Poker Player: Bob Maxon's Dream Job

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- The lights, the glitz and the money –- it all makes for a great day at the office for a professional poker player.

Kenny Chanthamala is just that poker player.

Chanthamala, known simply as Kenny C in the poker ranks, clocks anywhere from 30 to 50 hours each week at Foxwoods casino playing poker.

"Actually, I like to play poker for a living because I'm being my own boss and I make decisions when I want to do it and when I don't want to do it," Chanthamala said

But make no mistake, Chanthamala only makes high-stakes decisions.

"A good day, I win $5,000 to $10,000. A bad day, I would lose $5,000, max," he told NBC 30's Bob Maxon.

Kenny's played poker since he was a kid growing up in Laos.

He said that when Foxwoods first opened he lost a lot of money. However, over the years he has practiced and exercised patience and it's paid off.

"You have to be able to learn a business strategy, money management. It's a very important part of poker," he said.

For Maxon, poker is fun, but it's not a career.

Chanthamala told Maxon one important rule for playing poker for a living.

"You have to understand the game perfectly before you sit down to play if you really want to play for a living," he said.