[ggbman]

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When you step back and reflect on some of the things we do at the poker table, you have to admit, we're sick. What we do to ourselves is brutal. Our highs and lows are like peaks and valleys. I think that an avid day trader could relate to some of what we do in terms of money lost/money made. This game can suck the life out of you today and make you feel like you're godzilla with chips tomorrow. Being able to have an indifferent response to these things is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects to deal with. Think back to when you were a kid, and twenty bucks was a small fortune to you. Or think about now, today, those of you who have a day job that pays a respectable 45K/yr. You could blow through that in a bad month at 100-200 limit on party. It really is mind blowing that what we post in a blind every ten hands is more than most people make in a day. Sick. It's a rare breed who can handle the swings with an even keel. And I think that this is a characteristic of a consumate professional. You truly have to have an indifference in the outcome and an unwavering confidence that you made the correct decision. Poker is a lifestyle, and it is the lifestyle of the obsessive/addictive. Those of us who wake up thinking about it, spend all day working on it, playing it, talking about it, skip social occasions to play more of it, and go to bed watching re-runs of the WSOP and considering if a raise on fourth street would have driven the mediocre hand out and whether or not in the long term thats what we want to happen, well....we're a different breed. I look at my poker money as bullets, not dollars. It's just ammunition, and the game never ends. It's just a continuation of where i left off when i left the table last time....

It's a brutal game, but consider how well you have handled high stress/high pressure situations since you became a high stakes player...and i'm referring to real life situations...i think that after a certain amount of it, you become almost numb to sitautions that really jack with everyday folks.

Good luck with the swings BK. You and only you really know whether or not you want to play as high as you do, and if you can handle the ups and downs. As far as i'm concerned, if it's what you love to do, dont hesitate. Very few people ever get the chance to do what you're doing on a daily basis. GL.


TEX

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I think this was your first good post ever, but it was a very good one, definitly hit the nail on the head.