Matt Maroon On Playing Poker For A Living

December 5, 2007

For those who don’t know, a few years ago I played poker for the majority (and for some time 100%) of my income. Today most of my income comes from writing and other projects, and playing is a part-time thing for me. I’m happier now. Being that I’m a guy who teaches other people to play poker, I naturally get asked quite frequently, “Why did you stop playing full-time?” Often they just want to put me on the spot, expecting me to admit that I went busto… or expecting to hear an amusing fib covering up the fact that I went busto.

I didn’t go busto. Nor did I rack up millions of dollars as a full-timer. I quit playing full-time with a moderately bigger bankroll than I had when I started, so I paid my bills with some left over each month, which was my goal.

If I was achieving my goal as a player, why did I move on? It’s a hard question to answer in a way that other people connect with… especially those who haven’t tried to play for a living.

Today I found this excellent post from Matt Maroon on his reasons for giving up playing poker for a living. It hit home for me because I personally experienced many of the same feelings. So if you ever wondered why a successful player might stop playing quite so much, definitely check out Matt’s post.