I know quite a few online professional poker players. They have won & lost several million combined. Many were 'born' out of a home game we had at Michigan St

I know quite a few online professional poker players. They have won & lost several million combined. Many were 'born' out of a home game we had at Michigan State in the early 2000's. To the average person the swings are insane; for anyone playing high limits online (multiple tables to boot) it is generally expected. Those who cannot afford the swings, or are emotionally effected by them, are generally not winning pros for long. In some respects, those who do really well (millions won & lost) are akin to athletes or celebrities. They work strange schedules -- for poker you can work whenever -- and have much more money than they could have ever imagined. You can afford to do almost anything, go out 7 nights a week and travel the world. Money is easy come, easy go. It's rather fascinating. It is a tough lifestyle to maintain a balance when you can lose thousands upon thousands and be playing well. I recall a friend telling me with a dead straight face he lost over 100k the past 2 days and had played some of his best poker... In the end of the day, I would have to imagine it would be a lot tougher on the spouses. Although, in many respects, we as founders are taking similar risks (uncertainty).