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It's also much harder to make millions from the lottery than it is to get a degree from an Ivy. There might be a few hundred winning the lottery every year.

So I'm not really sure what information the statistic that there are about 140 Poker millionaires in a year vs 75k Ivy grads conveys.

discuss

c0m|3 years ago

If you have an open mind, I encourage you to look in to poker theory. It's far deeper than you appear to think, requiring a competent understanding of statistics, good mental maths, and an ability to perform under pressure. There's a reason many consistently successful modern poker players have some math pedigree. Many pro players go on to work at trading firms, Jesse Martin and Vanessa Selbst come to mind.

If you do truly think it's no different to the lottery, I'm interested in your explanation as to why these people (a) come from the background they do (a high schooler with decent maths can tell you why the lottery is -EV) and (b) go on to the careers they go on to.

ntr--|3 years ago

> So I'm not really sure what information the statistic that there are about 140 Poker millionaires in a year vs 75k Ivy grads conveys.

Poker is played competitively both online and in the casinos of every country all over the world 24/7. There are a phenomenal number of players compared to Ivy league students.

Unlike the lottery, it is also largely considered to be a game of skill based on a combination of statistics and social manipulation.

GP is generally implying that because the ratio of players to successful players is so small for a game so widespread that is is very difficult and requires a huge amount of skill to make a significant amount of money playing poker.

alasdair_|3 years ago

Many of the same professional players win year after year, strongly implying it's a game of skill rather than luck.

Poker isn't particularly luck-based, especially if you play a large number of hands, as eventually everyone sees the same cards on average.

Also, poker doesn't have legacy admissions - the people that win at poker consistently always deserve their status.