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Quitting the full-time poker scene

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Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#151

Post by whoami_nr »

Tarsul wrote: post #21

I find interesting that no one (yet) in OP or in the comments has talked about my main complaint about playing Poker as a living: it's a zero sum game where you basically only take money from other people. It's not productive. For me, that in itself is as depressing as the grind. But it appears most players don't really care about this, maybe because life oftentimes is not fair and thus being productive is not seen a…

Author here. Yes, I did mention it in my post. It was actually a big reason I switched back to daily job inspite of making 10-15x for the 3years that I played. It was very good money but depressing af. More over, once you are financially secure ($1m is enough money to retire in India), it makes no sense to put yourself through it further.

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#152

Post by whoami_nr »

Applejinx wrote: post #99
gen220 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a friend who got into poker in the 90s. He did a lot of studying and practicing at home, then took a bus down to Atlantic City to try his luck, goal was to pay for a ticket back. He ended up making a lot more money than that (more than he’d ever made in a paycheck up to that point!), but half of it was from a guy with more teeth out of his possession than in his possession. Most of his opponents were irrationa…

Specifically, if you're fixing to earn serious money off playing poker, your job is to SEEK OUT irrational addicts fighting personal demons, and personify said demons. You're basically looking to find prey and eat them. The wounded will be less capable of running away from you. You could lurk outside the door and hit them with a rock or stab them with a knife, but that would be illegal. Functionally you're playing a…

Author here. I agree. We call it bum-hunting and its part and parcel of the game. I stopped live games mainly because I found it depressing to win from a guy who is obviously drunk or has a gambling problem.

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#153

Post by whoami_nr »

Aurornis wrote: post #11

> Poker has the best hourly rate for any job in India. The money is simply un-comparable to any job a 20 year old can get and is close to VP+ level in unicorn/FAANG companies > Imagine sitting in front of a screen for 12-16hrs a day, clicking buttons > The 95th percentile Poker income is about $200-250k. I knew quite a few people who went through poker phases in college and their early 20s, back before it was heavily…

Author here. You are spot on about the career break. Luckily for me, during my time I played poker professionally, I was also consulting with poker website to build out their matchmaking and fraud detection algorithms. I also built a small analytics tool for PLO professionals to study their game better.

Wrote more about it on my blog here: https://rnikhil.com/2022/06/15/gtoinspector-startup.html

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#154

Post by addictanon »

kybernetikos wrote: post #107
Tarsul wrote: post #21

I find interesting that no one (yet) in OP or in the comments has talked about my main complaint about playing Poker as a living: it's a zero sum game where you basically only take money from other people. It's not productive. For me, that in itself is as depressing as the grind. But it appears most players don't really care about this, maybe because life oftentimes is not fair and thus being productive is not seen a…

If you don't count human entertainment and skill as a positive then it's not just poker you'll find depressing, but also almost all media, sport and games. It's an absolutely massive 'unproductive' chunk of the economy. I've played in small poker tournaments where there was a buy in which went to charity and the prizes were provided by local businesses. That's positive sum. Poker itself can be exciting and entertaini…

The point is that you end up focusing your energies (often intentionally, but always by the nature of simply playing a lot) on exploiting gambling addicts.

If you make films you aren’t targeting “film addicts” that go to the theater all day 7 days a week. They have a minimal effect on your outcome.

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#155

Post by whoami_nr »

nadermx wrote: post #10

"I learned another skill and I probably can always find a way to support myself in dire situations" I think this nails it. As a grinder you know the work you put in. And given the game has been around lifetimes, during your life if dire shows up, like any skilled profesional, you do what you know.

Author here. You are right. Doing hard things just for the sake it builds your confidence. Relevant article: https://blog.nateliason.com/p/proof-you-can-do-hard-things

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#156

Post by whoami_nr »

osti wrote: post #17

I used to play PLO (pot limit omaha) full time and made very low 6 figures over 2 years. I quit in 2015 and went back to school for a CS degree, doing much better now financially, and the work is actually usually more interesting than poker, but that might be due to me burning out back then.

Author here. I also played PLO for a living. BTW, I made a small tool for professionals to study PLO. Check it out here: https://rnikhil.com/2022/06/15/gtoinspector-startup.html

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#157

Post by whoami_nr »

charlieyu1 wrote: post #37

I have to say I can't see how $200k a year is a bad idea. I would do it if only I could make half of that. Is the grind boring? So are many jobs. At the end of the day, if I am going to be making six figures I can spend some money for enjoyment

Author here. Yes, the grind is monotonous and borderline depressing because you are playing a zero sum game. Regarding the money, after you do that for a couple years, money has very little meaning and value.

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#158

Post by whoami_nr »

bluecalm wrote: post #92
waprin wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Live poker is still quite soft. While you do have to be better compared to years past, it's also far easier to get better because you can study solvers. I used to be a "good but not great" online player, but the extent to which you could truly understand hands was limited due to the limitations of the software at the time (mostly equity calculators that could not truly calculate EV). That changed with the release of…

Hello fellow HN'er! I am PioSolver author and thanks for mentioning my software as a turning point in poker theory evolution. Feel free to pm me (by Pio email or Discord). While I am no longer involved much in the poker world it's always nice to keep in touch with people doing interesting things in and around the industry!

Author of the post here. Your software is literally the reason I made any money in Poker. Must have studied using your software for more than a 1000hrs haha.

On a related note, I made a small tool for PLO folks to study their preflop game. Check it out here: https://rnikhil.com/2022/06/15/gtoinspector-startup.html

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#159

Post by whoami_nr »

Unfrozen0688 wrote: post #90

Why is this on an indian car forum? Is it like bodybuildning forum where its a lot of unrelated stuff?

Author here. I originally wrote it on my blog (www.rnikhil.com) and cross-posted on team-bhp.com . Its not just a car forum but just enthusiastic folks discussing anything and everything. Like HN but based on cars and not startups.

Somebody posted the link here from team-bhp.

Re: Quitting the full-time poker scene

#160

Post by whoami_nr »

bluecalm wrote: post #100

I was involved in poker for most of my adult life - first as pro player and then as a poker software developer. I was very lucky to be able live off poker winnings as a player and then become financially independent thanks to the success of my software (I am PioSOLVER founder and one of the two original programmers along with my close friend). I agree with about everything the author of the post said. It's a lonely a…

Author here. I mentioned Pio in a different comment. You are literally the reason I won any money in Poker and I must have studied using Pio/Monker for 1000hrs+ easily.

On a relevant note, I built a preflop tool for PLO folks. Check it out here: https://rnikhil.com/2022/06/15/gtoinspector-startup.html

You are very accurate with how Poker lured me in. Its a easy place for analytical minded folks to make a ton of money.

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