I told my mom I play poker

[AQheartbreak]

I'm a 21 year old player, started since I was 18, but "pro" since my birthday. I've busted a few times, while building my roll at 5-10, but now i have a healthy roll for 10-20, and even for 20-40, although I dont play it often. ANyway, I told my mom yesterday that I've been playing, and she didn't take it too well, and thought I'd become a degenerate, in debt and owing loan sharks. I tried to explain WHY you can win in poker, but she wouldn't hear of it. I even recommended reading THeory Of Poker, but she didn't want to read it. I guess things are okay between us, but I wanted to have a feel for what your parents/ close ones, had to say to you when you broke the news.
ALso, when it comes to meeting new people, its hard for me to say, i play poker for a living without getting a wierd look. Sometimes if a person is younger, they are impressed and want to know more about it, but its usually shrugged off by most. If anyone has any suggestions on how to approach the 'normal' people about playing for a living, I'm all ears (or eyes, reading your post)

Thanks
Eric

[lil']

I'm 29 and I haven't told my mother I play on the side. I don't want to hear it, and she doesn't need to know.

It's not what mothers dream about for their sons, and the things poker players say to convince people they can win make them sound like degenerates to people who don't know the difference.

"I can win, honestly!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to lose over the long term."
"I bought this book that explains everything!"
"I had a bad night, it's just short term variance."

The only thing that shuts people up is to keep winniing.

[sin808]

My dad and I both play. My family realizes it's a skill game. My parents also treat me like an adult, which I've seen is not the norm among most ppl. Guess I'm lucky in that regard, my parents are cool. I have a real hard time understanding ppl who don't adjust to the fact that their children are grown, and treat them as such.

[Ed Miller]

ALso, when it comes to meeting new people, its hard for me to say, i play poker for a living without getting a wierd look.

Then don't tell people that you play poker for a living. You're 21. You are supposed to have a crappy job.. just make one up. Or get adventurous and tell people you have an amazing job. Just be able to back that one up. It's really no one's business but yours what you do with your time. You can tell them what you want.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I have two suggestions...

First, read this:

http://www.thepokerforum.com/curseofknowledge.htm

Second, paint a target shaped diagram on the nearest brick wall to your place of residence you can find. Make it about forehead height. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Depending who it is, I have often just lied about playing cards professionally (or even semi-pro) at all. It's hardly worth the aggravation some of the time to try and explain to people who refuse to even consider the reality of the matter (but ironically, most of whom regularly buy lottery tickets).

Tell them you're a "risk analysis statistician" or something.

al

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

My father was a horseplayer. A typical family outing when I was growing up was to Freehold or Monmouth, or maybe even Aqueduct. My mother likes casinos.

They'd be shocked if I didn't play.

[D.H.]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a real hard time understanding ppl who don't adjust to the fact that their children are grown, and treat them as such.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think it is about adjusting to their children growing up. People who don't like that their son/daughter plays poker for a living would have the same complaints if their husband or brother did it.

They have a particular picture of what "gambler" is, that is the problem. This is a picture that a lot of people have but I'm pretty sure it is about to change. The information that people growing up now get (through internet, tv, radio, newspapers, school etc.) is so incredibly different from what the people learned 50 years ago.

[AQheartbreak]

I don't like to say I'm a professional, but its true. I do go to school still, and my grades arent affected, at least not by a lot. Anyway, the truth is that I'm tired of lying to people. Does that makes sense for a poker player to say? anywho, thanks for the input.

[Ed Miller]

I don't like to say I'm a professional, but its true. I do go to school still, and my grades arent affected, at least not by a lot. Anyway, the truth is that I'm tired of lying to people. Does that makes sense for a poker player to say?

Then don't lie. Say you are a student. That's what all the working girls in Vegas say if you ask them what they do for a living.

[MrFroggyX]

Hey.. I'm 22 and started 4 month ago to play for a living.. It's intresting to read about someone in the same shoes like myself. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
But actually my mom thinks it's really great that I can live on poker! I was really surprised when I told here. And she often calls me and asks how it goes. lol I sometimes even tell here that I lose money when I don't, otherwise she would get really high hopes for me..! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

My dad doesn’t say so much.. As long as I pay my bills I think he is happy!

But I still have the problem to say to people what I do for a living.. Because if I say that I play poker for a living, well we all know that you have to explain it all.. And it can get quite boring after a while.. But I understand that people have questions.

But, I have chosen this profession.. I have to take the consequence off it. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Both the good and the bad!