General Discussion Poker Forums

I have been playing for 2 years, i started at FR then I switched over to 6-max.

At FR i never tilted, but that game bored the shit out of me and I decided to jump over to 6-max.
I had to get used to the variance, and it seemed to me it was an entirely different game.

I had coaching, also had a free coaching lesson with Phoenix and because of that I know I can be a very decent player, ofcourse I have flawns but they are not that god awful terrible

But I can play absolutely terrible, C-game would not even be the name of it. I have quited the game several times now, because at times i feel like poker is very bad for my mental health, i can't stand losing and losing for days in a row always gets to me at some point.

Well here is the thing.
Poker always yells me back, there is always something inside of me that wants to pick it up again. I hear myself saying the same things over and over: this time is going to be different, I am going to play really solid, just one hour a day, just for fun..etc etc

But it always ends up with me playing to much and getting to involved with poker.
Want to become good at poker? You need to put in the time.

Work hard and you will get there. Well, get where? Thats obviously a question that can't be answered because the sky seems unlimited to most that play poker, to me the limit seems to be 50nl and then I drop back into this pattern of quiting and starting over at 10nl. Not because I went busto, just because I had enough of the game and decided to quit.

I am just not sure what I want to do with poker. If it was something like playing pool, then playing poker just for fun would be a cool option. But with poker you lose money by having to much fun + I learned a thing or 2, which makes it pretty hard to just become the fish again I once was.

If i want to become good at poker I really need to work a lot, probably get a coach, watch vids again and play a lot.

I am not sure if thats a good option since I am heading for an very important year at my education and I also love doing other stuf like sports

Has anybody of you people have been in this situation? Do you guys think I should pick up poker again? Or am I just one of those people that has to say "poker is just not for me"?

Is it an addiction that is luring me back in the game or is it that I, maybe, really, actually love it?

sorry for the long post, but I just can't analyze this correctly myself anymore

Sounds like you need to change the object of the game for a while. Instead of looking towards the "big time" you need to overcome the mental block that stops you from ever getting there.

So take a Tommy Angelo concept to heart, from now on the object of the game is not to tilt. Your goal is not to play midstakes+, your goal is now to take a 2 outer for stacks and not even flinch, not even sigh, not even roll your eyes, not even tighten your lips... and all this must come naturally without you even having to try.

Aim for this and enjoy the feeling that comes with it.



As for where poker fits into your life, sure poker has the potential to give a lot, especially $. But educate yourself first, do something with your life, get and keep fit. Remember that even at the lower levels poker is a pretty sick ROI for a hobby, I mean I bet even the most basic of micro player could make a couple $k in a year playing a few hours a week. When I started poker I told myself that my goal was to make enough money to pay for a nice holiday, I imagined sitting on the beach paid for by randoms with more money than sense. Because of this I never really had emotional attachment (at least not severe tilt) and I was free to develop my game, now the randoms pay for my house (literally).

But if all else fails and it's just causing you hassle, then just find something else that you do enjoy. I know a lot of smart people who just don't have the patience to even begin to play poker, and although the $ is pretty good there's a million ways to make your money.

Is it an addiction that is luring me back in the game?

Poker always yells me back, there is always something inside of me that wants to pick it up again. I hear myself saying the same things over and over: this time is going to be different, I am going to play really solid, just one hour a day, just for fun..etc etc

But it always ends up with me playing to much and getting to involved with poker.

imo you answered your own question. If there are really more important things in life like your education and other things that you want to do that are more fun, but you feel the need to play nonetheless, I would say that's what's called compulsive behaviour.

It sounds to me like you haven't "succeeded" at a game you've spent a lot of effort learning, at least not in your eyes, and this is what draws you back. I kind of doubt you love it, tbh. It sounds more like the frustration of having an itch you can't scratch. Ultimately, though, you'll be able to answer this question a lot better than anybody here, though it may take some time. If you do continue playing, SoundedSimple's post is awesome.

It sounds to me like you haven't "succeeded" at a game you've spent a lot of effort learning, at least not in your eyes, and this is what draws you back.

Hm, yeah, this is it, true. You hit the nail on the head.

OMG Sounded Simple made a cool point that I never thought of... there's a wonderful grey area between a "non-earning" poker player, and a pro... and that's the people who can have a hobby that pays for them to have a mad holiday, or an awesome christmas or whatever, for a couple of hours play a week.

If you do have the passion for the game which is the case, you will always come back to it Being passionate for things in life is a gift so enjoy it