People's extreme misconceptions about professional poker playing

[betgo]

I have found that some people have the following misconceptions about professional poker playing, despite all the current TV exposure and increased respectibility.

1. It is highly unethical and involves cheating people, similar to being a pool hustler.

2. It is dangerous and involves contact with unsavory elements. Certainly 40 years ago it was a somewhat dangerous occupation.

3. It means you are losing large amounts of money and have a gambling problem.

[Jeffage]

While poker players don't think it's unethical to take money from "sick gambler," many in the general public think it's morally wrong to take someone's last dollar. Of course, I have no problem with it. My parents once asked me if I felt I was hustling people at the poker table when I beat them, and I told them no...b/c when they are sitting down they are trying to take all my money, so we have the same goal. If they beat me, they won't feel bad so neither will I.

As for number two, it's not highly dangerous, but if you play high stakes regularly, you will bump into unsavory people. This means protecting yourself by getting a safe depo box/setting up accounts, not telling people much about yourself, not putting yourself in position to be robbed/followed home, etc. Of course, most of this is common sense and isn't much of a worry for online players.

Number Three...many people share the idea that no gambling can be beat in the long run simply because of ignorance. But the fact is, even the vast majority of poker players will wind up behind in the end and many that get seriously involved go broke. So their concerns aren't totally unfounded...my parents said stuff like this to me all the time when they started, and after awhile I stopped trying to correct them. They were looking out for me and meant well. This type of talk stops when you've proven yourself successful for awhile.

Jeff

[billyjex]

Well I tell people of my success and my plans to play full time upon graduation (which I don't usually do, because of the reasons listed above) the most common response is something like "I don't think you should rely on cards to make a living." When they think of my success, they think of their buddy who won $2k at blackjack in Vegas that one time. Short-term luck, I guess.

[alimomoney]

Had a major problem with the wife at first. It took almost two years of regularly supplying her with wads of $$$ before she realized that I wasn't some gambolholic trying to con her.

Now the main problem is with my mother. She was raised a Methodist and beieves gambling is evil. She says she can't tell her friends what her son does for a living.

[andyfox]

1. I don't think pool hustlers actually cheat people. They may pretend they're lesser players than they are, but they don't actually cheat. Some poker players do the same thing, either in terms of trying to come across as inexperienced players when they first join a game or in how they play. And since gambling for money is involved, cheating, or being cheated, is part of the game.

2. Some poker players still do play in dangerous places. I don't think it's as common as it was 40-50 years ago though.

3. Most people who gamble lose. So it's not unexpected that people imagine all gamblers lose.

Having said all this, with the advent of the internet, nad poker gaining respectability through TV publicity, the attitudes you mention are probably less prevalent than they've been at any time in the past.

3.

[SoSo]

i think the many problem is people percieve u as sitting on ur arse doing [censored] all allday, while they go out and work 9 til 5 5 days a week and earn considerably less than a 2/4 player....

[Voltron87]

I think the ethics of being a professional poker player are definitely in a gray area. What exactly do we provide to society again? I know there are 100's of other professions that don't benefit society, or do worse, but still.

As for the bit about people not thinking poker is beatable, people just have no idea. My father has a Phd and works as a statistician, and he doesn't believe me when I tell him that I am a winning poker player and that I could support myself doing it. I definitely understand his skepticism and I don't think his view is that unreasonable in the situation I am referring to, but on the same time he has no idea.

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
My father has a Phd and works as a statistician, and he doesn't believe me when I tell him that I am a winning poker player

[/ QUOTE ]



I think this is pretty damn interesting.
Not sure how he would not be able to see this.



My Dad took a couple of stats or probabilities courses in college and has done extremely well long-term in the stock-market (he retired at 50).
He knows nothing about poker really...but understands that it's kinda/sorta similar to the market.
He basically is aware that if you hasve a 0.5% advantage you can turn that into a HUGE long-term advantage IF you are given the opportunity to hit that teeny advantage over and over and over.
Thus, he understands there will be variance and fluctuations, but if one plays just better enough than their opponents (and the effect of the rake) then one will still be able to obtain a profit (as long as they have the bankroll to withstand the fluctuations).


I mean, some of this stuff can get pretty complicated sometimes...especially for those who don't know diddly about poker.
But the basics of just hitting that smallish advantage over and over really shouldn't be that tough to figure out for someone in statistics with a PhD.

[KaneKungFu123]

pool hustlers dont cheat people, they allow other people to hang themselves with their own greed.

[BluffTHIS!]

[ QUOTE ]
2. It is dangerous and involves contact with unsavory elements. Certainly 40 years ago it was a somewhat dangerous occupation.

[/ QUOTE ]

It wasn't just 40 years and is the same now. Go play in a private club for big stakes. You will still meet all kinds. And if you live in a concealed carry state you better be carrying.

And if you don't smoke get ready to give your lungs a workout. But of course all that is why I like playing almost totally online now. I'd almost even rather know I was going to get robbed than suck up all that smoke.