The Muck: Should You Play Poker or Get a Job When You're Near Broke?
An interesting debate sparked on poker X recently over what poker players should do if they go broke — get a job or play cards for a living?
In this edition of The Muck, we share the social media response to the question, and then at the end of the article ask for your take. But first, the origin of what sparked the debate.
Play Poker if 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 difficulties of building a bankroll from nothing to something, it's "K-Mart," who last month attempted one of the wildest poker bankroll challenges we've seen.
"Absolute garbage advice! If you’re truly broke you should avoid crypto, poker or any volatile industry. Get a stable job and get your life on track. These pursuits will still be there in the future. Don’t mess around with your precious rent + food money. Wait till you have disposable income," Martin responded.
At PokerNews, we're committed to promoting responsible gaming. We encourage all our readers to play responsibly and within their means.
Visit our dedicated safer gaming hub for more information about safe and responsible gaming.
Martin didn't reach his goal of going from $0 to $5,000, and called it quits after livestreaming his entire life, including his online poker play, for 500 consecutive hours. But he clearly learned a thing or two about how difficult it is to grind with minimal and make a living in the process.
Matt Berkey, however, gave a different point of view. He argues the upside to playing poker for a living as opposed to some entry-level job is worth the risk.
As is always the case when it comes to a controversial issue in poker, some sided with Martin, others with Berkey.
"Fear of homelessness is completely different from fear of broke - ex-homeless guy probably," @GamerTex wrote.
The issue of being homeless in the event the poker gig doesn't go as planned was brought up by multiple people on X. A guaranteed weekly (or monthly) paycheck comes with a regular job, but that isn't the case when it comes to poker. So, if you're near broke and don't have an endless bankroll to bust through buy-ins during the bad stretches, how do you survive? In some cases, it could mean ending up living in a car, or even worse.
But, as Berkey pointed out, an entry-level job, especially if the poker player lacks a college degree or experience, may not provide anything but a small paycheck with minimal upside. One X user suggested playing poker while working a regular job.
"Even at the small stakes I play, poker has paid my bills many times and gotten me through tough financial situations until my next pay period," Bobby Harr (@BobbyHReports) tweeted.
"I would recommend getting a dealing job. It’s one of the best paying entry level jobs without needing a degree," Caleb Shumard (@ElGueroChulo7) argues.
One X user who appears to side with Berkey argued: "The first reason why you are broke is because of your 9-5 job." Hyperbole aside as there are millions of successful people working 9-5'ers, but many who engaged in the conversation seem to share those sentiments.
"The number of people I saw playing poker with (losing) their rent money was unbelievable. Not to mention those begging to borrow because they’d already lost that. Or the one who robbed a gas station because he lost what he borrowed. Or the one who robbed the place he worked. Or…," David Bloomberg (@DavidBloomberg) tweeted.
"I feel you but this is also how a lot of ppl go bankrupt chasing asymmetric upside. your risk of ruin is very high and controlling for negative externalities by establishing a bankroll through stable means and then pursuing said upside is almost always better," @forthefans97 argued in response to Berkey.
"You don't need to save much before taking risks, but rent + food is still non-negotiable if you don't have a support system like family that buys it for you," Swiss poker player Andreas Froehli pointed out.
Many solid points on both sides of the coin were made by those on poker X. Now we'd like to hear what you have to say, so please vote in the following poll.
