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Why Retired Poker Pros Return to Poker

Recently, the poker world learned that Vanessa Selbst has returned as an active player. She is also now a coach over at LearnWPT. She becomes the latest in a long line of poker pros who have left the game and returned after a short period.

Over the years, we’ve seen all types of players leave the game and come back in a few months. There are various reasons these pros opt to come out of retirements, and today we give you the most common reasons these players can’t stay away.

They Miss Poker

A common reason that you hear poker pros give for coming back to poker is that they “miss the competition” or some answer that communicates that they miss poker. For many, this is understandable. If you have been playing poker for years or even decades, it can be hard to leave the game and stay gone.

Some people truly need to scratch their competitive itch and come back to the game. Others find that poker has become such a part of their life that they cannot exist without playing poker, at least part-time. Often, once they come back part-time, they end up playing full-time once more.

Poker Offers a Better Schedule

One reason that Selbst gave for returning is that poker offers a better schedule for her and her new family. For some players, this is the case. Jason Mercier is a prime example of a pro that took time off to raise a family but still shows up every so often to take down a tournament. Granted, Mercier is the exception rather than the rule. Few players outside of him and Phil Ivey can leave for months or years, come back, and win at will.

With poker, you can effectively set your own schedule. This is perfect for new parents or anyone that has difficulty sticking to what is considered a “standard” work or life schedule.

Poker is Their Fallback Plan

You may not know this, but James Akenhead left poker for a while and was part owner of a restaurant. Unfortunately, the business failed and then he came back to poker. This is a common theme as some players leave poker to pursue other interests. Many times, these other interests don’t pan out and they decide to come back to poker.

James Akenhead left poker to open his own business, but had to come back when it failed.

Poker allows some successful players to chase their dreams. For some players like Phil Gordon, their other dreams work out and we never see them again. Other times, we see players return six months to a couple of years later with a great story. If that sounds like the cliche we use for amateur poker players, you’re right.

They Don’t Have Other Real-World Skills

There are a number of poker pros who have done nothing in their lives other than play poker. This was a common thread during the Poker Boom. A random pro makes millions and decides that it is time to do something else, only to find out they don’t really have the skills to do anything but play poker.

Rather than pick up additional skills, many players opt to return to poker and stick with what they know. Smart players are always trying to improve themselves so that they have a fallback plan that doesn’t include poker. Others will likely be stuck in poker until they are forced to quit.

They Are Paid to Come Back

There are also some instances where poker pros are offered opportunities that force them back into poker. Often, they receive sponsorship deals that are a bit too lucrative to pass on. Sometimes they become involved on the business side of poker, and a return to the felt makes sense.

Commonly, you’ll see a player that has left the game decide to come back as a poker coach, similar to what Selbst has done. They have some non-variance income to help supplement their poker income. It ends up being the best of both worlds and can help sway a player back to the tables. Some of these pros may opt to play a reduced schedule than what they’ve played in the past or may play almost exclusively online. Regardless, they have a bit of a buffer for their bankroll that helps keep them in the game.

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