Re: Year-end look back on poker and life - extremely long. Make popco
Great post Teddy. I'm only 21 and I haven't made quite as much cash as you have over the last year but I've had pretty astounding results considering the $50 I put into Empire in May of 2004. Sometimes it still seems weird that you can make money playing cards from your computer.
Anyway, I was doing bad in school one year ago and I thought I wanted to drop out and play poker (Good thing I didn't, i was only playing 2/4 and 3/6 back then) but I still thought poker was the greatest thing ever just one year ago. Now, I'm one semester away from graduating and I have no clue what I'm going to do except that poker isn't the answer in the long term. Although it's good to know that poker will probably be there if I need it for a few months at a time.
There comes a point in time where you realize that there is more than just earning some money playing cards. Life isn't easy but, unfortunately, this fact isn't easy to recognize.
Similar to your WWII documentary that I have never seen, I remember watching the Band of Brothers on DVD during the spring. I will never forget the one where they find the concentration camp. It kind of puts worrying about your bankroll and winrate in perspective. It's hard to see this though because most of us have lived reasonably well in the US for our entire lives. Not everyone has this luxury that we sometimes take for granted.
I think the most important thing with poker is keeping it in perspective. I will often enthusiastically tell my roomates or friends how awesome or terrible I am doing in poker and I make it seem like it's the most important thing ever. Most of the time they tell me, "If you're not going to give me any of that money, I really don't care. Get a life, dude." It just makes me realize that poker isn't really that important. The advise from your non-poker playing friends can be very useful.
Finally, if you haven't seen Lost in Translation, I would recommend it. It has nothing to do with poker, but it will definitely make you think about poker or and the role it plays in your life.
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