Gambling as a profession

This was quite a good read considering you know, guardian.

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I’d imagine it’s a massive number of people losing a small amount each to a very small number of people

We should play chess for money

I have another friend who used to go on poker sites overnight, when the drunk americans would log in, and would make a couple of hundred pounds a night. He’s a decent player, but when it came to making money it was all about the easy pickings.

You can’t really do that now because of gambling laws in the states have changed, or something.

I have not, but then, japes, surely we all lie sometimes? Even to ourselves.

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10 quid on white please

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Your friend could play Magic: The Gathering professionally instead. Much, much cooler.

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Could he do it without going outside

This is a silly question isnt it

Bookies will probably just shut your account if your betting patterns are suspicious.

I’ve done a few things where you take advantage of a free bet on one site and you offset it elsewhere and guarantee yourself profit, but the bookies started barring me from receiving promotional offers, so that was that.

I think the big money is in real life events, so probably not, no.

Still, lots of opportunities to travel to conference centres filled with sweaty nerds, so it’s not without its perks.

I saw a board game of This War of Mine in the penoid shop window, that looks right up my street if I ever played board games.

It’s meant to be absolutely excellent, fwiw.

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In my experience, if want any kind of respect in the bookmaking or betting industry, you’d need to invest in a colourful fedora.

I know a woman whose husband is a pro poker player. I think I’d really resent having to work to support the family through the bad days.

This too:

I lost something like seven grand.

Most people have got it nailed there. The pressure of trying to pay your bills through daily grinding at online gambling is very onerous and stressful. Imagine going to work each day knowing that someone was going to toss a coin and you were either going to get paid double that day or nothing at all. And nobody in the gambling industry wants to see gamblers making a living from it, because that’s taking away from the bookies’ living. So they will make it hard for you to do.

I have the maths skills and the poker skills to be a successful poker player. I don’t have the mental strength and discipline to do it for a living though.

kin hell mate.

Well quite. And I lost it fast and sometimes drunk too. And I lost a job, and I nearly lost my flat and I very nearly lost my partner. I had a very lucky escape.

My brother in law used to work with a guy who sacked off his job in the City to play poker online at home for a living. Played several low stakes games simultaneously (usually attract a low standard of player) and wins the majority of the time. Sounds like a miserable existence and he earned half what he did in the City, but was able to smoke pot all day and not leave his bedroom.

Also knew a group of guys from back home (Southend) who would do car trips round the south east to rinse fruit machines. I last saw one of them when I was paid to do an ID parade as he’d bottled a bouncer.

… where is the upside again?