Dear Patrick That Said I Was Flat Wrong
January 15, 2009 by Kris Jones
Filed under Sports
It’s always good to have user interaction. Or at least it is when it is. I recieved a comment that I thought deserved a little more face time than just another reply comment.
Patrick commented on the following quote I wrote in a previous blog entry:
“The difference between you and a regular poker pro is they don’t have to play to live. They can retire right now and have plenty of money.”
I’m sorry, but that is just flat wrong. The poker pro’s we see on tv are probably less than a half percent of all the people out their playing poker for a living. And the majority of their income is coming from endorsements, books, and tv deals.
The other 99.5% of those who play poker full time (pros) couldn’t retire if they wanted to. Their entire savings is their bankroll. They do absolutely have to play to live. Just like the rest of the world has to go to work to live.
Actually I was talking about a pros pro. A Negreanu, Hellmuth, Farha, Greenstein, Ivey, Juwanda, Harmon, etc. These people can retire and never play poker again. The expression “regular pro” was a poor word choice on my part. I completely agree that almost all of the “pros” out there are just getting by.
I thing the confusion arises because I don’t consider a lot of the self proclaimed pros actual pros. I’ve played against someone that called themself a pro and the moniker couldn’t be any further than the truth in the sense he couldn’t play worth a lick. So there is a great deal of hesistancy when I use the word for someone outside of the elite circle (whether or not they really play elite).
So I think we’re actually in agreement Patrick. I just screwed up the words. What do you think? Other comments? I’m always looking for more ideas to bring this blog to life. If you disagree with me or want to add some more knowledge, I always want to hear from you even if you think I’m flat wrong. Oh and poker stories – send me your poker stories. Not the ones where you had AK and got beat by a 76 but those legendary nights of poker where something amazing or wild happened. I’ll publish those if at all possible.
