Do you "get" professional gamblers?

Wow, just went to watch the football game at the neighbors' tonight, and was shocked that the man of the house is a professional gambler.

I never knew that about him, but wondered what the heck he did as the live in this neighborhood and his wife just works as a surg. tech. and he didn't seem to have a job, but now I know what his job is. Better than him being a meth maker or a pimp, but I still don't understand how someone declares himself a "pro" gambler.

I don't discount him for it, they seem to be doing well, I just don't understand the persona that affords a guy the will to do that full time, sans a "regular job".

I don't get it either. I can get going to a casino and playing the 7 cent games and winning $200 here and there like some people do, and if you can do that, it sounds like a good way to make extra money, but that's it, EXTRA money, not a substitute for a regular paycheck. Now, if a person were to hit a big jackpot on one game, and they wouldn't HAVE to work and they could use the money to settle down and whatever, I suppose that'd be something else too, like what everybody plans to do if they win the lottery. But that's still all very different from being a gambler for a living.

Red, I'm not sure what to tell you. It's not like you have to fill out an application and pass a job interview. It's really not so different than having your own business and being your own boss. I don't know what your neighbor gambles on...it literally could be anything but I'm pretty sure he didn't just "declare" himself as a pro gambler. Didn't you say you had your own business? Did you make a declaration when you started?

alan smithee wrote:Red, I'm not sure what to tell you. It's not like you have to fill out an application and pass a job interview. It's really not so different than having your own business and being your own boss. I don't know what your neighbor gambles on...it literally could be anything but I'm pretty sure he didn't just "declare" himself as a pro gambler. Didn't you say you had your own business? Did you make a declaration when you started?

Red, there's nothing to get when it comes to professional gamblers. Some people are doctors, some people are clerks, and some people are gamblers. It's just another way to earn a living and if he's happy doing it and is bringing in some dough, what's all the fuss about? I'm not exactly sure what your beef is. A person doesn't have to work 9-5 to be legit.

Mandy, I really don't have a "beef". I re-read my post and see how it could be misleading. I neglected to add that he only plays poker in local bars in our city. Well, in this area, there isn't a huge call for it, so to be a pro gambler here seems like it wouldn't yield much like other pros who hit Vegas or Atlantic City. We do have a sizable casino here, but he says he rarely goes there. He basically just hits dive bar tournaments, and says he's never been in any other city to play. Granted, he may be lying, but taking him at his word, I don't see how he could declare himself a pro gambler here in this smallish city.

I never really understood how someone COULD be a professional gambler (or what they did) so you can say that I don't get it.