[Kevin]

Thanks for this thread and your response to my off topic question in the other forum. I really enjoy the mental gymnastics of the game and I won't lie that the revenue stream is nice. My wife and I built a new house last year. It was the home of our dreams and we stretched to get to it. I make about $600 a week playing poker (about 25 hours a week). I give my wife $250 for mad money from the earn and it is the difference between her being comfortable and keeping the belt tight. In my opinion, this house is where I sinned. We got all of the bells and whistles in the house - 3500 square feet, granite countertops, the works. I now see poker as a second income source versus the weekend fun that it used to be - and it totally changes the mindset in how I approach the game. But/For the gluttonous home purchase, it would be a moot point. I am not addicted to the game. I have a very set schedule. I spend time with the boys after work, put them to bed at 9, play until midnight Monday-Thursday. 9-2 on Friday, and an additional 13 hours throughout the weekend. I don't miss small group, Sunday morning services, or any church function on behalf of Poker. I don't play late on Saturday - lest I fall asleep during the service - Yet, I find myself thinking about how a hand was played as we are listening to the message. I don't get up early any more for my quiet time - because 6am comes early when you are playing until midnight. As I said in the other thread, I do not broadcast or advertise my hobby to my church friends. I don't know their opinion, but do not want it to become the topic for discussion or debate. On the other hand, I have given my brother over $2,000 to help him in time of financial strain - money that I wouldn't have had except for my poker hobby. We have contributed $15,000 to our building project at church - a real stretch that would have been an even bigger stretch without the supplemental income from poker. I give money to my wife out of my bankroll and buy the kids stuff that is not out of our general fund. Ultimately, the gluttony of the new house has driven the behavior (although I played before that). I am potentially ruining lives of people who play with money that they do not have to lose. But if I had a second job, I might be working during the evening and spending time away from the boys. Our small group is founded upon accountability and transparency, yet I keep this corner of my life hidden. So, I guess that I am ashamed of it - and it is probably something that Christ would frown upon.

Just can't get away from the revenue stream...therefore the sin cycle continues