge of the game. He explains to me how his friends try to get him to play and how he has played a few times and has won almost every time. I explain that the purpose of poker is to make relatively small risks/bets and to make the correct decision on these bets over a long period of time, thus limiting your odds of losing. I tried everything I could to persuade him, even claiming it was just a hobby that happened to be profitable. He retorted by saying that I was wasting my time and that I should be investing this time towards building my future.

I've just won almost $12,000 and the culmination of my studies and hours and hours of work devoted to the game of poker has finally come in a solid $12,000 third-place finish. I played in two tournaments last night, and in both cases went against my gut and tilted out. Lost TT to AQs after calling an all-in preflop in early rounds. In the other tournament busted out overplaying a PP to AA(which I knew was AA but was too stubborn to admit it). Anyhow, I haven't played at all since then and almost feel guilty opening up a poker client.

I don't really know what I'm looking for as far as discussion here, but I guess any advice you could give me whatsoever. I have a BS in Information Technology(coming in a couple months after filling out paperwork) and have a positive future ahead of me. I love the game of poker and since joining twoplustwo and discussing it feel like I am trying to master this complex game as much as possible rather than try and win money. My father is a very well-off doctor, my brother is in law school, and my sister is a doctor as well. I have always considered myself the f***-up in my parents eyes. I had the worst grades in Highschool as I didn't really care. Nowadays I am the family computer guy and my parents enjoy that. I get phonecalls from every member of my family and my aunt's family on a weekly basis and thus have removed my f***-up label IMO. Anyways, I'd really appreciate some similar stories you've encouontered, advice, even ripping a few jokes into me [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Thanks for dealing with the rant,
-Ace

[GrannyMae]

another meaningful win and they will be your biggest fans.
(trust me)

nice post, nice win

[petvan]

Doesn't Helmuth have about the same story?

Anyway, I'd say keep your options open, but also keep in mind that if you want to take a stab at pro poker, now is the time. When you have a mortage, Wife, kids, etc, it is pretty difficult to consider. Once you get on the treadmill of wage slavery, its tricky to get off ;-)

Why not move out? Demonstrate a little independance, and put some pressure on yourself to earn, be it via poker or otherwise. I'm 32, and the best thing I did to salvage a workable relationship with my parents (who had concerns over my ability to earn) was to get out from under them, and eliminate any semblence of financial dependence such that we were on a level playing field.

Enough of that though, great win and lets see some more!

P

[frappeboy]

Why does everyone care so much what their parents think.. The whole baby boom generation is very selfish and closed minded.. You are probably a lot smarter than your father, so why do you need his approval?

If I were you I seperate myself from them. You don't want to be around negative people who crush your hopes and dreams, no matter who they are.. This is YOUR life not theirs, do what you want with it.

[FredJones888]

you obviously care about more than just money. you want respectability and the respect of your family. poker won't give you that and now you know it.

In life one thing you'll find is plenty of naysayers, some related to you some perfect strangers. If that's enough to stop you from pursuing what you really want, then you don't want it that bad. Nice win, keep playing and improving.

[Jeffage]

I go the opposite way...I tell them nothing regarding the amount of money I make playing. I go with the maxim, "The state of a player's bankroll is a well-kept secret." I don't want to worry them with the large monetary swings I go through. I do tell them I pay taxes on it and they realize it's significant money (though prob have no idea how much it really is). But I think more details would worry them too much and cause me anxiety.

Many Many times though, I wish I was totally straight with them from the start. Sometimes I feel like I'm living a total double life.

Jeff

[rgschackelford]

That's spot on. I played online for a month and won about $100 playing .25/.50 limit (I'm new. Cut me some slack with the limits!), and my Mom actually confronted me a few days before my first live house tournament, and TOLD me that I had a gambling problem. This really weighed heavy on me, until I won $700 that night. When I spread my newly acquired "wad" of cash on the dining room table that next morning, she was awestruck, and would listen to me telling her how poker was a game of skill, with luck involved.

Several months later, I won another house tournament for $500, and an online freeroll for $120, and told my Dad about it. He refused to believe that there was anything such as "free money", even though I explained that it was apromotion to get people on the site, and to the tables. He's pretty hard-headed, and matters are made worse that most of my Mom's side of the family are your stereotypical 40-something slot-pullers. I swear, if I have to listen to one more story about getting three double 7s on a nickel machine, and winning 4000 (whispers: nickels) I will...calm down, calm down, you're better than that, Rusty. It's just that I have heard so many damned stories about being up $80, then, down $30, then up $10, and then even and cashing out, then putting a $20 in a machine while waiting for others to finish up, and running it up to $40, before losing it all, for a grand total of winning $180. If you found a way to make double 7s come up more often, therefore tilting the odds in your favor, without the casinos knowing, then tell me! Why not just sit there and explain to me the plot of all the old shows you saw on TV Land, earlier that day! Once again, sorry. It's frustrating to have to listen to those cackel-hounds gab on about that crap at family get-togethers. Anyway, my Dad is very hard-headed, and I figure that it will take a big score or two to change his mind (say a couple of consecutive 1k scores or something of the like)..

Anyway, that's my thing.

Rusty G.

[elcheapo]

I was in the same boat for the most part. Though my first big score was 48k which may be different. Anyways, you got to show sustained winnings and maybe a 100k year to say that its not a hobby. I quit my job and started renting a two bedroom apartment for myself 6 months after making ten dollars an hour at a grocery store. When you start making more than your parents then a certain degree of understanding is in place. It is no longer a fluke.

[AceHiStation]

[ QUOTE ]
another meaningful win and they will be your biggest fans.
(trust me)

[/ QUOTE ]

Did any of you experience this? I almost feel like my parents would be even more upset that I keep playing? I plan on living with my parents through November at which point I will be getting a full-time job outside of my hometown.


[ QUOTE ]
When you start making more than your parents then a certain degree of understanding is in place. It is no longer a fluke.

[/ QUOTE ]

The odds of me making more than my parents are slim-to-none. This is what makes it very difficult for me. My dad is a top-notch physician in a well-paying field. I don't want to mention specific numbers, but replecating this win weekly would be short of this feat.


Thanks for the comments so far,
-Ace