Poker on a resume Forum

[ResolutePear]

I've had some success playing online poker. Should I note this on a resume/discuss in an interview?

I know people who have talked about poker for finance/hedge fund interviews and gotten jobs partially because of it.

You know people who have received offers b/c they gamble on the internet? Quality. GTFO. Thanks, bai.

Why Anonymous?

And on top of that - only to try to belittle the OP. Obviously abuse. I think SBL cited the Banhammer for this in another post. *cough*

Be a man/woman/...? and voice your opinion through your account imo.

[concurrent fork]

I've had some success playing online poker. Should I note this on a resume/discuss in an interview?

I know people who have talked about poker for finance/hedge fund interviews and gotten jobs partially because of it.

You know people who have received offers b/c they gamble on the internet? Quality. GTFO. Thanks, bai.

Why Anonymous?

And on top of that - only to try to belittle the OP. Obviously abuse. I think SBL cited the Banhammer for this in another post. *cough*

Be a man/woman/...? and voice your opinion through your account imo.

Sorry I misclicked with the anonymous quote. Yes I call BS on anyone who claims that offers were received from any firm as a result of online gambling. Is this really a bannable offense as you seem to indicate? If so then please post stats before I am banned. Thanks.

[Always Credited]

I've had some success playing online poker. Should I note this on a resume/discuss in an interview?

I know people who have talked about poker for finance/hedge fund interviews and gotten jobs partially because of it.

You know people who have received offers b/c they gamble on the internet? Quality. GTFO. Thanks, bai.

Why Anonymous?

And on top of that - only to try to belittle the OP. Obviously abuse. I think SBL cited the Banhammer for this in another post. *cough*

Be a man/woman/...? and voice your opinion through your account imo.

Sorry I misclicked with the anonymous quote. Yes I call BS on anyone who claims that offers were received from any firm as a result of online gambling. Is this really a bannable offense as you seem to indicate? If so then please post stats before I am banned. Thanks.

...What?

[wiseowl]

uh, did someone just get caught tattling on themselves?

[concurrent fork]

Range of school, ranking, and the firm from which "people" received offers partially as a result of online gambling. Thanks.

[Sell Manilla]

I wanna know how much OP won over what time frame.

[Anonymous User]

Concurrent - Please re-read the original post. I clearly said I know people who have interviewed at HEDGE FUND / FINANCE (trading) jobs and have gotten jobs PARTIALLY because of poker. Nowhere did I say that I knew someone who got a job at a law firm solely because they gamble online.

A lot of reputable hedge fund managers play high stakes poker. Mike Baxter and David Einhorn are examples.

Law and finance/trading are two different arenas, but people many of the skills required to be good at poker are useful for succeeding in both law and finance.

[ResolutePear]

I've had some success playing online poker. Should I note this on a resume/discuss in an interview?

I know people who have talked about poker for finance/hedge fund interviews and gotten jobs partially because of it.

You know people who have received offers b/c they gamble on the internet? Quality. GTFO. Thanks, bai.

Lol what? I didn't post this...

[Anonymous User]

On another note - I am only planning on mentioning poker (in the interests section of my resume) for one firm which is a huge reach to begin with. Should I have any worries about this information leaking/getting out to other firms even though the resumes I am submitting to them have no mention of poker or gambling?

[concurrent fork]

Concurrent - Please re-read the original post. I clearly said I know people who have interviewed at HEDGE FUND / FINANCE (trading) jobs and have gotten jobs PARTIALLY because of poker. Nowhere did I say that I knew someone who got a job at a law firm solely because they gamble online.

A lot of reputable hedge fund managers play high stakes poker. Mike Baxter and David Einhorn are examples.

Law and finance/trading are two different arenas, but people many of the skills required to be good at poker are useful for succeeding in both law and finance.

Fair enough. To begin with you probably should not put online poker on a resume or talk about it in an interview unless prompted. You may want to include it under "interests" if you have won a named tournament.

Where this might be helpful is a callback - not a screening interview like you will see at OCI. If when speaking to a partner or senior associate you can feel them out as a poker player, definitely bring it up.

[Anonymous User]

Under interests I have listed, amongst other things, poker and then in parentheses I put down an estimated amount of winnings.

Again, I'm only submitting this resume to one firm which is a big reach.

[Anonymous User]

The law firm I summered at has an annual office poker game, with cash prizes.

I don't know about the legality of online poker, but I also think people are overestimating the stuffiness of firms. Not sure I'd put it on a resume but worth a mention in an interview with a BRO-type dude.

[Sell Manilla]

FWIW, I was serious in wanting to know how much you won. If you won $5K, it sounds like you played a lot of on-line poker & you're decent, which isn't too exiting. If you won $250K & are paying for law school with winnings, it sounds like you outplay the best online crowd & could do it for a living, which reeks of intelligence.

You probably fall somewhere in the middle, but assuming the answer to your OP is not black or white, the quantity really does matter IMO.
[0L disclaimer]

[Anonymous User]

anon b/c i dont want to out myself as a former pro if employers ever read these boards. id prefer a mod delete this post rather than out me.

i played medium-high stakes live (up to 30/60 limit) and online poker for a couple of years. i currently attend HLS. i did not mention poker on my resume when i applied to school and did not when i applied for jobs. i have mentioned it in a job interview before law school

i know people who have gotten jobs based on their poker credentials, but none in law (the skills you gain from poker have a much more intuitive application to finance, investment, etc...honestly online poker is very very much like day trading, especially if you are serious about it)

WRT to legality: most of the posters have missed the boat on this one. there is no agreement as to whether poker constitutes gambling. there is no federal statute that criminalizes playing poker from the individuals' perspective. the unlawful internet gambling enforcement act of 2006 (UIGEA) proscribes US banks from processing certain types of transactions, but there are no criminal penalties for individuals playing poker. the UIGEA is also not consistently enforced, and the treasury department has been debating for years about to draft enforcement rules pursuant to the UIGEA (and has delayed the implementation of the bill at least once). most of the actions taken by the FBI/DOJ have targeted websites (ie full tilt poker) and payment processors, but AFAIK no one has been prosecuted by the feds for playing online poker. the argument that the "new law implies online gambling is currently illegal" argument is assumed by this one--even if it is illegal, it is not illegal for individuals per se.

there are some states where online poker is illegal, although i have never heard of someone being prosecuted under these laws either.

last note: lots of successful lawyers play poker. one of the regulars in my old 30/60 game is a litigation partner at munger tolles and olson. there are some phenomenal high stakes pros who have also gone to elite law schools (ariel schneller/foxwoodsfiend went to HLS, vanessa selbst/fsclexduck is at YLS, etc.)

[Generic20101L]

You're going to compare handling investments/cases/etc. to a game of poker?

Are you implying one is more honorable/difficult than the other?

... seriously? Seriously?

So, you think one is more honorable, difficult than the other?

[ResolutePear]

You're going to compare handling investments/cases/etc. to a game of poker?

Are you implying one is more honorable/difficult than the other?

... seriously? Seriously?

So, you think one is more honorable, difficult than the other?

I'll take the troll bait:

Yes, I am implying that working in finance/accounting and law is more honorable than saying your job is a game of chance and guile.

That's like trying to suggest that being a stripper is as honorable of a profession than being a judge or hedge fund manager.

If you're still telling yourself this just isn't the case.. seek professional help; Just keep in mind that fortune teller <> psychologist.

[20160810]

Poker is a blast, but is anyone here seriously putting it on par with a career in investment banking/finance?

[Sell Manilla]

Yes, I am implying that working in finance/accounting and law is more honorable than saying your job is a game of chance and guile.

That's like trying to suggest that being a stripper is as honorable of a profession than being a judge or hedge fund manager.

If you're still telling yourself this just isn't the case.. seek professional help; Just keep in mind that fortune teller <> psychologist.

I'm not suggesting that working in finance/hedge fund is in any way comparable, skill-wise, to being a poker player, 'cause I don't know much about them (that was the original comparison in OP).
But I do know there's an element of skill & an element of chance. Your job is to rock the skill portion & make money consistently amidst the waves of chance. You just out-ed yourself as being a massive fish at the poker table.

Of course, one can be used to build the economy while one is solely for entertainment, so that makes one arguably more honorable. But then again, one provides damn good entertainment...

[d34d9823]

Yes, I am implying that working in finance/accounting and law is more honorable than saying your job is a game of chance and guile.

That's like trying to suggest that being a stripper is as honorable of a profession than being a judge or hedge fund manager.

If you're still telling yourself this just isn't the case.. seek professional help; Just keep in mind that fortune teller <> psychologist.

I'm not suggesting that working in finance/hedge fund is in any way comparable, skill-wise, to being a poker player, 'cause I don't know much about them (that was the original comparison in OP).
But I do know there's an element of skill & an element of chance. Your job is to rock the skill portion & make money consistently amidst the waves of chance. You just out-ed yourself as being a massive fish at the poker table.

Of course, one can be used to build the economy while one is solely for entertainment, so that makes one arguably more honorable. But then again, one provides damn good entertainment...

Not to mention there's way more corruption and graft in investment banking and law....

[Anonymous User]

it was on my resume under my interests, got a 2L job that led to an offer.

and no, it's not illegal, for the reason the anon above said. some people are dense.

[Generic20101L]

They are both games. They both have winners and losers. You make decisions on incomplete information and then put your money behind those decisions. Both games can devastate the participants (and their families). Yet, one is honorable and legal everywhere, and one is looked down upon and illegal in many states. Sure is illogical, just below pot being illegal and beer being legal.

Just because you have been brought up to believe that poker is somehow less honorable than the stockmarket doesn't make it true.

[ResolutePear]

They are both games. They both have winners and losers. You make decisions on incomplete information and then put your money behind those decisions. Both games can devastate the participants (and their families). Yet, one is honorable and legal everywhere, and one is looked down upon and illegal in many states. Sure is illogical, just below pot being illegal and beer being legal.

Just because you have been brought up to believe that poker is somehow less honorable than the stockmarket doesn't make it true.

I totally forgot that poker is an option when diversifying your investment portfolio... No? Hehe . Try again.