I’m in the Empire Business – Aren’t You?

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If you have good taste in television shows, you’re probably pretty well into Breaking Bad right now. Even if you don’t watch the show itself (in which case, stop reading this blog and go do it immediately), you probably find it pretty hard to browse the internet without coming across a Breaking Bad meme here, an article there, a picture of Bryan Cranston hugging Aaron Paul somewhere else. On the off chance that you’re one of the three people in the Western world who has no awareness of the show at all, its story follows Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and turns to a life of crime as a methamphetamine manufacturer in order to provide for his family before he dies.

What the above, basic description of the show doesn’t tell you, however, is that this seemingly ridiculous premise is the backdrop for one of the most expansive, enthralling and profound character stories of the 21^st century. With apologies for the mild spoilers ahead, the show’s arc sees Walter transform from a mild-mannered family man into a ruthless drug lord over the space of five seasons, as his survival instinct and quest for financial gain becomes a lust for power and control. In one memorable season five episode, his former student and current partner-in-crime (literally), Jesse Pinkman, asks him, “are we in the meth business, or the money business?” – the reply

“Neither. I’m in the empire business.”

A chilling statement, no doubt, but surely just the crazed admission of a criminal? Not to mention, entirely irrelevant to the game of poker. Is there anything we can really learn from this kind of mentality?
Perhaps more than you might think. I’ve seen some interesting parallels to this situation in the MTT game over the past couple of years. There are plenty of guys in the game who are in the poker business – they play the game because they love it, either recreationally or as professionals. They put time and effort into getting better, they watch EPT broadcasts and rail big online final tables, and they look forward to every time they get to play the game, but the money isn’t that important to them.

There are other guys who are definitively in the money business. Every decision for them is about the money. They might not necessarily enjoy poker as much as some other things, but they see it as a great way to make a ton of money without having to ‘get a real job’, so that they can eventually devote their time to other things without needing to worry about their income. Neither class of player is any better or worse than the other – there are world-class players and huge fish in both categories.

So where do I stand? Which side am I on? Well, the answer is both. I love the game of poker, and I’ll never stop playing it. I’m hugely grateful that I get to play the game for a living, and there are days when I wake up and all I can think about is poker. On the other hand, I don’t want to be exclusively a professional poker player all my life. I’m an artist at heart, and in the long term I want to move towards becoming a writer for film and television. I’m planning to take a course in TV writing later this year, and hoping to go to film school for screenwriting sometime in the next few years. Making the most money possible playing poker allows me to take more time off from the game when I need to, and focus on the other things I’m passionate about.

This is where the third option comes in. I don’t see life as a simple choice between being a part-time poker player and giving up some monetary EV in order to pursue other things that make me happy, and being a full-time poker player and sacrificing the other things I love in order to make more money. I don’t see a reason to quit taking poker seriously at any point, but I also don’t see a reason to grind myself into the ground if it’s not making me happy in that moment.

My goal with poker is to create a well-rounded and fulfilling life for myself that contributes greatly to the world as a whole. Anything that doesn’t contribute to any aspect of this goal, I am willing to sacrifice. I want to make enough money to do the things I want to do and spend time indulging my creative side, but I also want to become the best poker player I can possibly be. I want to give back to the poker community by helping people improve their game as a TPE coach, and I want to dedicate myself to making a name as a screenwriter and filmmaker. I want to eventually start a not-for-profit organisation that will help creative young people find their artistic voice, and I want to crush the online games for Bigdog-numbers or make Supernova Elite. I want to make multiple WSOP final tables and direct a Star Wars movie. I want to be a great husband and father one day. I want everything.

So the question remains – what do you want from poker, and from life? Poker is an amazing way to open doors for yourself if you’re willing to put in the time and energy to do it, and having a perspective on where you’re going will make you a better poker player. Countless players have gone on to start businesses, give back to the community, produce their own creative projects (such as the recent online poker documentary, Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker), and many have continued crushing the games in the process. Life as a poker player isn’t a choice between ‘poker’ and ‘not poker’, or between ‘money’ and ‘being a benefit to society’. It’s a choice between ‘crushing poker’ and ‘crushing life’.

I don’t see any reason for anyone to settle for only having some of the things they want in life. I’m in the Empire Business – how about you?