[Al Schoonmaker]

You have already answered your own question. You KNOW that you can't become a good player, but you're hoping that someone is going to tell you what you want to hear.

Let me quote from an article that appeared in our magazine a few months ago, "Denial, Part III."

"Robert Andersson stimulated this article by sending me a Personal Message. 'Here at the forum a lot of people ask for advice. We want to know how to play this or that hand or ask for opinions on other subjects. I just thought that the most important thing when you ask for advice is to be open to the answers you're getting.'

"I could not agree more, but countless posters are not asking for information. They really want confirmation. Instead of sincerely wanting to improve their game or their understanding of another subject, they want to be told: 'You’re right...'

"Don’t Search for Confirming Opinions.

"Because people have different opinions, you may be tempted to go 'shopping' for confirmation. Let’s say I ask Mason and David about a hand, and they say, 'Al, you misplayed it.' Their opinions should be enough to convince me. Unfortunately, if I’m defensive, I might ask for some more opinions, and I might look for people who I expect to agree with me. If I ask enough people, I can probably find someone – perhaps a weak player -- who tells me exactly what I want to hear: 'Alan, that’s just the way I would have played it.'

"Aha! I’ve gotten the confirmation I need to protect my ego, but I have also reinforced my own denial. Even if five experts say I’m wrong, and only one weak player supports me, I have support for my denial. I wish I never went confirmation shopping, but I have done it occasionally. You have probably done it too. If the first one or two people you consult say you’re wrong, stop shopping, accept reality, and learn from your mistake."

You are now confirmation shopping. A few people -- who will not have any training in psychology -- may say, "You can become a good player." They don't know what they are talking about.

They would be just as wrong as the weak players who disagreed with David and Mason on how to play a hand. ANY competent psychologist will say that your chances of becoming a good player are nearly zero.

You may succeed for a brief time, but the psychological characteristics that made you into an addict are still operating, and they will almost certainly continue to operate.

Do the sensible thing. Accept reality and the opinion of experts: Leave poker and all other forms of gambling alone.

Regards,

Al