it is a rare person that can consistantly win at gamlbing and I think it is even more rare to make a log term living doing it. A few stupid mistakes can undo a lot of grinding.

How do you know that Prahlad isn't playing anymore?

There are 2 types of serious online players. The burned out ones and the ones that will be burned out.

Online poker is a serious serious grind. Those of you that dont agree with that statement, will at some point (or you dont play all that much). Now, most jobs are grinds. You do the same thing every day for long enough and no matter what it is, it becomes boring. Believe it or not, even riding around in a patrol car becomes boring. After a while, even when the little beep on the radio goes off indicating a "hot" call is about to be dispatched, your heart rate never changes. You listen to see if an officer is in trouble and if not....its just another person getting shot or stabbed. Its not the first or the last of the night and its routine and boring. You still do your job, but you dont get a thrill out of it anymore.

Poker is the same way. After a while, even though the money is good, the thrill is gone. When the thrill is gone and you no longer need the money....alot of people burn out and just dont want to do it anymore.

Some of the top players you mentioned have more than enough money to never work again and be quite comfortable.

I, on the other hand, am no where near a top player (although I may well be inducted into the low / mid stakes grinders hall of fame if there was one), but I also dont need the money and have become dissillusioned with online poker.

I have 7 more years and then I will never work another day of my life. Between my pension and other investments (which includes most of the money I made playing poker), I will be able to draw an income about 3 times what I spend monthly right now.

Alot of these high stakes players have invested in real estate, the stock market, private businesses....ect. They can retire from poker right now and still never have to work again. If you had a job you were bored with / burned out from, and had more than enough money, would you keep working?