blonde poker forum

I am sure that this has been discussed before but how the hell to you explain and justify your poker hobby/habit/addiction to those who dont understand. They still think all gambling is bad and that i will lose. Please refer me to previous threads on this subject or give me something i can say to these people who dont believe and understand when i tell them that i make money. Cheers

It's an equal chance game. On par with paying £10 to go bowling with the added bonus that you can make a bit of money. And if you lose? You haven't lost because it's part of your entertainment budget just like someone elses Pub/cinema/hobby money.
Quite honestly if you play within your means then it's not a problem.

If you're continually making a profit - then who cares what other people think!! :)

say "poker isn't gambling. Playing poker against me is gambling" ten explain that it's a game of equal chance where most people play badly so a good player over the edium and long term can make a substantial profit. then mention there are an estimated 50 million regular or semi regular poker players world wide, and that the majority are giving hteir money away.

Tried the one about it being a hobby blah blah blah. People are still very sceptical. Dont let it get out of control etc etc.... Yo will end up losing etc etc ......

I like that one Adam. Anymore ideas would be very welcome. Also anyone what a rough % is of winning players is? I heard that only approx 5% people make a profit from playing online. Is this true?

have you explained the differance in a cash game and a tourney? limited risk etc

5-10% is about right.

in a way they're right though. I'm beoming increasingly away of bad players in the local casino seeming to lose more than they can afford. Sunday afternoon towards the end of the afternoon game players start turning up trying to get an hour dealing the cash game to get the buy in together for the evening game. if they're not doing that they're trying to nip any finalists they know from the afternoon game. there's always been these people I suppose but they seem to be increasing in numbers.

It shouldnt matter what the % figure is - just so long as you are one of them. You should think about you and your game only and not worry about how many other people out there are losing players. Its a dog eat dog world, survival of the fittest - may the best man/woman/monkey win.....

you cant,

people are pre disposed to thinking that gambling/poker is dangerous and that players are all on a slippery slope. they believe that anyone who gambles is obviously compulsive and "it`ll get a grip of them" and before long you`ll be skint, lose yer house and  end up drinking rainwater out a ditch.

it comes from people who have a fear of "calculated risk" and no idea of themselves. No well explained and fully open discussion on the subject will change their opinion. Its also a lack of trust.

i have given up trying to justify gambling or explaining why i play poker other than to say i have been gambling and playing poker for a combined period of 25 odd years and i still havent tasted ditchwater....I`d like to bet that more people who own a credit card and a penchant for shopping or a fast lifestyle end up in trouble than your average poker player.
You need good self control and good self analysis to be a good poker player (there are of course notable exceptions).

Simon, why do you feel the need to justify your poker playing to people? If they don't believe you, sod 'em - get new friends who aren't inclined to think you're a liar.

I get this all the time as well...  " there is no skill...it is just luck....you will lose all your money"

I always tell them what Matt Damon's character said in Rounders to his girlfriend " Why is it the same five guys make it to the final table ever year in the W.S.O.P.....what are they the luckiest guys in Las Vegas...its a skill game"....or something along those lines

Actually most people who say this to me are probably correct with the way I have been playing in ring games recently. Lots and Lots of bad games, mostly brought about by myself.

 :goodpost: ;iagree;

I've always said you need three key foundations to be a succesful poker player: patience, discipline and good bankroll management. Obviously you then need the skill and ability to be able to win but without the foundations there in the first place you will not be as succesful - hence why you hear so many stories of world class players going broke because they dont have the foundations in place....

   ;iagree;

I've had no luck justifying what I do to my parents.

My Mum always tells me that my Dad is really worried about me. My Dad regularly says that my Mum is concerned about what I do. I think they've come across this strategy independantly of one another and I always find it amusing.

To be fair to them, they have promised to let me fly them to Vegas if I ever get to the WSOP final table. I think that's what it'll take to get them to accept my profession.

They manage to deal with it because they know I have a job (even though they don't know it's only part-time) and that I'm intending to further my academic career.

technically you could be furthering it by joining the "student poker league" ;)...and with your elequence you could lecture at evenings on iso 9001 best poker practise...what a career

I disagree.

Spending time with your friends outside the poker world is important. It helps to ensure you keep balance in your life. You don't want to be chatting about AK vs. AJ every time you go the pub.

These people should not be shunned because they don't understand. You don't need to take people and shake them till they see your point of view. Folks with different opinions can still get on well.

Playing poker for a living I miss out on the socialising that goes with work. Any non-poker friends I still have are very important to me. (although they're becoming fewer in numer recently as more and more they seem to be picking up the game themselves) A few of them think my eventual going bust is inevitable.
They don't mind drinking with me for as long as I can still afford to get a round in though  :D

I never get a hard time for it.  Everyone I knows is almost pleased for me - it's really wierd.  I have got a few of my pals into it too. 

The only person I need to convince is the missus!  She's just not chuffed that I sit in the room with the computer whilst she's in the living room - I so need a laptop.  She's also unimpressed that I stay up till late playing, but that's a different issue!

Hmmm Simon,

Its difficult to convince friends & family because most will see poker as GAMBLING full stop, but doing the lottery is ok thats not gambling at all blah blah blah.

I was a gambler bandits,football,horses,dogs ect thank god i found poker i'd prolly be in rehab with no dosh but playing poker fills the gap so now i bet on the nags every now and then.

I found buying my Girlfriend a car helped her be more understanding  :).

Non Playing M8's yes i've got Matt674 hes pretty crap at Golf to   ;karabiner;   :hello:

Regards
BA

I am in the fortunate position that all my friends are very supportive of what I do. I used to work in casinos so my hours were very anti-social and I played a fair bit as well. Now I have more time to spend with my friends and family and happily I am making more money as well.

Anyone who knows me can see that my life has got better since I stopped work. Mostly they are inquisitive and or jealous rather than concerned or judgemental.

 ;applause;

 rotflmfao

What justification? tell your friends all poker players are losers, AND BE PROUD OF IT!!!!!!!!

Never ever justify what you do to anyone, it's a sign of weaknesss (except for your misses, oh, and your parents,..nearly forgot sisters ) apart from them then never try and justify yourself...ok so I forgot about my Aunt and my older brother, but never ever my younger brother or my mates up the pub, except for Big Stu of course!
Remember be a man! (sometimes) ;goodvevil;

Been there, tried that - didn't work out. I have no idea of the games you play or your skill level - I personally play a piddling little 1/2NL game - problem is I need to be concentrating all the time. It's no good making an EP raise, have your Mrs start talking about whats on the tv / what the Dog is doing / dinner for tomorrow / the Bosnian situation, only to look back and find that you got called in 2 spots and are 10 secs from timing out on an all red flop...

To summarise: I find I make bad decisions when I'm distracted. Being in a room with my g/f and a TV is enough to cost me dearly.

YMMV, HTH, HAND.

Bry

P.S. Your link says you have poker clocks - am I right in thinking that these are the regular analogue clocks set into a cards ornament rather than a blinds countdown timer ?

 :redcard:


 :redcard:


Ok, i'll give you that one - but i'm working on it........

I'm glad you posted it was a good read. Many have been in similar situations. So long as you have a contingency plan if it all goes wrong at the tables then there shouldn't be a problem.

Anthony Holden, in his book 'Big Deal', justified his year as a poker profesional in a similar way. They wanted to buy the house they were renting and didn't have enough dosh.

I've done something similar myself a couple of years ago, but that's a different story. Suffice is to say I had to go with the contingency plan  :o

The key point is that you and Mr Holden both discussed things through with the missus first and had her backing you up.

Sorry mate,  lost my bottle and deleted the thread as you were replying. It looked too much like a ME ME ME thread.

Just didnt see a way to explain without all the facts..

I know what you mean.

A soon as you mention playing for money to anyone not in the know they immediatley assume you're either losing or it's luck.

I don't need to justifiy my spending to anyone, but it does annoy me when friends and family believe it's all due to luck.

I've got logs now of the past 5 months of live play showing a consistant profit.  All I hear is "it's all right as long as your winning", but said in that annoying knowing tone of voice that they know better and really think it will all change and I'll start losing consistantly.

I've gone as far as showing logs to family now that show the sort of levels I'm playing and my profit.  Given my live play ROI for the past 5 months is 130% I've managed to convince them that even if I was to lose for the next 4 months I'd still be in profit.

I still get the feeling that they still think they know better and that I'm just being lucky.  I tried going into pot odds once and explaining how there is an element of skill but it was just lost on them. 

Nobody is asking for justification, they even point out that I don't need to justify it.  But it's my mission to make people believe that it's not due to luck!

Stu

So??? If you happen to be good at something then there is nothing wrong of being proud of that fact. I happen to be quite proud of my online record on pokerstars for the last 2 years and whilst i dont shout it from the rooftops every second day because there is a site on the internet that lists all the results from regular MTT tourneys on pokerstars then its there for the whole world to see.

If you have achieved something that has changed your life for the good then feel proud and share it with the world, i read your post last night before you deleted it and didnt think it was a ME ME ME thread.

There is a member of the Blonde forum who recently won a seat at the EPT event in France due to be played next week - he's made a point of mentioning that fact in as many threads as possible (i believe the last count was 14 or 15) and they were all about ME ME ME. As far as i am aware nobody minds that much because its a great achievement to have won a seat in one of the biggest events on the European poker calender. So we wish him and all the other blondites well for next week and hope that one of them brings home the trophy!!  ;goodluck;

I'm sure that telling your story once will not make us all suddenly think of you as a big headed attention seeker!! ;) I for one would like to see your reply last night reposted!!  :)up