Professional Poker is a Recession-Proof Job

[MicroBob]

partly depends on the magnitude of the recession too.


If the recession is huge and a ton of would-be fish simply don't have any left-over to gamble with then obviously the poker-games won't be as good.

To say that poker is 'recession-proof' is absurd.

[lehighguy]

Being good at online poker takes a lot of the edge off in terms of needing to keep your job. If I ever get laid off I know I'll be ok till I can find a new job, no matter how long that takes.

[Redd]

The fact that the tables are usually softest on common paydays leads me to believe that the opposite is true. People want to give their money away when they have more than they need.

[tripdad]

Also, pro poker players are forced to be more exposed to inflation that people in most jobs.

scrub

this is the first thing that came to mind for me.

cheers!

[smb394]

[ QUOTE ]
The fact that the tables are usually softest on common paydays leads me to believe that the opposite is true. People want to give their money away when they have more than they need.

[/ QUOTE ]

Discretionary Income! Besides true addicts, cough, most players only have a certain expendable amount of income after paying for essentials (food, shelter, etc.). During a recession, one would think that most people would be less willing to engage in high risk financial activity (gambling for most fish).

[helpmeout]

Definately not, our money comes from good times.

People who have too much money to burn.

In a recession people have to cut back and save.

You wont find all the "hey I've got $1k I'm gonna go play online poker and if i lose well who cares" kind of people.

That is where most of the money comes from, not the compulsive gamblers.

[Shaun]

[ QUOTE ]
Of course poker is not recession proof. These days, most poker players make money off of fish. Where do fish get money? Regular jobs. If people aren't working and making money, you think they're going to lose what little they have at the casinos? Ok, well yes maybe if they have a gambling problem. But mostly no.

Every industry gets affected by a downswing in the economy and especially something non-essential like poker. Sure you won't ever get "fired" but you can make a lot less money doing your job.

And the defense that it's "entertainment" and everyone always needs it, isn't true, at least in this case. Maybe for movies. But not poker. Not even for strip clubs. I remember one time a "friend" of mine was at a strip club six months or so after 9/11 and one of the strippers said this was the worse business she'd ever seen.

If you're a professional blackjack player, I see you being less affected by a depressed economy. Because you'll always be able to find a casino to win (or lose) money from. Poker is different in that you play against other people. And if those people don't have money, well, you won't either.

[/ QUOTE ]

People always have money for drinking, gambling, and women. Even during the Depression business was good for these three. When life sucks, people need an escape.

[archmagi]

it's probably recession friendly. can you imagine lots of recently unemployed fish who don't know what to do with their spare time and decide to give online poker a try to make some money?
i know, that sounds quite evil...

[Zetack]

[ QUOTE ]
This came up today over dinner and it sounded true, anyone have any info/opinions? Agree/Disagree?

Sorry if this has been addressed before.

-DrG

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd say its recession resistant.

First, its a job that never goes away. No matter how bad a recession is, there are still going to be tables and plenty of them.

Also, I suspect that you don't see much of a reduction in donators in a recession until it gets very bad or very long, or maybe both.

Finally, to the extent there are fewer fish in a recession, as long as you are able to play and beat a wide variety of games, a recession probably just makes the task of making a living at poker harder and/or more time consuming.

So, recession resistant, not necessarily recession proof.

--Zetack

[JunkHead]

The only recession proof industry is the beer industry. What do people do when they lose their jobs? Drink beer. Cheap beer. So, buy some AB stock, because when the next recession hits sales of Busch Light will go through the fricken roof!

JunkHead