The Truth About Playing Poker For a Living

[Rushmore]

In a capitalist system, the real answer to the concerns expressed by Gamblor is...

I don't care.

And that's the way it's set up, and that's the way it is, and there you have it, and no apologies.

Do I make charitable contributions? Yes.

Do I have a nice bunch of friends? Yes.

Am I good to my family? Yes.

Do I read books, enjoy art, go out into the world? Yes.

Is there anything noble in poker playing? No.

Is there really anything noble about 99.9% of the world? No.

The key is to not become one of these pasty fat single guys in a baseball cap who has absolutely no heart or soul, which shouldn't be too hard if you are an actual human being.

You just happen to be an actual human being who plays poker for a living.

Or maybe it would be better for society or less sewer-like to work in a plastic extrusion factory or pumping gas or flipping burgers or selling useless things to useless people or mowing the grass or teaching economics or hitting a baseball real far.

As Hymen Roth said, I didn't ask "why," because this is the life we have chosen.

As Ayn Rand said, learn to exist in the world as it is, not as you wish it were.

[savage_here]

I'm a lowly plebe in the grand scheme of 2+2. And I'll most likely get flamed for making this my second post.

But, to generously paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets", people who quote Ayn Rand should have to shampoo my crotch.

Had to be said.

Savage

[toots]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a lowly plebe in the grand scheme of 2+2. And I'll most likely get flamed for making this my second post.

But, to generously paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets", people who quote Ayn Rand should have to shampoo my crotch.

Had to be said.

Savage

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I was trying to find a way to say that, but I think you've pretty well nailed it.

[grass]

[ QUOTE ]
The key is to not become one of these pasty fat single guys in a baseball cap who has absolutely no heart or soul....


[/ QUOTE ]

GAVIN SMITH'LL KICK YOUR MONKEY AZZ!!!!! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
But, to generously paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets", people who quote Ayn Rand should have to shampoo my crotch.

Had to be said.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fair enough. I concur.

But to be fair to myself, if there could ever be an exception to the rule, I think here wouldn't be the worst place for it.

But I shall refrain from any future infractions, for fear of the punishment of pubic lathering.

Thanks for the headsup.

So to speak.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]


But, to generously paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets", people who quote Ayn Rand should have to shampoo my crotch.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's hard to argue with that kind of deep, well-reasoned philosophical analysis.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
In a capitalist system, the real answer to the concerns expressed by Gamblor is...

I don't care.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I think a better answer is that I have no responsibility to care. I may choose to care or not as i please.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]

The key is to not become one of these pasty fat single guys in a baseball cap who has absolutely no heart or soul

[/ QUOTE ]

You have something against Michael Moore [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]



[ QUOTE ]


As Ayn Rand said, learn to exist in the world as it is, not as you wish it were.

[/ QUOTE ]

The source (and naysayers) aside, there is nothing wrong with quoting someone who happens to do a good job of expressing one's own thoughts. The problem would be thoughtlessly quoting someone, implying that it must be true because some famous person said it.

Those housekeeping matters out of the way, we turn to our friend Gamblor. He seems to include himself in the set of unproductive social dregs. If so, he needs to set his own house in order first. It seems a bit hypocritical to continue to do something that you think harms society.

Also, he is imposing morals (his own or someone else's) on an economic issue. Why is making a living at poker any less productive than making a living playing tennis or chess? Why is making a living at poker less productive than making a living running a casino? Or working for a state-run lottery? Or currency arbitrage?

A poker player is an information worker in an information society. He buys and sells things, and makes an honest living. Anything beyond that is morality, not economics.

[ QUOTE ]
Is there anything noble in poker playing? No.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree. According to my dictionary, noble means

[ QUOTE ]
having or showing or indicative of high or elevated character

[/ QUOTE ]

Poker in itself is neither noble nor ignoble. As Ayn Rand said [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] it's how you play the game. If I play honestly, treat my fellow players well, make a good living, and find intellectual stimulation in learning, playing, and sharing information, then I can consider myself to be a man of good character.

[tylerdurden]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a lowly plebe in the grand scheme of 2+2. And I'll most likely get flamed for making this my second post.

But, to generously paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets", people who quote Ayn Rand should have to shampoo my crotch.

Had to be said.

Savage

[/ QUOTE ]

True, but he counteracted the Randiod lameness with the GodfatherII quote.

[A_C_Slater]

Do I make charitable contributions? No.

Do I have a nice bunch of friends? No.

Am I good to my family? No.

Is there anything noble about playing poker? From my point of view, yes.



Do I read books? Yes

Enjoy Art? No

Go out in the world? Yes

Is there anything really noble about 99.9% of the world. Yes, I feel that you are confusing the world with people, but the world itself is far more important than the things people do.

I am not "pro," but if I was I certainly wouldn't care about society and making contributions to it. I mean, do we really even need most of the crap that is being produced an consumed on a daily basis? Hell, we don't even need cars or roads or airplanes or anything.

Fuk progress.

We're progressing towards what?

I'm going to die one day and I'm not gonna spend my life working forty hours a week. I don't care what kind of "no good [censored]" this makes me in the eyes of blue collar wage slaves.

I have nothing with the outcast and the unfit; let them die in their misery.