This is the way the world works
< .unwanted philosophical rant>
But… Poker is not a lifetime vocation. Why? It’s not constructive. It doesn’t contribute anything to the world. It’s leeching extra disposable income off of people. Providing them entertainment? No, I don’t think so, not like a movie or ballgame. Because they don’t come to lose. They don’t come to pay me $40/hour to enjoy playing poker. They come to win, but don’t (on average). This is not being paid for entertainment.We only have one life, and I think to spend all of one’s working years leeching extra money off of the rest of society is a waste. It’s sure great for a while though — a great way to pay for travelling the world, meeting great people, and building life skills like money management, discipline, independence, and people-reading. I wouldn’t be surprised if five years from now, ‘ex-poker professional’ is a great line to have on a resume when applying for a position as a negotiator, for instance.
< ./unwanted philosophical rant>
Leeching extra money off the rest of society is business. People play poker for the rush of winning a $50 pot playing $1/$2 limit poker. People who play solely for pleasure only play for the thrill of the win. I play for the thrill of the win, even though I play to make money and I play methodically, if the big pot wasn’t out there to shoot for, poker would be too boring to be entertaining.
You pay $9 for a movie ticket. But you could rent a movie, watch HBO, watch broadcast network or play a game of pick up at the park. But something has convinced you that this movie is worth $9.
The same is true for poker. You are convinced you can win, or you are just looking for a few hours of entertainment, and if you get lucky, so extra cash. Something has convinced you to play. If you are a professional poker player, you are not leeching off society, at least not anymore than a movie theather is.
I do not know who should be credited for the quote. If you know, shoot me an email.