I always mention my poker job. I don't go into detail, but only say "I'll put it this way. I've supported myself entirely off of poker the past two years - my only source of income".

Never put poker on your resume...it's NOT considered a job.

So am I going to have to start asking for references the next time I make a final table?

Meko's the stripper reference is completely different cause most men who hire would be like "HELLS YES YOU CAN HAVE A JOB!"

reasons why you shouldn't list poker on a resume
1. religion. many people are religious. Regardless of your beliefs many christian's would not look favorably on something traditionally associated with gambling on a resume. There are a lot of people who go to church in the US.
2. Gambling. Employers don't want to hire people with addictions. Gambling is addiction (there are hot lines for it!). Last thing and employer wants to see is that you have an addiction, even if you don't
3. Money. Employers care about money. Despite the fact that it isn't true the last thing an employer wants to think about is you owing a large sum of money for a gambling debt which could affect your work or even force you into situations that aren't always legal

sure these are semi-extreme but many people hire by weeding out resume's by looking for things they don't like then interviewing the remaining contestants

I think if someone asks you can be honest (always good) but the sole purpose of a resume' is to get a job interview, don't like but don't put things on there that will force them to file your resume in the circular file.

also to whoever asked if holding a crappy job is worth it or not. Showing an employer that yes you can go to work on a day to day basis is always important. I think ANY job experience is good to have on a resume regardless of the skill sets involved. Just for the fact that your new employer can call your old one and have some crappy conversation like this.

new dude: yo, did the dork applying here do a good job?
Old dude: yep, he came to work every day, never was sick, never complained
new dude: word

Jarrens nailed it I think. If you got to the interview you'll either explain poker too much and look like a wierdo/addict/etc or over simplify it and pass it off as something anything can do.

I was once actually invited to apply for a job by a guy at a conference in part because I play poker. Hedge fund kind of thing, and the guy made a big deal about how they like hiring people who already have their head wrapped around the idea of taking solid calculated gambles while minimizing risk. This was in addition to my technical qualifications of course, but just saying not everyone is turned off by the idea.

But yeah, you have no idea what kind of guy will be reading your resume. Best keep it neutral, other than to proclaim your awesomeness.

if you're applying for something in investment banking, equities trading, or whatever....and you've made a LOT of money at poker....then its a good thing to mention it, and mention it prominently.

otherwise i would try to keep it out of the picture.

jon

What happens when someone spends 3 years playing poker online and then needs to put together a resume. What do you fill the large gap with if you don't want to mention poker. You can't have a 3 year blank on there or you won't even get to interview.