The college kids not working..it makes me sick.....

[KKsuited]

Ok, I'm sure I'll take some heat for this one, but I really don't care. This is a very important topic.

I read the post about not getting a job for the summer and playing poker while home for college break. I wanted to puke when I read the advice some of you gave to these college kids. Many of you are probably also college kids and don't know any better.

Well, I'll give my advice for any college kid thinking about this.

Get a real job this summer unless you're making about $3k a week playing on the internet. WTF are you going to do when your poker career doesn't work out and you go for your first job and you have ZERO on your resume? Why not get a internship somewhere and play poker when you're not working? If some kids comes to my office wanting a job and tells me he's playing internet poker over the past 3 summers, I tell him to get the hell out of my office.

Most college kids have no concept of money. They think, wow, I'm making $300 a week playing poker. Great, you can't wipe your ass for $300 a week in the real world.

Look at guys like Taylor Caby (GreenPlastic). He dominates the biggest cash games on the net, yet he was working an intership for a great job last summer. Taylor is a smart guy, that's why he can dominate the cash games. He's no idiot, obviously.

Prepare yourself for the rest of your life. Don't be a moron and waste opportunities because of you're current obsession with a game that only a select few can make a living at.

Of course, you always have the "I live at home with my parents, don't have any bills and I'm a professional poker player" losers, but most people can't make a real living playing this game.

For the record, I have 2 degrees, make plenty of money and play poker whenever I want. I just got back from a week playing at the Wynn and I'll be at the WSOP playing for a week in July. I make real money during the day and play poker as a hobby.

Advising kids to not work and give poker a try is ridiculous. If they can already beat the game for a very good living, then ok. But, until then, get a f'ing real job.

There are going to be a huge number of kids who are going to look back and say "What a f'ing idiot I was. I should have been working, preparing for my career, etc, instead of playing poker all f'ing day. Now I'm 30 years old, make $30k a year and don't have jack to my name. What a fool I was."

Get a good degree, some good intern experience, and you'll come out of college making $60k easy. After a few years, you'll get close to $100k. If you're under 30 and knocking down $100-150k, you can play poker whenever the hell you want too. A $1,500 WSOP event? No problem, you're bringing home $10k a month after taxes.

This is the road to take, not the other way around. If you're good enough to make it as a poker player, you'll make it. In the mean time, prepare yourself for what you're going to do the rest of your life.

I love to gamble and I love poker, but if we were at dinner and you told me you (meaning whoever has this idea) were just going to play poker this summer, I'd call you a loser. And if my son ever has that idea, he can pack his stuff, pay his rent, pay his tuition, feed himself, etc and we'll see if he can make it in the real world buy playing some SNG's on the f'ing internet.


Flame away.....

[JB_Dawg]

This essay should be mandatory reading for every poker player under age 25 (along with Greenstein's book on how to conduct yourself professionally).

Bottom line, poker is a great SECOND source of income but it is a lousy primary source of income for all but a select few.

JB

[revlis87]

u obv dont get how much some of us 19 year olds make playing poker. its not 300 a week. lol.

[Sponger.]

I can't live on $7.25 an hour.


Ugh, your post is so [censored] bad I can't even bring myself to respond to all of it.

[KKsuited]

[ QUOTE ]
u obv dont get how much some of us 19 year olds make playing poker. its not 300 a week. lol.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you skipped the part where I said if you're making over $3k a week, then I might not be talking to you. I'm talking to the guys making $300-500 a week thinking they are the next Phil Ivey. There aren't many 19 y/o olds making $15k a month compared to the ones making $200 or less.

[Don West]

[ QUOTE ]

Look at guys like Taylor Caby (GreenPlastic). He dominates the biggest cash games on the net, yet he was working an internetship for a great job last summer.

[/ QUOTE ]

that's kind of funny.

[KKsuited]

[ QUOTE ]
I can't live on $7.25 an hour.


Ugh, your post is so [censored] bad I can't even bring myself to respond to all of it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't worry about responding, I'm sure someone with 14,000 posts on the internet in less than 2 years has much more experience in life than I anyway.

[pologuy64]

To some this is good advice to others this doesnt apply.

[revlis87]

i dont think your post is bad at all...

I just think that it's terrible advice to tell someone who 8 tables 2000 NL games to get a job. You werent saying that I guess so I dont have a problem with telling a 55 sit and go player to get a job at all.

[Sponger.]

I have 21 years of experience of not being a complete loser who everyone probably hates.