I'm 34 years old and after a 6 year absence I'm reg'd for the Fall 2011 semester to finally finish up my journalism degree, i got about 21 units to go. I was really looking forward to grinding while going to school, but now w/o poker, and possibly my br, i may have to resort to school loans. It really pisses me off!

 

Originally Posted by kid duke10

never went to college and never going to go and never going to get a job and im only 19. i would say just play live poker dude its way better anyway

u obviously cant read either

 

Originally Posted by kid duke10

never went to college and never going to go and never going to get a job and im only 19. i would say just play live poker dude its way better anyway

I don't mean to hate since I am a dropout who plays poker, but this is a really stupid statement. Poker is getting harder and harder and you always want to keep possibilities open. Maybe you are a super sicko and the next phil ivey or whatever, but I would advise at least thinking about other options for your future. Plus live poker is sooooooooo slow. I imagine playing it everyday like we do online would be much more torturous than most of us realize. Just keep in mind that you are very young and going to school is only going to get harder the older you get.

 

Originally Posted by razorrreyes

Wow. What a Depressing Thread. If you love poker enough you will find a way to play no matter how many people you know in so and so country. I've travelled to many places around the world and I can tell you the grass is greener, the food is better, and the women are easier (in some cases). I understand if people have families but if you are a single dude do yourself a favor, pack up a backpack(not a suitcase) and go travel to a country where you don't know anyone and meet some new people, then go travel some more until you end up in a country where you're comfortable enough to start grinding.

The world is a beautiful place and there is only 1 country where online poker is illegal so that leaves 100s of countries where you can play. Visa issues and immigration can always be worked out. some cases you have to leave for a day every 3 months. No big deal, plus you get to travel to another beautiful interesting place.
For those who are super down, read the book 4 hour work week. Lot's of good exciting ideas in there about living abroad.

he Sky seems like it's falling but you just have to adapt. If you really love poker you can make it happen. Anything is possible.

This is awesome advice, and I may be doing something similar after vegas this summer. Its amazing how many people hate on this thinking just because they are too scared to make a change. Nice to see another Tim Ferriss fan on P5s by the way.

 

Originally Posted by kid duke10

never went to college and never going to go and never going to get a job and im only 19. i would say just play live poker dude its way better anyway

you're a winner

Graduated in May of 2010 with finance and marketing degrees, after Vegas this summer I'm finally gonna look for a real world job. Not looking forward to it.

 

Originally Posted by threeven

I don't mean to hate since I am a dropout who plays poker, but this is a really stupid statement. Poker is getting harder and harder and you always want to keep possibilities open. Maybe you are a super sicko and the next phil ivey or whatever, but I would advise at least thinking about other options for your future. Plus live poker is sooooooooo slow. I imagine playing it everyday like we do online would be much more torturous than most of us realize. Just keep in mind that you are very young and going to school is only going to get harder the older you get.

Online poker just got a lot easier though, so moving somewhere outside the US might be a better option for someone like kid duke10 than working as a waiter or something similar. I don't think from his posts he is the type to thrive in the college and office environment.

 

Originally Posted by ZenEnso

Dude 109 credits is over 6 semesters. Why don't you just get a bachelors?

 

Originally Posted by pikappraider78

Yah 109 credits is a ton how do you not have an aa yet isn't an aa 70 credits? Only way it's possible is if you did a few pre reqs for a bunch of different majors

Yep, I have almost all classes done for an AA. When you fail out tho, you can't transfer schools, you have to go back to community college to get a AA. At the community College they wont let u just walk in the door. They Say I need 2 Computer courses (obv didn't need these at 4-year school) and those 2 biologies I never passed. Once I get a Associate's Ill have other options, like going back to 4year and getting a BA, which would take 1 1/2 at max. Sucks, but it's my fault, I messed up and paying for it now.

 

Originally Posted by Duffy08

I imagine this period being only a few months to 6 months until something major, or news of something major moves in to fill this void left in a hugely profitable industry. Personally I think this DOJ move was made to pave the way for American casinos to take it over, and I think this will be done on a fast state by state basis with most of those states sharing player pools. I think online poker will be just as viable a career option by the end of 2012 at the latest, as it was just a few months ago. I'm partially biased though as I made a commitment to a start-up business that won't let me move abroad for the time being.

Your optimism is certainly refreshing but I have to completely disagree with you that this move was made for US casinos to move in to the online market. Just a few weeks before April 15th Steve Wynn struck a deal with stars that would see the Wynn Casinos working with Stars in the online market when legislation passed. FT struck a similar deal w the Station Casinos. Then immediately after 4/15 all alliances were broken. Clearly neither party had any indication the DoJ was working night and day to bring a swift and powerful end to online poker.

Are the US casinos upset by this result? Fuck no. Now they know they can move right on in and apply for a license when the legislation is passed. But did they know this was coming? Highly unlikely.

If you ask me it was the same social conservatives (Sen. Kyl and his group) who pushed the UIGEA through in 2006 who were bearing down on the DoJ to put an end to a clearly open and vibrant online poker market. They just can't stand that people are sitting at home "gambling" on their computers. This is where the outrage should be, not just random anger at the govt or the DoJ who were just enforcing the laws as they are on the books.

24 need 2 more years for my BA in biz manangment, maybe i can take over merge, their site is run like a shithole

 

Originally Posted by Defndrofangels

Sooooo.....do we blame republicans?

That would be an absurd generalization. Not everyone in the Republican party is a social conservative. But, if you're a social conservative you're prbly a Republican.

It was the religious and family-based groups who were most upset by online gaming. Their narrow mindset (and corresponding narrow mindsets of Senators Kyl and Frist) is what got the UIGEA pushed through in the first place and what sees us in this mess we're in right now.

PPA Chairman John Pappas recently said “It is also important to note that the new freshman class of Republicans have a different mindset than the social conservative Republicans that pushed UIGEA in 2006. The eighty-plus new lawmakers tend to be more libertarian minded.” And he's right, they are (at least it's what they campaigned on).

With Dems obv on board now should be the best time to get pro-poker legislation through imo.

As nice as moving out of the country sounds, I have too much locked up online and don't want to move without knowing when I can receive it. Sure I have a backpack, passport, laptop and some clothes but a plain ticket to Europe is a huge investment at this point.. So I would recommend waiting for the dust to settle before moving if you are in a similar position (majority of net worth online).

As for going back to school, similar situation. It is a big investment that I am not sure would pay off soon enough to justify.. For typical dropouts, you will need at least 3 years to get a degree, and you will need excellent grades if you want any kind of decent job. And at that point it will take years to pay off student loans.. So I don't know if jumping back into school is the best option either.

For me, I have conceded that I must get a "real job" A.S.A.P. and wait until I get my bankroll off of the poker sites before I make a major decision.

 

Originally Posted by Pghfan987

To be fair, I am about to graduate from law school and my classmates are having a really, really hard time finding a job. I can move to another country and make money online.

+1

The economy is pure shit right now. Doesn't really matter how awesome you are or what field you're in (besides a couple obv), if you're looking for a job, you're having a hard time.

NEVER