Recently there was a fire on poker
In this edition of The Muck, we share the answer to the question on social media and ask for your opinion at the end of the article. But first, the origin of what sparked the debate.
Play poker when you’re broke?
Kevin Martin, a reality TV star turned poker pro, responded to the tweet and brought poker into the discussion. If anyone knows a thing or two about the difficulty of building a bankroll from nothing, it’s “K-Mart,” who attempted one of poker’s wildest bankroll challenges last month, that we have ever seen.
“Absolute advice! If you are truly broke, you should avoid crypto, poker, or other volatile industries. Find a stable job and get your life on the right track. These jobs will continue to exist in the future. Don’t worry about your precious rent + grocery money. Wait until you have disposable income,” Martin replied.
Martin failed to reach his goal of going from $0 to $5,000 and gave up after livestreaming his entire life, including his online poker game, for 500 hours. But he’s clearly learned a thing or two about how difficult it is to grind minimal and make a living doing it.
Matt Berkeyhowever, took a different point of view. He argues that the benefit of making a living playing poker, as opposed to an entry-level job, is worth the risk.
As always when it comes to a controversial topic in poker, some sided with Martin, others sided with Berkey.
“The fear of homelessness is completely different than the fear of being broke – probably a former homeless person,” wrote @GamerTex.
The issue of homelessness in the event the poker gig doesn’t go as planned was raised by several people to take up poker. So if you’re almost broke and don’t have an endless bankroll to grab buy-ins during the bad times, how do you survive? In some cases it could mean having to live in a car, or worse.
But as Berkey pointed out, an entry-level job, especially if the poker player doesn’t have a college degree or experience, may provide nothing more than a small paycheck with minimal benefits. One X user suggested playing poker while working a regular job.
“Even at the small stakes I play, poker has often paid my bills and gotten me through difficult financial situations until my next pay period,” tweeted Bobby Harr (@BobbyHReports).
“I would recommend getting a dealer job. It’s one of the highest paying entry-level jobs with no degree required.” Caleb Shumard (@ElGueroChulo7) argues.
One p.m., but many who took part in the conversation seemed to share these views.
“The number of people I saw playing poker and (losing) their money on rent was unbelievable. Not to mention those who were begging for loans because they had already lost it. Or those who robbed a gas station because they lost the money they had borrowed. Or.” the one who robbed the place he worked at or…” tweeted David Bloomberg (@DavidBloomberg).
“I hear you, but this is also how many people go bankrupt by chasing asymmetric uptrends. The risk of ruin is very high and it is almost always better to control negative externalities by building a balance with stable funds and then following that upward trend,” argued forthefans97 in response to Berkey.
“You don’t have to save a lot before taking risks, but rent and food are still non-negotiable if you don’t have a support system like the family that buys it for you,” emphasized Swiss poker player Andreas Froehli.
On both sides of the coin were poker
