With the economic downturn of the past few months in full effect, big business is collapsing in upon itself and depending upon government bailouts just to keep on keepin’ on. Even the bankers are having to cut back. While this is obviously a concern for those that are tenuously employed, its an even bigger issue for those of us who are unemployed. Although I like my free time, I don’t relish worrying about where rent is going to come from and the government has long ago cut me loose from any kind of assistance. Fortunately I’ve had poker to keep my house warm.

Stunningly, being able to pay the rent from poker hasn’t always been that reassuring. For one, I’m not exactly a grinder. Playing 25 hours in a week is tons for me, and my girlfriend loves to make sure my hours are limited during peak times (read: weekends). Also, while I think my skills are fine, I’ve had epic downturns and run really bad and tilted like a mofo before. My bankroll isn’t huge to begin with, and when you get it in your head to take a shot at 5-10 NLHE when you normally play .5-1 or 1-2, you’re not leaving a very nice variance cushion. A small run of bad luck can send you scrambling back down to the micro-micro-stakes. Finally, I worry that with family, friends and even enemies losing their jobs, the recreational gambler may just pack up and save money for other things, like, y’know, food.

All this is simply a prelude to my session on Stars this afternoon (a distracted, slightly losing affair) where I noticed that one hundred-and-ninety-seven thousand people and change had fired up PokerStars on a Wednesday afternoon for some action. ALmost 200K on a Wednesday afternoon. Wow. Those aren’t poker pros. Those aren’t grinders (well, obviously some of them are). The poker economy is alive and well!

So I guess concerns about the poker economy are premature. I guess the European poker community is around and online at 3 pm EST. I suppose people will always gamble, even when they’re hurting for money; probably ESPECIALLY when they’re hurting for money. And, of course, on the weekend we can always count on drunk people. Ahhh, beer! Helping the poker economy since cards were invented.