I've been playing on and off for a about a year now... of course I've suffered some losses as well but overall I think I have a net gain of about $2000 in the year.. You really need to know how to play and you need to find the right places to play.. your friend probaly had bad experiences because he didn't know how to play and had all of his money taken from him... gotta know when to stop

well im not sure about the drum vs poker comparison but the rush of going all in and winning money is awesome