Once again you are being stereotypical. So being a professional poker player automatically assumes all they do is play poker and don't have family or social lives? How can this differiente from say, being an accountant that works 45 hours a week? What would you ever define as "contributing to society?" Paying your taxes and being a good law-biding citizen, in my opinion, are the only true requirements of contributing to society with everything else being gravy.

Well as a person who has made most of the money I currently have through poker, I would be considered a "professional" although I hardly wish to have such a job for the rest of my life. However, it is good revenue and I am fortunate to be a winning player. I helped campaign for numerous candidates throughout the year and all of them won except for Harold Ford JR. I was more than glad to not play poker for a few months to help get candidates in office who I personally feel can help our society. Then to hear people say I don't contribute to society truly outrages me.

As you said "Working for yourself by staying inside all day clicking at a mouse is not "contributing" to society. Paying taxes is just doing their duty. Not actually "contributing" to the world. you are not really helping to make the country or the world a better place in my opinion."

Hell, you could say the same thing about writers, artists, astronauts philosophers, sports athletes and musicians? Are they really contributing anything to our country that we truly need? Hell, human life has existed just fine before John Lennon sang "Give Peace a Chance" right? And why should we continue to donate money to scientists if they still can't find a cure for cancer? Shit man, a McDonalds employee asking if you want to biggie size your fries could be doing more at this moment than scientists who works day and night using millions upon millions of dollars to find a cure to a disease that may never be curable. No, ultimately they are just doing their job because they enjoy what they do and find a way to make a good living at it. As I said in a previous post, many poker players have pledged money they have made to a good cause. Tons of tournament professionals donate 1% of their tournament winnings to charity, many create and go to charity events to raise money for a good cause, Barry Greenstein donates all of his winnings to feed the poor, etc etc etc.

"I would consider some of the people who do business and do terrible business practices only for profit as a detriment to society."

Isn't that what a business is though? Look at the business market. Many people try to run other businesses out of the market and eventually out of commission so they can make more money. In effect, this leads to a loss of jobs and high unemployment for the time being until new jobs are found. Hell, this isn't even a bad thing, better products and cheaper prices come out for the consumer as a result of this competition. It is pretty socially acceptable despite the extreme negativity and bloody-thirsty tactics that are used in the process. How come poker players are the only people who are targeted in this regard? Anyone who goes to the poker table makes a choice to unlike a business who make gain a rival that is ready to drive them into the ground.

Why only online poker players? If anything, I would take someone for plays online over a live player anyday. Online you can play for 20 hours a week and easily make a good living while doing other activities. In a live cardroom, you could be playing for multiple days just to final table an event and make a little profit. Why the bias towards online players?

Hell, poker has been around in its current form for about 140 years. For the first 136 years or so, live was the only way you could play for a living. I doubt things have changed too much. The majority of well-known professionals still play primarily live and play online in their downtime. And both are addictive, online just happens to be faster paced. But anything can be dangerous when addictive and poker is no different. Go to a casino and look around the room. You can easily find 22 year old college students with a hat, shades, and stoic look on their face playing 1-2 NL poker who treat the game like it is the final table of the WSOP. Are they having fun or being social? I doubt it. I talk to people all the time while playing online over the phone or through AIM and have plenty of fun doing so. If I want to go to the mall and be "more social", I can do that too. It happens to be more convenient to play at home and choose what I want to do at any given time than go to a casino and have to wade through crowds, possible cigarette smoking, assholes, and slow-paced action when I have an alternative.

Find me a girlfriend and I'll play less online poker, deal?

All work and no fun is not a way to live. Poker is much better than, for example, drugs. Many more kids drop/fail out of college due to drug and alcohol abuse.

Am I missing out on anything? Sure, I could be a more socialble person, but you know, I am the way I am. I don't need someone reminding me I don't have many friends.

Although I agree with most of the post there are those people who can manage all these things you are speaking of. I have a son, a fiance and I'm 21 with a full-time job that pays the housepayment and so on. However, it is nice every once in awhile you will find these kinds of posts. They usually vary in subject, but they are posts that kind of make you take a step back and look at your life as a poker player. The good times, the times when you said this is it I'm done. Poker teaches you things, things you can't learn in college. College teaches you things that you can't learn in poker. The key is from every experience in life you take something from it and add it to your arsonal (spelling).

How many times do i have to say that i misspoke when i said online players contribute nothing to society. jeeeez

Once Again, i am not saying online poker can not bring about benefits. I am not saying people can not balance things efficiently. I am saying though online poker can bring about alot of costs which for alot of players will outweigh the benefits. I am saying that alot of players can not balance things efficiently. Zeka, I am just saying that in my opinion that most players costs of playing online poker outweigh the benefits. If you think its a generalization then whatever. I am simply stating that players should look at poker and see if its worth it. Take some time to reflect. Perhaps take a break and see if life is better. I am only trying to help people. I am not trying to insult anyone nor am i trying to be an ass. Being hated on (with the exceptionf of the contribution to society) is just plain ridiculous. I am simply stating my opinion in the purpose of helping out other players.

Give up Miller. Never give up Bud.

not that large of a difference. i just got rid of the society thing and then combined it with my second post.