I have to admit, there’s a certain mix of guilt and pleasure to be had with playing poker at work. I’m not talking about playing on the clock, so put down that phone and stop calling my boss. What I’m talking about is playing poker at a poker company to learn more about the game, the online poker software it’s built on, and maybe even get a little prize money on the side.

The guilt comes in right away; you’re playing a game on your work PC, after all, so that’s going to be unavoidable. But once you start to see all your coworkers sign on and sit down at the virtual table with you, well, that guilt starts to melt away pretty quickly. And then, if you start winning and that heart starts to pound a little in your chest, well, say good-bye to any lingering doubt or guilt.

Taking it step further, I like to update all my social network profiles to brag that I’m literally getting paid to play poker at work. It’s an eye-grabbing taunt that lets you show off a bit to your friends, and it also acts as an icebreaker for starting online discussions. Who could resist smack talking you back after a comment like that, for all to see?