Thank you for all the responses,


Now I will provide you with some background on myself. I'm 21 years old and have been playing poker since I was 18. I started with dime and quarter pot limit games with the guys, and after I saw Rounders I was hooked. I started at 3-6, and coupled with the games at my college, built up a pretty solid bankroll. Here is the problem.....poker became my passion. I love the game more than I love almost anything else. I read all of the S & M books over and over...I played at home games, games in the park, anywhere I could find games. My every few months trips to AC became more frequent until they were in the twice a month range. Poker is all I talk about, and I soon found only my poker friends could put up with it. I'm just recently making amends to everyone else. Here's the deal....the post may not make it sound like it, but I am a good poker player. I have been a consistent winner in the casino (up to 5-10), but you know what...I don't know what I want with my life. I fantasized about becoming a pro player, but then I realized that it was only because it is much easier to deal with poker than with the real world, my job, my college education and other concerns. I got good, and I pissed it all away. And now I'm lost. I really don't know what else to do at this point. I major in public communications and can probably get a good job, but it doesn't excite. Frankly nothing is as exciting as seeing those pocket rockets. To High Desert Poker Man, I lost about $1000 at 10-20 and pissed away the rest at quarter blackjack, because I just didn't care at that point. The sick thing is that the $1400 IS an immense sum of cash to me, BUT it was money I had won playing cards that I would not spend on anything else. So even though I am in reality no worse off financially, it hurts worse than almost anything I've experienced. And I don't even remember playing poker with so called "real money"...In fact, I think I would be terrified to withdraw $500 out of my savings and risk it at the table. I just don't know where to begin, but I will be back...and when I'm back, my priorites will be in order I promise....more comments appreciated...


Jon