Abstract
There have been a growing number of studies on various psychological aspects of online poker. Despite increasing research on various aspects of poker, there has been a relative lack of research on the professional online poker player. Given this paucity of research, the present study was designed to explore how online professional poker players think, feel, and act whilst they are on and off the virtual baize. An e-interview (with four male online professional poker players) was conducted and subsequently analysed using Thematic Analysis. The Thematic Analysis identified three superordinate themes, each with three subordinate themes. These were: Player Motivation (Money/Income; Fun To Play; Lack of Jobs), Enhanced Self-Esteem (Ego, Pride and Confidence; Education and Learning; Playing Ability), and Poker Gambling As A Skill (Bad Players Have Problems; I’m Not Addicted; Life Is A Gamble). Each of the online professional poker players believed poker to be predominantly a game of skill. Interestingly, a novel finding that has not been reported in the literature before was that all of the professional players believed that it was possible to be both profitable and addicted to poker simultaneously.
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