Poker Impedes on Hopes and Dreams? (low content)

[KramerTM]

If you're expecting this to be a bashing of the time consuming nature of poker, I'm sorry (or happy, actually) to say it's not. It's merely an observation of how poker has affected my own life recently, and how I expect it to continue affecting it for years to come.

I'm sure many of you are in this same boat -- especially players out there under the age of, say, 28 (arbitrary age, but you'll see my point). The fact is, I have the inability to sit in front of a computer and do anything else besides either play or read about poker. This is a big matzah ball for me, considering my lifelong dream is to become a screenwriter. Not much of chance this dream will be realized if I am have the constant urge to 4-table the 55s the second I sit down in front of a computer.

Now, there is one saving grace about my predicament. I do have the potential to use my screenwriting passion as an outlet for my poker crave. However, I'll admit, that I have not really taken advantage of this (though I do have a good 2 or 3 plots that revolve around poker in one way or another, none of which could be considered very Rounders-esque).

Do any of you fellow 2+2ers share this plight? Do you see poker as something that may ultimately consume your life and lead to accept some predestined life path that allows poker to fit in as well?

I have no intention of leaving the game, and honestly, cannot see myself doing it for a long time. I have far too much learn and yet I feel like I've come so far. Poker has really become central to my everyday life and thinking -- really the way movies used to be.

Perhaps this is just a change to embrace. Perhaps it's just a phase. Perhaps I'd be a god-awful screenwriter anyway, and at least I'm making money playing poker before I realize that.

Regardless, I'd like to hear if anyone has similar thoughts on their poker dispositions.

[Unarmed]

I just took a year off from my job to travel around the world playing online poker to support myself. I leave for Hawaii in September. So yes. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[PiNPOiNT3K]

Poker has deffinatly become the "topic" of choice for me the past year. However as with everything i eventually pick up, it ends just as quickly. I like to learn basically. And once i've grasped the basic understanding of a new activity, or sport, or interest, i usually get bored and either never finish. Poker however has been going on for well over 6 months for me, so its something that is more intriguing to me then most things, although some days is worse then others, and sometimes i just need a break from it. I would hope that it never totally consumes me, because there's so much more to life out there. As soon as i notice it taking precedent to things like my family and my job, im going to take a break from it for a long time. And re establish what's important to me at this point in my life. I can completely understand how people get hooked on it (gambling in general) but poker involves so much more skill then something like roulette, so it feels like your actually doing something and have actual influence on the outcome of situations. The mental side of it is very interesting also. Either way, if it starts ruining, or taking away from things that are important to me, then i'd start to question how much its affecting my life.

[benfranklin]

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though I do have a good 2 or 3 plots that revolve around poker in one way or another

[/ QUOTE ]

Give it up. Nothing could ever top "Tilt" /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Irieguy]

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I just took a year off from my job to travel around the world playing online poker to support myself. I leave for Hawaii in September. So yes. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the coolest thing ever.

Irieguy

[KramerTM]

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[ QUOTE ]
though I do have a good 2 or 3 plots that revolve around poker in one way or another

[/ QUOTE ]

Give it up. Nothing could ever top "Tilt" /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's true. The day that show premiered was TRULY when my hopes and dreams were crushed. Oh well, back to writing movies about people playing Parchesi. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[yabastid]

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I just took a year off from my job to travel around the world playing online poker to support myself. I leave for Hawaii in September. So yes. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that's GANGSTA!

[SuitedSixes]

I find that I can't play any other computer games. I view every hour I spend playing Tiger Woods 2005 or NBA Live as wasted revenue.

[lacky]

and he planned it for after the sttf-hu, has his priorities straight. I miss being young when i read something like that.

Steve

[wuwei]

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I just took a year off from my job to travel around the world playing online poker to support myself. I leave for Hawaii in September. So yes. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

For today, you sir are my hero /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[KramerTM]

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I find that I can't play any other computer games. I view every hour I spend playing Tiger Woods 2005 or NBA Live as wasted revenue.

[/ QUOTE ]

How does one purchase a bootleg of your avatar? I find I can't stop staring.

[SuitedSixes]

Right click, save as.

Put it in your Party Poker Images folder as celebration.gif and you'll be (even more) happy every time you drag a pot

[KramerTM]

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Right click, save as.

Put it in your Party Poker Images folder as celebration.gif and you'll be (even more) happy every time you drag a pot

[/ QUOTE ]

LoL. Made my day.

[psyduck]

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I find that I can't play any other computer games. I view every hour I spend playing Tiger Woods 2005 or NBA Live as wasted revenue.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is just so true. I view playing StarCraft or watching TV or surfing forums (not these) as time I could have spent increasing my bankroll.

I've somewhat overcome this by setting a minimum of 50 SNGs per day, after which I feel satisfied.

[bluewilde]

Between the Blue's Clues avatar, the incredibly cute picture of your daughter as a ballerina/rodeo clown, and Shakira's...how should I say..."frenetic" ass, I have a conflicted impression of you, sir. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[USGrant]

There's no stopping it. Visualize your screenwriting dreams as a field of ripening wheat and your poker playing a swarm of locusts.

[skipperbob]

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There's no stopping it. Visualize your screenwriting dreams as a field of ripening wheat and your poker playing a swarm of locusts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was trying to think of something "cutsy-wutsy" to say to OP, while at the same time trying to convey the sense of sorrow that I feel for his predicament (as I feel for all the youngsters that are going to pissaway their lives in the pursuit of this fruitless dream)....But your post is "Spot-On"

[ebaudry]

I wonder about that too. I'm 27, just left the corporate world and will do anything necessary to never go back. At the moment, that means seeing how good I can get my poker game so I will know if I can pay my rent with it or not.

But even as I hone my poker skills and develop as a player, I am quite concerned about that as well. I don't perceive myself as addicted to poker, but it certainly isn't always easy to tell. I enjoy poker a lot, it occupies a lot of my mental energy, and it certainly is my "topic of choice" which makes conversation in certain circles difficult since I'm kinda off in my poker scenario "holo-deck".

Then there is the social stigma attached to gambling, and how very few, non-poker players (or math majors) understand that given a sufficient sample size (which most of us regulars will get to someday) we aren't really gambling. Of course there is risk, but given proper bankroll management, discipline, and personal integrity I think the risks are very low compared to stocks, housing, stamps, or whatever other investment people choose to make. In this case part of the investment is in ourselves to improve our analytical abilities (with is very useful in the rest of world, either with poker or after moving on from poker), and to engage in an activity that we find fun and enriching. Since we seem to be more or less the "same kind of monkey" as I like to say, I presume you, like me, are constantly gaining new insights on life via poker situations and metaphors. Folding AA on JsTs9s when you get lots of flop action comes to mind as a metaphor for going gung-ho with a great idea, but recognizing when environmental factors have changed and your original path needs adjustment.

I think the absolute, #1, most important concept to maintain here is balance. These days I am trying to play about 20STT (can only 2-table so far /images/graemlins/wink.gif ) a day which lets me spend a lot of time doing something I enjoy, but also leaves time to get a little exercise (which I really have to force myself to do), eat a healthy meal (chowing fastfood in front of poker should be looked at closely, multitasking digestion is a path towards poor health in the future), read a book about philosophy, hang out with friends, or whatever.

When I find myself not playing my A game because I am bored or restless, I finish up whatever games I am in and quit for the day. Poker is simply over for the moment. That tends to be when I play other video games, call up a friend, go for a walk, whatever.

Further along the balance line, I try to only discuss poker with my friends who really like it. Most of my friends are curious but tentative since I speak about the game in such a different level than they really understand. For those friends, I only bring up the occasional highlite, like making $1,000 on a given day, or how I just spent 15 hours straight bonus-whoring. Other than that I only respond to questions about poker and try not to let it affect other areas/relationships in my life.

I used to play poker and watch a movie, or surf 2+2, or read a book, but I have come to realize that not only does that significantly affect the quality of my play (I can still bring my B game which isn't terrible, but my reads on other players, and my ability to go with the flow of the game are drastically reduced), but it also exemplifies those times when I fell that my relationship towards poker isn't healthy. So anytime I get tempted to start multitasking anything other than just a few tables, I time-out for a second to ask myself if I would rather just play poker, or just surf 2+2, or whatever.

Speaking to your "poker or screenwriting" comment, I would remind you to remember that you are not one single self. You are the sum of many drives, instincts, desires, and conflicts. There's nothing wrong with poker being on the forefront for a while, so long as it doesn't block the flow of other things that could come into your life. I used to love chess and play tournaments all the time. If at some point I hadn't realized that I was ready to move on and leave the game, I would never have found poker. There's never any way to know if you have found your calling, but you can always be sure that life is all about change. I would say try to maintain a healthy curiousity towards other events/interests in your life. Maybe go a little out of your way to try something that has tickled your interest in the past, but you just never un-lazied enough to check it out.

Anyway, through everything I said above, I have at the core been thinking Balance. Toss in a little Flow and it would seem you can't go wrong.

Hope this is at all useful.

In the mean time check out my new favorite way of looking at poker, its old-hat to some, but new to me:

1. Patience
2. Discipline
3. Confidence
4. Aggression
5. Imagination

I heard someone say something like all 5 must be balanced in a winning-players game. Some points are more important at certain phases in the game, others are important at all times. For me this has been a very spiritual way to look at poker, and has certainly affected my non-poker life.

If you want to talk more about addiction, feel free to get in touch if you think I could be of any assistance. Help is around. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Eric
ericbaudry@yahoo.com

Im still young so it hasnt impeded with any huge life goals. But i did used to play a computer game Warcraft 3 semi-professionally, and have been taking a short break to play poker online. I would usually devote about 2-3 hrs a day to W3, time that it now shares with online poker. My skills have certainly gone downhill, and the World Cyber Games(a Global gaming tournament) tournament that im i was invited to in NY i will have to practice for hours on end to do well.
Every1 wish me luck /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[tigerite]

Heh, I just played against you in two games.. thought I recognised the name.

[microbet]

I was going to reply that you are young, but thanks to the bumped age/occupation post I see you are not.

- Younger than you

Microbet (37)

[SlackerMcFly]

[ QUOTE ]
In the mean time check out my new favorite way of looking at poker, its old-hat to some, but new to me:

1. Patience
2. Discipline
3. Confidence
4. Aggression
5. Imagination

I heard someone say something like all 5 must be balanced in a winning-players game. Some points are more important at certain phases in the game, others are important at all times. For me this has been a very spiritual way to look at poker, and has certainly affected my non-poker life.


[/ QUOTE ]
And y'all thought I was just some semi-funny donk..... Thanks ebaudry!

BTW Kramer.... I think Raptor stars in This Episode (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=2450665&page=8&view=c ollapsed&sb=7&o=31&fpart=1)

You punch it up some, we make the movie and parlay the profits into WSOP bracelets? What do you say?

Slacker

[Sabrazack]

Hey, what was your Wc3 nickname, i played that game alot /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Edit: Guess i could just send a pm, however i didnt think about that before i pressed post.

[hotsauce615]

You should write a movie about a screenwriter who becomes obsessed with poker and it consumes his life until vin diesel comes to become his new nanny so he can go play in the WSOP to settle all his urges.

[DesertCat]

Exact same problem. My solution was to quit poker, which only worked for a few months. A better solution is to find a place to write that doesn't have internet access to distract you.

My father in law lets me use his house. I leave first thing in the morning, spend four to five hours there, and try to write ten pages. Then when I come home, I don't feel guilty playing poker.