Poker Dream Reality Check

By Amy Calistri

You know the dream. The one where you parlay a $20 online tournament buy-in into a $10,000 seat at the WSOP final event. You play brilliantly, stunning the pros. You make audacious bluffs. You delicately slow play monster hands. And yes, you are so very humble when you hold up your bracelet for all the television viewing audience to see. The first phone call you make is to pull the plug on your day job. We've all had that dream.

You envy the pros that spend their lives shuttling from one high profile tournament to the next. No longer tainted by poker's former smoky backroom image, professional players have reached celebrity status. And like the rock star days of yore, every 18-year-old male wants to be a poker player. But you know there is a saying about poker; "It's a hard way to make an easy living." So let's do a little reality check on the poker dream.

• Three-time World Series of Poker Champion, Stu Unger, ended up dead in a cheap Vegas hotel. Considered one of the most brilliant people to ever play the game, Unger finally succumbed to years of substance abuse.
• The World Poker Tour is famous for televised fluff pieces extolling the happy family lives of its players. But no less than three of their "blissful" couples are on the outs. To add salt in the wound, one of the "happily married" players was served divorce papers at the 2003 WSOP; guess the wife knew where to find him.
• A well-known successful tournament pro, grossing more than $1.5 million in 2002 and 2003, was broke at the beginning of this year, already more than $100,000 in the hole to his backer.
• Another well known pro was so broke at one point in his life he would routinely sell over 100% of himself. And just like the movie, The Producers, he would purposely lose to make a profit. One day, he just couldn't lose. His final table finish financially devastated him. Two years ago he was living out of his car while playing in the World Poker Open.

And just in case you have the illusion that these things only happen to the hardened pros, let's take a look at those on the edge of the dream.

• Six months after making the final table in a major European tournament, a player announced that he had quit his job to become an online pro, with an admittedly small bankroll. Two months later, his wife posted that they were broke and she was worried about how she and the kids would get by.
• Clifton Paddila hurled his body off the 31st floor of the Goldstrike casino in Tunica, Mississippi. Paddila was the third dealer in the small gambling community to take his life in its relatively short history, unable to face mounting gambling debts and failing relationships.
• A year after his bracelet winning performance at the 2002 World Poker Finals, a savvy and experienced player decided to go pro. After a few short months, he mothballed the dream, deciding that he couldn't withstand the bankroll volatility and stress.

Poker is a great game. And there are many players that make a terrific living from poker. In fact, there has probably been no better time for poker players than right now. But maybe I'm just oversensitive, because I spend a lot of my time helping people face the demons left in the aftermath of their dreams.

Occupational Hazards

I am on the Board of Directors of the SIMS Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides low cost mental healthcare to musicians. And I am constantly struck by the growing similarities between the occupational hazards of musicians and poker players, hazards given little exposure in today's televised poker dramas featuring multimillion-dollar prize pools and fairy tale endings.

Like touring musicians, tournament poker pros spend a lot of time on the road, away from family and friends. Maintaining long distance relationships in an environment warped by minor celebrity status and a culture comfortable with recreational substance use is no easy task. While a major tournament bracelet, like a big record contract, always seems within your grasp, there are so many Cinderellas and only one slipper. And minor setbacks are exponentially magnified by the fact that this is not just another job, this is a lifestyle choice embedded in a dream. Every time you sit down at the felt, and every time a musician takes the stage, your performance defines you and where you are in relationship to that dream. And if the dream should become a nightmare, the ability to reach out for help is often hampered by a lack of medical insurance or a support network that fails to understand the life you've chosen.

And it's not just the traditional touring pros that are facing the untold challenges of life on the felt. Online players spend countless hours of countless days in isolation. Bad beats, and even stellar victories, are played out only to the constant hum of your computer or at best shared with a pet ready to bolt when your opponent catches a two-outer on the river. And a run of bad sessions strikes at your very being, as every poster on every poker forum denies their existence.

Eyes Wide Open

Most dreams flourish with our eyes closed and when sweet sleep is upon us. But making a dream a reality takes hard work, planning, and the ability to stare it in the face with your eyes wide open. We are all aware of poker's rich rewards. And we think we are preparing for a realistic shot to reap them. We read the books. We debate strategy. We log in a myriad of ring game and tournament hours, constantly honing our skill. But this is merely the foundation and framing that will house the dream. It sometimes reminds me of the line from the movie Bull Durham, "Some days you win. Some days you lose. And some days it rains." Are you ready for the rain?

If you're going to make a run at the poker dream, it will take more than a winning game. It will require a well thought out financial plan, one that takes into account the buy-ins, expenses, and the standard deviation and variability of returns that is consistent with your playing experience and goals. It will require a plan that acknowledges and maintains your commitments and relationships off the felt. And it will need you to recognize the unique mental health challenges of the lifestyle you have chosen. Do you have a strategy for how you will deal with the performance pressure, boredom, and other temptations that may come your way? How will you maintain the perspective and objectivity that are required to play your best once you are immersed in the dream? And as all good plans take into account worst case scenarios, what will you do if your dream starts to unravel?

Dream Assistance

If you sense your poker dream is taking on nightmarish qualities, don't wait to seek help. Try to nip small problems in the bud. And know that even the biggest nightmares can be dealt with the right support and assistance. Tell someone. You'd be surprised at how supportive the poker community can be. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the community rally around a member in need. Call a crisis hotline...even a gambling addiction hotline. I know that most of us are no more addicted to poker than a musician is to music, but sometimes these folks have good resources and programs for debt management and family counseling. If you believe in the poker dream, the first thing you need to acknowledge is that your best shot to live it is to be at your best both physically and emotionally. Just as you would get help to fix a leak in your game, ask for help to fix the leak in your dream.

PokerCares?

But now that there are so many profiting from the proliferation of the poker dream, maybe its time the poker industry considers the type of support network the music industry has provided for their "players." In recognition of the contributions musicians make to their industry, organizations, like the Grammy Awards sponsored Musicares program provides a safety net of critical assistance for musicians, specifically designed to address their unique and challenging lifestyle. Maybe it's time the poker industry thinks about how to preserve the dream they helped foster.