An Unprecedented Time: Teenagers and Poker

[Jurollo]

This has turned into a good thread.

I will add this to the topic, possibly the most dangerous aspect in this debate going forward is that one of the most important skills in making a successful player also flies directly in the face of said player planning for the future. The ability to disregard the importance of winning/losing large amounts money. This, in my opinion, is the main reason we see all these frivolous car purchases, broke players with hundreds of thousands in winnings, etc. Is there any good advice on keeping said devaluation on the tables? I have always been fairly frugal in my life away from poker so I havent ever really had this problem myself, but I think this is a central issue in the future of many of the young players.

[AMT]

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When, if ever, has their ever been an outlet even remotely as lucrative for 18+ year old kids (and sometimes younger) as online poker is right now?

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to my knowledge there hasnt been one quite like online poker right now.

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What effects do we think that the opportunity for a fairly large group of youngsters to win/lose fairly large sums of money in a short amount of time will have on this generation short term/long term if any?

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I honestly don't foresee any huge impact on the entire generation. Yes, many young kids lose or win a lot in a fairly short period of time online, but on a % basis I don't think the number that opt out of college degrees/other career opportunities is that huge on a generation scale to have any lasting impact. Most people forget about the avg 18 year old guy who plays casually with his friends for 5-20 bucks, and either stops completely, remains at that level of interest, or has a brief period of interest, makes and loses some money in a short period and and maintains only a moderate interest, if any in the game from that time on.





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How many of said prodigies can we suppose will make the most of their winnings? Squander them?

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Most "prodigies" generally prove their worth enough to anticipate that they will be successful with their money, IMO. there are always some that tank and lose a bunch doing other stuff or getting out of the game and do something else etc... but in the very small prodigy class I don't think many squander the amounts of money that they make, as I wouldn't imagine there are many prodigies making less than what they need to live on for years to come.

[ImsaKidd]

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a lot of them are grinding for 35K/yr

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I think the players being addressed by OP (and others) are making at least 100k+/year.

Of the 2p2 players who go pro, I think they understand more about all the aspects that a pro must have. It isnt just being a good player, you have to manage your BR well, avoid tilt, play enough hands, etc.

Many of us cannot speak for the more "unknown" guys who are dropping out to grind 50k/year. It is a near certainty that most of these players are making a large error because they arent making enough to justify the risk of dropping out.

[Jurollo]

I am addressing the entire generation of online players. Winners/losers/grinders

I think it is a GREAT time to win some supplemental income for young people. But and scared at the opportunity loss of their childhood, early adulthood. Which has been echoed in this thread by many people.

[bmxicle]

I'm one of those "kids" basically, and i don't feel like I've lost my "early adulthood". If anything i have purveyed my success in poker into providing me with so many experiences that i simply could not afford living a normal 20 year old life.

I really think that poker is just one of many manifestations of technology making markets more efficient and giving opportunities to those to have the skills and willingness to take risks regardless of the fact that they have no formal education.

[Jeffmet3]

I think the most important thing for younger people is just not to lose perspective.

As a basic rule, I'll never not do something that I want to do because of poker.

Because in the end, it's just $. [censored] Time Value of Money, at the end of the day, you gotta have fun.

Although, with that said, it's definitely nice to never have to worry about money, and poker definitely can provide a great safety net

[KingDan]

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Jurollo,
you're only young once, you never get those precious years back...that enjoyment that comes with being a teenager does not include sitting behind 2 flat screen monitors grinding while the years you'll miss the most pass you by...

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A bunch of people need money, it's way better to be making money playing poker than McDonalds or whatever the alternative is for a bunch of teens.

I think it also goes overlooked what some people do with their money. Some people get to travel the world, see places they overwise wouldn't get to see. Kind of tough when you have no reliable means of supporting yourself.

Yea, there are some kids who donked off a few hundred thousand, some multiple times, but there also a bunch of nitty ones who are investing good chunks of it. Personally I'd be attending a school I hated for a full scholarship if I hadn't of found poker. Granted, it's possible my grades would have been better so I could have gotten scholarships elsewhere but eh [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I think a lot of these people will be in their early twenties with a good chunk of money, and a lot of options. Some of these options though begin with 60 hour weeks for (relatively) little money. Not sure how many people will be happy to work their way up from the bottom after they've already net a mill or something.

[YouMyBoy]

Very interesting thread.
I myself am a 20 year old poker player in my sophomore year of college. Last year I made 100k after taxes and this year I have made 300k so far. I love the position I'm in, but it can be a confusing one. I know I could make plenty more if I just dropped out and concentrated on poker. I am not one of those guys that Loves the game though. Sure I like it and it can be pretty fun, but the grind can get old, and I'm mainly in it for the money.

I love college and have alot of fun here but getting good grades while having 10k nightly swings can be difficult.

I think the main reason I'm in college is I dn what I'd want to do if I quit. Tons of my friends are here, I love going out and partying like a normal college student. If I didn't have college I imagine being very bored a large portion of the day.

I am just scared my mediocore grades aren't going to get me a job paying the kind of money I will like out of college. Pretty tough decision that I've thought alot about..

[Ship Ship McGipp]

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If you are good enough to beat 5-10 and 10-20 online, you are going to be able to make a quarter of a million dollars a year for the rest of your life if you put the effort into it

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If you are talking about NL, then you are only talking about a very small percent of self proclaimed professional poker players. Hell, most of the top ranked pocket 5's guys can't even beat a 5/10 NL game online.

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i'm obviously talking about NL. and lol at the p5s comment, common now.

[raptor517]

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I would think selling drugs would be the only fair comparison. It seems so much more common for a teenager to become a self-made millionaire through poker than anything other than drug dealing, or baseball, basketball and soccer. The athletes should be a fair comparison as well, since only the top .0001% of them make millions, which is probably pretty close to the amount of millionaire teenage poker players.

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id be willing to bet that you can count the number of teenage self made millionaire drug dealers on 1 hand, probably even 1 finger, if that at all.