Hours and Hours of Fun, Oh Joyous Poker (long)

[brassnuts]

So, here's the deal. Several months ago, I moved in with my parents after attending college for 4 years - returning without a degree, go me! I hope to finish school at UNR next year. However, in the mean time, I haven't found any job offers that I could see myself doing with any dignity and basically have spent a large amount of time wasting my life away. Well, for the first time since high school sports, I've got myself in shape and lost about 30 pounds, but that's really the extent of my productivity since I moved back in.

That is until 3 weeks. In, that time, I've began playing poker seriously, the last 22 days to be exact, since I won about $700 in a small tourney, enough to start a bankroll. Who wants another run-on sentance? Anyways, I don't consider myself a professional by any means. Not sure who read that post about "The Life of a Professional Poker Player," but that was a joke. However, I do, right now, play poker for money. I realize it's only 3/6, but that's all that my bankroll can support.

Enough digression. Actually, I haven't even hit on my topic, yet. Sorry for wasting your time.

So, here is the deal. I only play in B&M as of yet. And, I'm begining to feel the onset of poker sickness. In the last 22 days, I have played 17 of them (got nothing better to do). I eclipsed the 100 hour mark this evening. I'm winning, I've only had 3 losing sessions out of 17 so far, and I am up $1500, strictly from limit, not including what I've won in tournaments. The first 8 sessions or so, I noticed drastic improvements in my game each and every day, and that was enough to keep me very interested. I still feel I'm improving a little each time, but not as much. The act of playing is quickly becoming very routine. My question is to those of you who play this much poker or more. How do you cope with the hours upon hours of sitting at a table, looking at hole card after hole card after hole card, and throwing away most of them before you even see the flop? I find myself sometimes snapping out of a daze, after not playing a hand past the turn for the last 2 hours. I also notice that my attitude is horrible. I don't mean that I go talk smack to anybody. Nothing like that. Neither am I on tilt or anything, I'm just in a bad mood during these times when nothing is going right. Do you find taking a break every couple hours helps? Sometimes, the game is so good, I don't want to miss the hand that I've been waiting upon for so long, so I play longer. When I'm on a little rush, I'm of course brightened up a little bit. But, the occassional pot isn't really enough to make me excited. I feel like, "OK, so this makes up for the lost blinds the last umpteen orbits." When I finally get up and head out, I feel pleased at the amount of +EV decisions I've made and satisfied that I'm leaving with some money to show for the days 'work.' However, the hours of playing are really starting to get to me. At times, it seems almost worse that some of the jobs I've had in the past. So, anyone have any comments on this sort of thing?

[UNLVRobbins]

Breaks are one of the most important aspects of my play, you need them, hours upon hours of poker with no blood circulation can turn yourself into a tired, grumpy player. I find it best to take a dinner break for 20 minutes, or even a 5 minute walk break will re-energize my body for more pre-flop gazing. 100 hrs in 17 days is a big turn-around if your not used to it, but the profits seem to be in your favor. Try taking more breaks than usual, maybe after you win a big hand...take a 5 minute break no matter what the situation...loosen up, and sit back down.

[joker122]

[ QUOTE ]
The act of playing is quickly becoming very routine. My question is to those of you who play this much poker or more. How do you cope with the hours upon hours of sitting at a table, looking at hole card after hole card after hole card, and throwing away most of them before you even see the flop?

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you considered online play?

[brassnuts]

[ QUOTE ]
Have you considered online play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I have, and am going to give it a shot fairly soon. However, I love being able to see someone just about jump out of their chair when they've got the nuts.

[Michael Davis]

Thank God for MP3 players. I know I look like a wannabe pro jackass at the table, which really isn't that bad of an image to have for a few reasons, but it helps pass the time.

Worth the slight hit in hourly rate you undoubtedly take by listening to music.

-Michael

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Given your lack of knowledge and experience, 1 bb/hour is without a doubt MORE than you can reasonably expect to make over the long term. You're playing 3-6. HOW medial and not worth your time ARE those jobs you mentioned?

al

[Al_Capone_Junior]

If you like the information you get playing live this much, online may NOT be the thing for you. I personally HATE online for this exact reason (amongst others), you can't see your opponents.

al

[LetsRock]

Welcome to full-time poker. Now you know why they call limit poker a "grind". If after only 22 days of this you are already finding that you don't like the somewhat boring process of playing "correctly", I'd suggest you find something else to do with your time. Treat poker as an occasional something to do - don't try to make it a full time "job" or hobby - you obviously don't have the patience for it.

[brassnuts]

[ QUOTE ]
Given your lack of knowledge and experience, 1 bb/hour is without a doubt MORE than you can reasonably expect to make over the long term. You're playing 3-6.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, of course. But, and I'll say this trying very hard not to sound like a lot of other people who think they're super-geniuses, I believe I am an extraordinarily fast learner. And, you're right. I am playing 3-6. And along with the 2.5BB/hr that I'm averaging right now (I realize I've starting playing on a bit of a hot streak) I am also gaining valuable experience points.
[ QUOTE ]
HOW medial and not worth your time ARE those jobs you mentioned?

[/ QUOTE ]
Very. Let's just say, hot streak or not, I'm making more playing 3-6. Until, my luck dies out, there's no reason to consider them. Of course, if a good opportunity for a decent job presented itself, I would jump all over it.
[ QUOTE ]
you obviously don't have the patience for it

[/ QUOTE ]
I hope I didn't come off like this. I think I have a lot of patience and discipline. I just keep finding myself in a bad mood, while in a mini-cold streak.

And, I'll reiterate, this is working out fine for me now. While I still enjoy poker a lot, I'm just seeing the onset of getting very sick of it. I'm trying to find a way to preempt this so I don't get burnt out. And, also, I do plan finishing up school and getting a 'real' job in the not so distant future. Very hopefully. Thanks for your inputs.

- Mike

[Barry_G]

You're an extraordinarily fast learner who didn't graduate college in four years. Nice! That made me laugh out loud.

[StellarWind]

[Barry_G]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[toots]

Yah, it only took me three semesters to figure out how to drop out of college.

[brassnuts]

It wasn't very nice, but I guess I deserved it.

[Cry Me A River]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank God for MP3 players.


[/ QUOTE ]

Three words: Old Time Radio!

Radio from the 40's and 50's (some later, some earlier).

Get an MP3 player with a decent size hard drive or a CD walkman that'll play MP3 CD's - You're looking at about 6 megs per half hour, so a player with a 32Meg flash RAM would be usuable but you're only going to get about 2 1/2 hours out of it so try for something you can really load up! Then grab yourself a bunch of episodes of Suspense, X-1, CBS Radio Mystery Theatre, Gunsmoke, Dragnet, The Saint, Sam Spade, The Third Man, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, etc, etc.

Consult your favorite P2P network for details.

You're probably going to want to hit pause when you actually play a hand, but for grinding it out I can't imagine anything better. Also great on long car drives!

[cardcounter0]

"I haven't found any job offers that I could see myself doing with any dignity and basically have spent a large amount of time wasting my life away"

Let's see. Spent four years at college, no degree, moved back in with Mommy and Daddy, and admits to wasting his life away ...

You have no dignity to lose -- GET A JOB.

Seriously, Dude. You live with your parents. Go to the card room. Find the biggest low-life loser there. He probably still lives with Mom too. Where you gonna be in a few years? Sitting on the rail with the previously mentioned low-life loser, trying to bum $20 off each other, and wondering why the chicks won't go out with you?

Did I mention GET A JOB?

[BigBiceps]

[ QUOTE ]
Yah, it only took me three semesters to figure out how to drop out of college.

[/ QUOTE ]

I must be a genius then, because I dropped out of grad school after 10 weeks.

[toots]

Yabbut you waited until Grad School before dropping out. That means you have over four years of credit of not dropping out of college.

[steamboatin]

I feel much better about my nine credit hours.

[brassnuts]

Uh, yeah dude...
My post has to do with how not to get burnt out from playing too much poker. Nothing to to with what I'm planning on doing with my life. Jackass. And, the time I was refering to wasting my life away was the past several months that I've been living back at home, not the 4 years I spent at college. If you must f**king know, I have a good deal of units. Spent a lot of time switching from major to major; CS to physics to Mech. Engineering before deciding it would be cheaper to move back in with "Mommy and Daddy" than keep bouncing around majors living in a crummy apt sharing a room with someone I didn't even get along with for $540/mo.

[ismisus]

I know you're pissed right now. You think your life is a complete failure. You know something is wrong with your life, so instead of trying to escape from it, why don't you do something about it?! Listen to these people, they have years of life experience, don't ignore them. Are you playing 3/6 for a source of income or as a hobby? If you're playing for income then you must stop. At your age, you must focus on a dependable job, and then in your free time you can develop those awesome poker skills.

You have a choice of ignoring everything I said. Reasons being
1. I am younger than you (3rd year)
2. I am unfocused (Mediocre grades, unknown major)
3. I play poker all the time (grew up poor, and have never seen so much money for 'free')
4. Like to play a lot of hands (Only in B&M, since I get bored easily, howerever playing maniacal style against weak opposition still makes you a winning player)

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

[ QUOTE ]
However, in the mean time, I haven't found any job offers that I could see myself doing with any dignity...

[/ QUOTE ]

Bullsh*t. The only job without dignity is sitting on your ass. Get up off the couch, go get a job delivering pizza, flipping burgers or anything else with a paycheck. People who win in life almost uniformly work hard and are willing to do whatever job is available. A buddy of mine was a big shot at a company that downsized. His division was eliminated, he lost his $150K/year job, and couldn't find work. He started delivering pizza and making golf clubs. Wasn't much, but it helped pay the bills. Did that for 6 months. He's back making $200K+ now, but he wore his polyester Dominos uniform with the same pride as he wears his (very nice) suits.

[brassnuts]

I wish I hadn't started this thread. However, one last post.

I've thought about things a lot and decided to take a job that I had offered a couple weeks ago. It's work doing security at a hotel in Reno. Unfortunately, since Reno is about an hour away, I'm going to have to get an apartment down there and most likely bike to work. My POS car died (ironically delivering pizzas) several months ago and I'd like to save up enough to get a non-POS car that won't break down again. I don't really mind having to do this, but this was the only hitch. I eventually was going to have to get a place there when before attending school again. Though, the cost of living will be quit high compared to my income. Thankfully, I've been able to work my bankroll up over $2000 in the last month, so, I'll be able to continue playing poker, and hopefully continue winning.

And, PokerGenius, thanks for a post that was not patronizing as some of the others'. But, my life is not a failure by any means. I'm only 23, and things have not gone perfectly, but I feel that soon things will be back on track. By winter semester, I will have established residency here in Nevada and will be able to finish up a degree cheaply. If I have not decided on a major by then, I will just choose one randomly. As for my attitude about playing poker, it is a source of income, though I strongly consider it only a hobby.

As I said, this is my last post here on this thread, so take your cheap shots at will. I'm not sure, but this will most likely be my last post in the forums for some time as well, as the ignorance and attitudes I have gotten in response to this post and others have dissuaded me from making many future posts. But, thank you to those who actually posted trying to help me out. And, I will certainly continue to frequent some sections because I still believe the forums to be great learning tools.

- Mike

[Soggy Salmon]

[ QUOTE ]
Bullsh*t. The only job without dignity is sitting on your ass.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you are saying playing poker is less dignified than than flipping burgers? That's crazy.

I have a good job. I like it. Except for the parts where I have to deal with horrible people. They deserve a punch in the mouth instead of the smile and politeness I have to give them. I have to cover for mistakes I didn't make, including my boss', every day. That's dignified?

Poker, on the other hand, is pure. Only your own skill dictates how well you do. No kissing ass, no counting on the competency of others. How is that undignified?

[steamboatin]

You need to go back and reread your posts from a third party perspective. You asked for every wiseass on the planet to take a crack at you and now you are crying because the other kids were mean to you.