[daveT]

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I bet most of the guys playing poker for a living just whipe their thoughts of guilt under their mental carpet. If they are enough in tune with themselves to feel any at all. And yes, you should most probably feel a bit guilty since you in no way at all contribute to make the world a better place. And ultimately, I'm sure that's what we all would like to do if we dig deep inside.

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Fighting your conscience is part of playing. People look at all sort of professions in this light: lawyer, business exec....

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Someone once compared a professional poker player to a drug dealer and to be honest, I don't think he was that far off. It went something like poker players sell a certain rush, some sort of dream of a better place for the losing player for a while, and then finally the 'pro' ends up with most of his money and the loser leaves feeling empty, discouraged and not feeling good about his losses. Sort of what you feel after doing some extacy, coke or another drug. Obviously not the same feeling but you get the point.

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We are selling a dream? Really? So some one wants to be a doctor, spends 10 years in school, comes out and learns two things: he hates it, he isn't good at it.

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Poker players saying they contribute by spending more money are probably never in their lives going to get it anyway. And the guys saying they contribute by paying taxes I would refer to a former speaker comparing it to pay taxes from stealing. Poker is just an 'honest' form of stealing.

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Pretty much what I just said. I am not forcing anyone to fire up their computer or come to my table. They are willingly placing a bet. They believe that they can beat me. They want a contest of the minds. If they want to play me for free, come find me at Scrabble.

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Then there are the guys like Barry G giving of his winnings to charity. Boy, imagine the guilt he feels inside for doing what he does. Making loads of money from other peoples misery is essentially what you do when playing poker for big money. And your plate is not going to be clean for giving a fraction of it to charity. Karma.
If anyone could argue against this, please do because I would be very pleased in learning such so that I could get my own weights of my shoulders.

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Quit playing poker. Seriously. I used to have these same issues. When I started, I was playing as a small stakes prop. People were not feeding themselves, bathing, or buying little things like glasses to see, while dumping $300 on the table twice a week. I had a mental breakdown.

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I, for one, am not proud when saying I'm a professional poker player. But I just can't see a way out of it as long as I'm making the kind of money I do. Guilt or no guilt. I'm in awe to you people who actually feel you are doing something good or productive, but wow, you are experts at fooling yourselves!

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Am I proud to be a pro? Not completely. Am I proud of what I have accomplished? Well. Let's think of the life I had before playing poker: nah, that's not something you want to hear. I am healthy, able to feed myself, and able to pay for things. I can promise you that I was contributing very little to society although I had a "real job," because back then, I couldn't afford to pay rent without two or more roommates.

I see poker as a stepping stone to greater things. I hope to share a wonderful life with people I know, and that would not even seem possible without poker.

For the people who tell me to get a respectable job. I ask them what I respectable job is. If they tell me that I was more of a human digging holes, then I don't have time for them. I never got a great answer for what "respectable" job I would be able to do.

Fundamentally, it is similar to the Christians who will tell you that what you are doing is sin. Basically some religious belief is driving your thoughts. I tell them that Jesus taught toleration. I have learned to tolerate varying opinions and people in my life. If I want to live my own life without being judged, I must learn to live and let live. That is Karma.