After I realized I could make a lot more money playing poker than I could with a business degree, I decided to drop out of university in the middle of my second semester to become a pro poker player. I thought this would be great, I wouldn’t have to worry about class, assignments, living in a shitty dorm (which I now kinda miss) and I could spend all my time playing online poker and basically doing whatever I want.
I have learned so many things about life over these past two years and I am very grateful to have experienced things I only could have if I dropped out of school, but every once in a while (and frequently recently), I have been thinking of going back to school.
Since I dropped out of school I have became less intelligent and kinda stopped learning new things. I read daily, but never take notes or write things down, and I’m the type of person who needs to write things down to learn properly. It worries me that I may have peaked in my level of intelligence. I’ve lost a lot of connections with friends so I don’t ‘go out’ very often. I still live with a couple roommates so I do have some human interaction, but I would like to have a bit more fun and meet some women.
I kind of miss being a student and I see how beneficial it could be to return to school at this point in my life. After a lot of traveling and seeing how things work in the real world, I have a better understanding of how valuable it is to be an intelligent, independent, well-spoken person in this world and I think college will help me become that. Fortunately, I have won enough money to live comfortably and not have to worry about getting a job after I graduate, so I am not sure how much I will exactly use a degree. But now I feel the college experience is a lot more than just getting a degree. And I really don’t want to be one of these miserable old guys I’ve seen in Vegas at the poker tables who have been playing all their lives.
I would have to give up a lot of things I have now like the ability to take off somewhere whenever I want, or to spend all day playing online or sitting outside in a hammock. It would require a lot of work which is a huge change because I’ve pretty much adapted to a easy, convenient lifestyle.
I’m looking for some insight from people who can relate, any opinions are welcome.
How do you figure? Poker’s not like roulette or craps – I always thought the skill involved outweighed the chance (over the long run, of course).
As for the OP, I say go to school. If you’ve got the money to “live comfortably” after school (for how long? pro poker players don’t make THAT much), you’ve got the money to pay tuition. Plus, you don’t meet too many women at the poker table, and the ones you do don’t give you anything in return when they take all your money.
To the OP - I’m not sure what you’re imagining as “the college experience,” but the experience of an older student is very different from that of a freshman straight out of high school. Also, going back to school with only a vague idea of what you want doesn’t seem like it’s going to help you much. Have you thought about taking some classes at a community college?
Thanks. I have been consistently winning for about 3 years now so I’m assuming I can continue. Poker isn’t gambling to me, its more of a job.
I think living off-campus would only be the real difference for me and I’m only 20, is that considered an older student?
When I was in school I was a mindless business major just taking a bunch of pre-req. classes but now I would like to study something that really interests me, psychology.
If you’re only 20, and you’re hankering for that college experience, go back now. Especially if you think you might regret not taking part in it while you’re still at this age. Doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want to study - apply to start in January or Fall of 2009. That’ll give you some time to think, or you can always go somewhere that offers a general liberal arts degree.
This is the most important part of what you wrote.
Think about how you WOULD like to spend your life and work to make that happen.
It’s easy to drift along if you find yourself in a comfortable rut. Next thing you know, you’re in your 40’s and you don’t have the same choices you had when you were in your 20’s. If you don’t want to grow old playing poker, start making plans to change careers now when its relatively painless.
I have an honest question - this speaks more to my lack of knowledge of the game of poker than anything else, so don’t read into it too much.
How come every single fucking person I meet who plays this game claims to consistently win, and/or make a living at it, and/or make more than they make at their day job?
Where are all the poker losers? How are these websites and casinos keeping the lights on when they’re getting so savagely buggered by hoardes of unbeatable poker gods?
Which also involves your choice of major. You already have one in mind, psychology - but what do you want to do with the degree? I’ve met too many people who went into biology because “animals are pretty” and stuck to it because “I’m not a quitter.” Definitely not your case, but having a good idea of which possible career paths your major has and choosing a major with several paths that look attractive is A Good Thing.
20 is young enough to mesh in, but in your case you’ll be a lot more mature than 95% of your classmates, there will be times you’ll feel ancient. This is a matter of having done things they can’t even fathom, not of calendar age.
You’d still fit in at 20 as just another kid, I think. Me, I’m 36 and getting close to getting my BA. While there are a surprising number of us older students (and much older students than me) I do still feel like I’m adrift in a sea of youth. It was 1000%* the right choice for me, going back to school. If you feel regret that you’re not doing it, then go do it.
I think now would be a good time to go back to school. You are still young enough to fit in and not feel like a ‘mature student’, and your two year hiatus has probably done you the world of good. I wish I had spent a couple of years away from education before starting university, I think I would have appreciated the opportunity a lot more and made more of my time there.
And it’s not about how much money you can potentially make as a graduate, it’s about being the sort of person you want to be. It seems like you’re not really liking the person you are at the moment (or the person your current lifestyle may lead you to become) so make the change now before it’s too late.
I can only assume that either the losers keep their heads down, or some people who claim to be consisten winners are deluded/lying.
As to the online sites keeping the lights on, they win all the time. If i play in an online multi table tournament with 200 runners and the prize pool is $2000, each player would have paid an extra 10% (typically) ie $11 to enter, the host site keeps the extra $100 so they get paid whoever wins.
At a cash table they take a rake of the pot at the end of the hand, so again, they get paid whoever wins.
My grandfather was a professional gambler during the Depression (and a dealer for John Dillinger) and he raised four kids, but they just made ends meet.
I’m thinking that the girls are probably not going to consider your profession as one that would highlight you as “Life Partner” material. If you’re looking for a relationship as opposed to casual dating, you might want to think about that, as well.
Certainly there are more losers than winners, and most of those people who told you they make a lot are probably lying. I have been on the scene for a while and met a lot of other pros and I can say that there are a lot of people who win a lot of money, but those people don’t brag about it. The ones who brag a lot are actual losers (or will be in a couple years).
No, poker is still legal.
Yeah, I definitely don’t want to be in that situation in my 40s. I think I am going to get back into school.
This pretty much nails it. Poker players are liars by definition, and for many (myself included) that extends to reporting their gains and losses. I’m a borderline compulsive gambler (I have a few traits of compulsive gambling, but not to the extent that I can’t pay the rent because of it - I know this is stupid but I’m trying to learn) and I know that if I spend the night in the casino and win £200, I’m happy to brag about it to my friends. If I lose £400, I’ll just keep quiet about it.
For a year or so I kept a careful track of my gains and losses, and if I was disciplined I could come out ahead by working as a player-dealer. But overall I’m probably several hundred pounds in the hole.
I play maybe once a week, online. For me it’s just entertainment. I can hold my own in most games and play decently, but I’ll be honest I’m not winning money at it.
I consider it to be paying for the entertainment value of the time I spend.
And since I never risk much money I’m in no danger of going broke. I’ll drop maybe $100 / month for maybe 10-20 hours of entertainment. That’s really not such a bad deal, and I have fun doing it.
Do it, but do it now. You’ve already been there, and if you “kinda miss” living in the dorms, maybe you should go back and do it (even if it’s just for a semester or year). That’s how you make connections with people (and women are people), and it’s much harder to do from an off-campus location. Sign up as a psych major for the first semester, and see if it sticks. Just do it.
Amazingrace,
Writing from a year removed from undergrad and missing it like crazy.
If you are a poker player, you should be an ‘odds’ player. What are the odds that you will be one of the successful poker players in the long run. Look at all the old people you see at the tables. How many of the great poker players do you want to be like? Not the image, the reality. Actors, singers, gamblers, a very few make it, most wait in the wings. You might be the exception, are you feelin’ lucky?
It is easy to get rich slowly, it is hard to get rich quick.
This is akin to saying that if you want to be successful in business, you need to be one of the 10 most powerful CEOs in the world.
Most people forget about poker that a) You’re not competing against the house, you’re competing against the players. There is a set cost to playing at the House but the house doesn’t care if you win or lose.
b) You don’t need to be winning the World Series to be making money. I know a few people who grind it out in low stakes games and make a consistent profit because if you’re better than 51% of the average players, you have a bankroll big enough to absorb the inevitable swings of luck and you keep your stakes low enough to match your roll, you can win in the long run
c) This is unrelated, but I’m playing in a lowbie stakes tourney and I just hit quads (tens) on the turn
d) I’m certainly not skilled or disciplined (mostly disciplined, since I don’t have the free time to grind out thousands of hands) enough to make money at the game competing with good players. But I do have fun playing