Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

I'm at a birthday shindig, all the girls go off to the bathroom and I'm talking to some guy. He's talking about work (he picks up garbage off the streets... no joke) and then when the girls get back, one of them listening in is like, "hey, do you know what he (me) does for a living? He plays poker on the internet."

him: "oh, really?"
me: "yeah"

For the next ten minutes, I'm stuck listening to how he won $40 at a home game once and that he prefers pocket twos to pocket aces.

What negative experiences have you guys had when someone found out you play poker for a living and/or on the internet?

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

Cliff's notes.

[ QUOTE ]
I play poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm at a birthday shindig, all the girls go off to the bathroom and I'm talking to some guy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

I was at this bar/restaurant by my house having dinner with my GF. I ran into a friend who also plays online who was there with his parents and he made a comment to me to the effect of: "see you on Party later tonight."

The bartender and his buddies overheard this and would not stop talking to me about "rigged"-ness. I have not been back since [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

People always want to learn how to do it too or the cliche... "Hey man, what if I give you $300 of my money for you to double it, can you do that?"

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

[ QUOTE ]
"Hey man, what if I give you $300 of my money for you to double it, can you do that?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, I've gotten that and I always say the same thing. "Sure, $5,000 sounds reasonable."
Some people don't understand that I might actually have fifty dollars?

I don't really like to bring up poker around anyone who I feel I might have to discuss it with, and the second I bring up the word "online" forget it.

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

It's hopeless to talk w/ anyone about it, except people who play. I've tried and now I know better.

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

Which people that play? There are like 3 people at work who I can stand to talk to about poker, and the other 99% I just want to throw gravy at.

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

I let it slip once at work (while we played poker in the boardroom at lunch) that I play online. They grilled me on how much I make online, but I refused to tell them. One of them asked me what my name is on Stars and I told him.

The next day I show up for the lunch time game and the guy who asked me for my screen name is going on and on about how he watched me win in a few hands what we all make in a week. He'd gone online that night and found me to watch me play.

The rest of the people are the table looked at me like I have a severe gambling problem. A few seemed to be impressed, but I got a few "how can you possibly gamble with that much money?" and "aren't you scared you'll lose and go broke?" It was very uncomfortable.

Since then whenever I've mentioned anything that involved me spending money (like purchasing a larger house, getting a new car, going to Hawaii, etc...), my co-workers will say things like "Good run at poker, eh?" It's annoying.

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

to mother, after she kept asking:

me: "i dunno, i think i won $450 today or something."

her: "but how much did you lose??"

Re: Why I don\'t tell people I play poker.
 

"How much did you make last month?"

More than you make in a year...