Then I am out of the loop, since I am neither NYC nor American based.
The other two have already commented on it, but I want to add a thing or two.
Scooot described people who are luckily successful and believe to be better than they are and inevitably fail, and nothing to show for, and in the end getting out way too late.
While I was successful at poker, I never really hit huge success and only made enough money to support myself through college. It was good money and I was always happy to play poker, but in the end I quit, because I was (and still am) attending a competitive school and pursuing a difficult undergrad and being successful at poker are difficult to combine.
I decided to quit poker and focus more on school, because in the long run, I would be better off.
I've never regretted playing poker once in my life. I earned good money even when I was a high school student and the skills and traits learned at poker are transitioning very well into the real world (based on reports from others).
I would say that I am more stress resistant than some people with on the job experience.
