Played poker professionally to MBA?

I’m planning on applying for MBA soon and I used to play poker professionally (4 years of grinding cash games seriously) additionally I work in IB but laid off (MM firm). I’ll take the gmat soon and plan to do well (pretty good with standardized tests), but nothing sets me apart aside from poker. I’ve made 500k+ in career cash game earnings. How will admissions committees look at this? Additionally I was in law school but dropped out to pursue finance. I’m afraid I’m all over the place. Any thoughts?

12 Comments
 

Pokerbrossss has plenty of clubs that run these stakes 24/7 with straddles too. Plus you have to move away from NLHA. Omaha and 5 card PLO is unsolved. Lots of fish.

Ew dude pokerbros really?? You don't like ACR?

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Heamac

What stakes did you play at to make 500k plus without tournaments- 5/10? Where did you find such consistent games? Ngl you are living my dream life. 

This is not only your dream, I think this is everyone's dream..
It's scary to sit down at the same poker table with you. But you're great to have reached such a level. I also play poker and now I've started on gamblizard.ca receiving casino bonuses. I want to move in different directions of gambling to understand what I'm better at. I still have a long way to go to reach your level.

 
Most Helpful

I don't think it'll hurt you, but it's not as big of an asset as you may think.

If you had won a major poker tournament or done something that would have gained you some accolades, that's one thing. But you've basically just grinded to make a basic living, $500k over 4 years is fine, but truthfully, that's less money than you would have made just working.

The best chance you have is to position it as you did banking for ~2 years, did well, but always wanted/loved a more quantitative approach. Found that in poker, went on an "entrepreneurial journey" to become a pro poker player, achieved it (and you ideally need to show some measure of success here, placed x in this tournament, achieved career earnings of $500k etc), and now want to use that same skillset to study quant finance and get a job at a hedge fund/asset mgmt.

I don't think it's interesting enough to get you into Harvard or really even an M7, but I could see a Top 10-20 school biting on it if you get a 750+ on the GMAT and make your story more interesting than it probably is. 

Anyways, hope that helps, don't mean to be harsh, and it is pretty cool that you made some money playing poker, but in a world where there are youtube kids making big money, winning tournaments, etc, just being a grinder, taking pots off of tourists/playing in weak online games, and earning the equivalent of a few hundred dollars a day isn't that impressive. You need to find a way to add some spin.

 

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