help, thinking of throwing in the towel

[hot tub man # 1]

OK so I think I might have gotten to that point where I am ready to turn away from poker. And it's funny because two days ago I was pretty sure I was ready to play full time for a living.

I just got back from Vegas, and had a good trip. I found the mid limit games out there to be much easier than I expected, not too differnt from those I have played in at Foxwoods, AC, etc. I won two thousand for the trip, and was up 6 for the month half way through. Great.

Next week at Turning Stone Im winning another two grand. Im as confident as ever. Im up 18,000 since last December and Im only playing 25 hours a week. Im still in college, kind of, thats not going so well. Anyway Im starting to be sure that this is for me.

Last night Im playing in our 5-10 NLHE game. They used to spread it at Turning Stone but the game dried up quickly. I killed it last year and was eager to play again. In the first 12 hours Im up 2200. I made an ace high flush on turn and got called by a 6 high flush for 1300. There was already a thousad in the pot. Then I start getting beat up. The two fish in the game keep making monsters against me and Im not givig them any credit. I play through the night, 24 hours total. I lose back the 2200, plus another 2500. I never do this, I can leave when I start going bad. I was upset about some other things, and I think this effected my judgment.

Anyhow I get back to my car and feel sick. I love poker, but I dont ever want to have this feeling again. I think about all the good players that I play with. Few of them have money and a lot of them have lost control over the other aspects of thier lives. I dont want this to be me. Was this just a bad session or a sign for me to get away from poker and get my life in order? Im not sure. Maybe I'm just venting, but I wouldnt mind hearing from others who may have been in the same spot I am in now. Thanks.

[ReRaise]

youll get swings like that playing no limit... dont over extend yourself and you wont get that feeling

[bernie]

take some time off and rethink it with a clearer mind. im not sure youre really in the right mindset for a decision. you just got hammered. everyone has those feelings at one point. great game isnt it?

recover, then assess and decide.

b

[ResidentParanoid]

Im still in college, kind of, thats not going so well. Anyway Im starting to be sure that this is for me.

Playing poker at the expense of your college work or career is dumb. If you want to play poker 24 hours at a time, do it, and save your tuition money for when you are focusing on college.

Anyhow I get back to my car and feel sick. I love poker, but I dont ever want to have this feeling again. I think about all the good players that I play with. Few of them have money and a lot of them have lost control over the other aspects of thier lives. I dont want this to be me.

You will have this feeling from time to time when the cards are not with you. If you have a regular job with a nice income that you got with your college degree and a well balanced life, you'll get over it. If you were using the rent money because you dropped out and are unemployed, you won't get over it. You'll have too much pressure to play in games that are over your head.

I don't know *any* poker players that play full time that have a life that I would want. I know *many* people with a college education, a good job, play poker as a hobby and have a life I would enjoy. You can figure out the exact odds and decide which card to play.

[Inthacup]

I doubt you'll leave because of one bad night at a NL table. Maybe you should quit NL. You don't seem to have the right mindset to handle the game. There's nothing wrong with that, but I'm not sure you're asking yourself the right question.

I think about all the good players that I play with. Few of them have money and a lot of them have lost control over the other aspects of thier lives.

If you can't play poker without it consuming more important aspects of your life, then leaving poker will be the best decision you ever make. If you manage to balance it in a healthy manner, then by all means play. One thing I've learned is that poker sucks as a full time job, but is GREAT for something to do outside the 9-5.

[Robk]

Don't let one bad session end your career! You will have them- the short term luck of the game means it's inevitable. You just have to be ready for it by mentally preparing ahead of time. I try to come to terms a huge loss before it happens, rather than struggling to do it afterwards. When I first started playing I had this sense of entitlement- that being a good player meant I was entitled to win every pot, to book a win every session. Now it's always in the back of my head when I sit down that I could drop 75 BB this session and there will be nothing I can do about it. And I always take extra care to examine the important hands after losers and see if I made mistakes. There's a pretty good chance I'll be at the stone this weekend- send me a PM if you want to meet! Good luck!

[SoBeDude]

Poker is a manic-depressive event.

When things are going well you're elated, on a high. You feel great, invincible.

When when things suddenly go bad, the bottom drops out emotionally and you feel horrible.

This is the true nature of poker I think.

I also think this is the very thing that makes gambling addictive. The high is fantastic, but the downer is so low all you can think about is getting that high back.

The key is this: As you play longer and gain more experience, you'll gain the ability to hand the inevitable downswings with less of an emotional impact.

Hopefull you (and I) can get to the point where you can get up from a losing session, honestly evaluate your play, decide you played your "A" game and still lost. Go home, not dwell on it and get a great nights sleep, eager for tomorrow.

I know this has taken me a while but I have made solid inroads to handling losing sessions without it REALLY bothering me. It has become much easier as my game as improved, my bankroll has climbed, and I've had to "cope" with several losing sessions.

If you want to play seriously, you need to learn to handle this. It comes with practice. But if a losing session is going to have serious negative impacts on the rest of your life, quit poker. Life's too short.

-Scott

[lefty rosen]

You said it right there, you went on tilt, eventhough you probably didn't change your hand selection. But playing 24 hours straight is not a winning formula for any player even an expert. You probably didnt fold obvious losers, etc. If you are going to play like this often at losing sessions going full time pro is probably not for you. As for "pros" that you know being broke or near broke many gamblers tend to win at poker and dump at other facets of gambling. Stu Unger was the greatest poker player ever??(who knows speculation and bias) The man couldn't pass up a bet on the horses if his life depended on it. Never had money because of this weakness. A pro gambler never gambles on any other facet of gambling that he's not an expert at.... If you can do this you can make it, if you can't don't bother beyond making a few thousand year.

[KMD]

wow, get your degree and play for fun.

[Hotchile]

Never make a post like this the day after a big loss.

A) You are still emotionally attached to the loss and are unable to objectively look at your play during the loss. Give it a couple of days to get perspective.

B) Posting within the first couple of days will only serve to create even greater doubt in you own abilities. This time, in your ability to deal with a setback. Doing what you did doesn't sound like a habit. You need to deal with what happened. We can't help with that and if you let us try, you run the risk of it becoming a habit.

Give yourself some credit and also a break. It sounds like you have performed very well and with discipline for a long time. This is a setback. Take a day, get some perspective, and THEN start thinking about how you built up the bankroll in the first place.

HC