Poker-for-a-living | a 3rd world citizen's POKER STORY

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I live off poker and this is my story.

I am a 31 year old former card dealer who grew up and used to live in the U.S.A. before being deported back to my "home" country due to immigration issues. I was illegally smuggled into the USA when I was 2 years old and went on living off under fake numbers my parents acquired from shady organizations in the vicinity of Alvarado, CA. Making matters worse is the sad fact that I dont and probably never will speak the language back "home". Forced relocation to someplace you have never been to is tough. Not knowing a single soul and the inability to communicate well makes it difficult as hell. My parents have passed away, if any of you are wondering.

I was holding on to an odd job (dont bother asking about it) to try to make ends meet before I ran into a local poker enthusiast who introduced to me the local poker scene. Let's just say, I found the softest tables in history. I made quite a bit, enough for a new laptop, a 2nd hand car as well as an address change and a couple thousands for my bankroll. Everything was going quite well, until I a scion of a local politician "banned" me from playing anywhere his family had clout (read: the whole country) for embarassing him with well timed bluffs and sick calls. He wasnt exactly hard to read. I realised too late that most people fold to him out of fear and/or "respect". I walked away and never came back. I know he's got me beat.

Not wanting to get another odd job or even a 9-5, I turned to online poker. The tables are tougher than live ones I've grown accustomed to, but hey, atleast there are no life threatening situations:-)

Winning $10-15 a day pays my bills, no kidding. The rake is just whip cream on the side. The freerolls, well, they are there for some fun and relaxing.

So what is my story? Well, nothing really special. I just wanted to reiterate that life is very much like poker:

>> You do what you can with the hands you are dealt
>> Learn to fold when you know you are beat
>> Never count yourself out until the last card falls

A chip and a chair my friends... Learn how to swim, don't drown on the river.

If you have some spare time, post YOUR POKER STORY here. It might inspire others, it will probably inspire me (what can I say, I'm a sucker for poker tales).

Good luck at the tables.

[catch016]

First of all, this is not a "brag post" by any means. I am a small stakes "grinder" but yes, I am a pro. I suppose I should tell my story:

I am a college graduate with a business/entrepreneurship degree from USC. I owned a few businesses/real estate over the years since I graduated. The last business I owned was an urban/streetware clothing company which had worldwide distribution in the U.S., U.K., Japan, Australia, etc. To make a long story short, we had a large demand for our product but basically, not enough money (clothing manufacturing takes a lot of upfront money). During the "failure" of this company, I played .50/1 cash games at Pokerroom to help pay my bills. It was during this period that I felt that I could make a living playing poker. Eventually, the business ended and I had $45 to my name. On top of that, the place I lived at for over 10 years (a friend's backhouse) was going to be added-on to his main house. So sadly enough, I had to move back into my parent's house after being on my own since I was 22. Not a good thing for a guy in his mid-30s. As I looked for a job and borrowed from my parents to pay some bills, I decided to take my shot at poker. I deposited the $45 on Pokerroom and four-tabled the .10/.25 game. My first month, I did well so I was pretty excited. In about 6 months, I moved up to .25/.50 six-tabling and stopped looking for a job (in fact, I never went on an interview). Then Pokerroom stopped allowing US customers and I switched over to FullTilt. Luckily, I was smart enough to sign up through Rakeback.com (shameless Rakeback.com plug lol). Anyways, this month is my 2 year anniversary as a professional poker player. I moved into an apartment with my girlfriend a year after turning pro and we got married 4 months ago. Yes, it's true that it takes a special person to accept a poker player as a spouse and I have been VERY lucky and blessed. Right now, I'm eight-tabling at .25/.50. I don't make a lot of money but I make enough to get by in Southern California (rent is ridiculous here). In a few months, I will be moving up to where I started, .50/1.00. I pretty much figure after that, I'll probably never have a regular job (regular job $ = pokerpro $). I am very careful about bankroll management and am not in a hurry to move up. Like they say, poker is a lifelong game. If I hit that big tournament score then great but I am not relying on it (I'm mainly a cash game player). If it happens, it happens. As for living the life of a poker player, I love it. I have never been happier (and I'm a pretty happy guy). Yeah, sometimes I work 24 hours straight (I did this when I owned my business too) but sometimes I'm done in 15 minutes. It's just like owning your own business except that I don't have to deal with customers or employees. It's just me. I have no boss. I get to make myself lunch and my wife dinner everyday. I spend $50 a month on gas and I also save money on car insurance since I don't go anywhere. Plus, I get to watch ESPN and HBO while I work. Not too bad. I know this life isn't for everyone but it works well for me. Again, I love my job and not too many people can say that. I honestly look forward to work and I haven't taken a day off in 2 years (I even played a couple of hours on my wedding day lol). It did take a little to convince my parents that this was a legitimate business and I still shock a few people when I tell them what I do for a living. Just a side note, I am not a degenerate gambler and aside from poker, I have never gambled besides the lottery and a little bit of slots. To be clear, I am not advocating this life for everyone. It works for some and doesn't for others. I think it depends on your mentality and where you're at in life. If you're young and in school, definitely finish college. It gives you something to fall back on. No one can take your degree away from you. Anyways, I have to end this sometime but I just wanted to tell my story. I have often contemplated starting a website dedicated to the poker journey and some philosophies on life but I am not sure if people would be interested. Let me know your thoughts and thank you for hearing my story.

catch016
Michael Dehlinger

[liladypokerpro]

Given the circumstances, the government should have at least given you the option of becomming a legal citizen.......I mean jeez, you were a baby for crying out loud........you had no idea anything was wrong........just another example of how screwed up our country has become.

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to catch:

nice turn around. congratulations on getting hitched:-)
yeah, rent in SoCal is pretty steep. i used to pay $600 for a small room myself. but hey, life is good in SoCal. Its always sunny and your dreams are just an arms length away:-)

to lil:

thanks for your support. im fine now though and i dont want anyone to feel sorry for me. i have to admit, i felt the same way during the whole process but there's really nothing i can do about it. its just how things are. life goes on though. and as long as people have hopes and dreams, there will always be ways and means -- i feel like i'm back in the rap game lol

i do hope things get better for the sake others like me.

this is my last post on this thread so y'all should just post your poker story.

peaceout & thanks for the replies