How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
washingtonpost.com
How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
1–10 of 62 posts
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#2Interesting article, although it kinda reinforces a false dichotomy - just because this player had an unhealthy lifestyle playing poker, doesn't mean you can't play poker professionally while living a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal life. In fact, the article keeps mentioning the "lavish" lifestyle of the poker players as a given, when that is also just a choice they make.
I've always enjoyed playing poker. I'm pretty sure I could make a decent living at it too, if I put my mind to it. But only after reading Paul Graham's articles on Wealth, I realized why making a fortune from poker always seemed "empty" to me: you're not really creating wealth that way.
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#3Interesting article, although it kinda reinforces a false dichotomy - just because this player had an unhealthy lifestyle playing poker, doesn't mean you can't play poker professionally while living a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal life. In fact, the article keeps mentioning the "lavish" lifestyle of the poker players as a given, when that is also just a choice they make. I've always enjoyed playing poker. I'…
There actually are several aspects of being a poker player (online) that make it really hard, though surely not impossible, to live a normal life. You have very little interaction with other people, your working hours are partially out of your control, and it is incredibly stressful/tiring. I know a few people who managed to combine poker with a normal life, but I know way more who utterly failed.
Sincerely, A guy who used to do this
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#4I find the "I wonder what his future will be like without a college degree" vs "upswings of $160,000 at a time" to be interesting.
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#5Interesting article, although it kinda reinforces a false dichotomy - just because this player had an unhealthy lifestyle playing poker, doesn't mean you can't play poker professionally while living a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal life. In fact, the article keeps mentioning the "lavish" lifestyle of the poker players as a given, when that is also just a choice they make. I've always enjoyed playing poker. I'…
There actually are several aspects of being a poker player (online) that make it really hard, though surely not impossible, to live a normal life. You have very little interaction with other people, your working hours are partially out of your control, and it is incredibly stressful/tiring. I know a few people who managed to combine poker with a normal life, but I know way more who utterly failed. Sincerely, A guy wh…
Ditto. I also attempted to do this full-time but only managed to squeak out a moderate living, and eventually grew sour with those points of intense rage (going on tilt) that would crush weeks (and sometimes months) of work.
It's strange how poker works but I imagine Buddhism and poker to be the most complimentary religion-to-profession complement on the planet.
And I agree with the first point - poker is an empty job. You do not create wealth - you make another poor soul, likely a gambling addict, further burdened by that addiction. Meanwhile, the only person you're "creating wealth" for is the guy with his feet up that owns the poker room.
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#6One-page version: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10...
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#7Interesting article, although it kinda reinforces a false dichotomy - just because this player had an unhealthy lifestyle playing poker, doesn't mean you can't play poker professionally while living a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal life. In fact, the article keeps mentioning the "lavish" lifestyle of the poker players as a given, when that is also just a choice they make. I've always enjoyed playing poker. I'…
One thing you've got to accept, though, is that if you're in this to make a really good company, you're going to hurt people.
You're going to make people redundant. Your company is going to destroy someone else's value. It might create more in total, but you're going to cause damage.
It can't be avoided.
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
There actually are several aspects of being a poker player (online) that make it really hard, though surely not impossible, to live a normal life. You have very little interaction with other people, your working hours are partially out of your control, and it is incredibly stressful/tiring. I know a few people who managed to combine poker with a normal life, but I know way more who utterly failed. Sincerely, A guy wh…
Ditto. I also attempted to do this full-time but only managed to squeak out a moderate living, and eventually grew sour with those points of intense rage (going on tilt) that would crush weeks (and sometimes months) of work. It's strange how poker works but I imagine Buddhism and poker to be the most complimentary religion-to-profession complement on the planet. And I agree with the first point - poker is an empty jo…
I remember reading in a poker magazine where they had asked several professional players what it's like to be a poker player and they all agreed it's actually rather depressing. Your job becomes preying on people with gambling problems, and the whole idea of "emptiness" was brought up by everyone. I wish I could find that article again.
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#9Interesting article, although it kinda reinforces a false dichotomy - just because this player had an unhealthy lifestyle playing poker, doesn't mean you can't play poker professionally while living a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal life. In fact, the article keeps mentioning the "lavish" lifestyle of the poker players as a given, when that is also just a choice they make. I've always enjoyed playing poker. I'…
There actually are several aspects of being a poker player (online) that make it really hard, though surely not impossible, to live a normal life. You have very little interaction with other people, your working hours are partially out of your control, and it is incredibly stressful/tiring. I know a few people who managed to combine poker with a normal life, but I know way more who utterly failed. Sincerely, A guy wh…
"You have very little interaction with other people, your working hours are partially out of your control, and it is incredibly stressful/tiring."
Sounds exactly like my current situation as an internet entrepreneur :)
Re: How teenage poker prodigy Steven Silverman won, and lost, millions
#10Did I miss the part where he lost his fortune?