Tao of Poker

Freelance Pauly

This post is career related and with a moiety of poker content. Although I have supplemented my income over the last year playing poker, I would not declare myself a professional poker player like a lot of insecure people like to do repeatedly to anyone who will listen on the web. It's an identity issue. It's stems from low-self esteem and a rough patch of bad acne in high school.

When I first started writing a decade a go, I was reluctant to say, "I'm a writer." And if you ever lived in NYC, you quickly find out that is the first question people ask you.

"So, what do you do, Pauly?"

"Too many drugs, but my day job is sponging off of a young, malcontent, elevator button heiress."

One day everything clicked. I felt like a writer but had nothing to show for it. Thank God I finally finished my first novel while I was working at JP Morgan. I then had something to talk about. I wrote on the subway, on lunch breaks, on the shitter, and stayed up until 4am every night writing. I was clinging onto an identity that I desperately sought, even though I was working for one of the most prestigious brokerage houses on Wall Street. I wanted respect, but more importantly, I wanted to feel good about myself.

Deep down, I always wanted someone out there to pay me to write. For my last steady freelance gig, I was a speechwriter. I penned pro-veteran speeches for the American Legion, even though I was not a veteran, nor a member of the American Legion. Although I felt very patriotic, I wasn't thrilled with the work.

After my last Vegas trip, I was contacted by a few folks who were interested in publishing me on their websites. I was hesitant at first. I didn't want to be pegged as a "poker writer" when at heart, I was a novelist and screenwriter. My friend Haley came from a show business family. She told me that I started to generate some "buzz" and I needed to take whatever work came my way... because a few months from now, those opportunities might not be there. I took a few assignments and I am proud to say several of my pieces have been published.

Online Screen Names: Hidden Tells? is an article that was published on www.pokertv.com. Take a peek. Gary Carson and Ashley Adams are also feature writers for them.

In January, I signed a deal with Professional-Poker.com. They are a European website and I'm excited that I will be getting exposure on another continent. I'm under contract to write one player profile a week. So far he's published two; Johnny Chan and Annie Duke. He also accepted an article on SNG Strategy for Beginners. Here's my bio page where you can go back and see my archived articles and player profiles. I intend on writing two book reviews this month for those guys.

I am currently working on three pieces for publication on both sites. Thanks guys for putting your faith in me. Stay tuned for more updates on future freelance assignments. I already blew most of my paychecks on a flights to Vegas and Miami. At least I didn't lose it at the tables on Party Poker!