Utterly embarrassing and honest confessions of a 1 year pro

[B Dids]

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I'm not old enough to go to bars and don't have a job so my options are limited.

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As somebody who has a lot of struggles with social anxiety myself, this simply isn't true.

It's not hard to meet people, and if you're not doing it, it's because of decisions you're making, not your environment.

One of the things with poker, is that it takes these kids who would have been playing Quake 24/7 and then enables them to do this for a living. So instead of graduating and moving into a real world where you have to stop playing Quake and grow up, you just keep sitting there infront of the screen. (I'm not saying this is you, but I think that it's something that hits/will hit a lot of younger players).

Don't let yourself be an anti-social person. Speaking from experience, it's not fun, and you'll regret missing out on so much of life.

Cards is fun, and it's not so fun when it's an obligation. Working a job that you don't love can still be OK because of the people around you, but if you're working a job you don't love and don't have any people around you- that's not happy times.

[Ed Miller]

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You should make a list of goals that you want to accomplish for the year. Make it totally personal and tell nobody. Prioritize them and then write down steps and measures you will take to achieve them. I do this every Jan 2.


You might be suprised what's on top. Unless your El Diablo, then it's F as many girls as possible, every year.

This will help you decide if friends, money, girls, stability, etc. are most important to you currently.

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I didn't read the rest of the posts, but I can already tell you this is going to be the best advice you get in the thread.

[vpaco]

better yet. go to thailand. i have just finished my second year as a pro and have traveled extensively during that time. i play in internet cafes (change your password frequently). the cheap life of some of these beautiful places def takes some stress out of having to perform constantly... but i must admit that my disenchantment for the game has grown like yours and now i only play a few hours a week to cover costs.

[theRealMacoy]

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Some of you had some really negative things to say, that do not benefit me in anyway

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This could not be further from the truth. While they might have been worded in a way that was not to your liking... the negative comments are only accenting things you pointed out yourself. How can you talk about brtual honesty but then get all fussy when people are brtually honest with you? I know you might be "ignoring" him... but Paluka's first reply of decent length was right on the money. The bottom line is that you have most likely made some mistakes. You also realize you made them but you want to pick and choose who says it and how they say it.


Good luck. And I mean that. Because I am sure you are a good kid deep down inside. Go outside and get some friends. If i had to choose between my friends and poker I would never look at this site or a single card or chip ever again. And it's not close.

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First of all i appreciate the courage and honesty of your post; however i must agree with what tpir is saying about you being touchy about some of the feedback you are getting.

Unfortunately, when you decide to drop your pants in a cry for help like this you have to be ready for a few needles, particularly when you have been a self-confessed arogant ass much of the time on this forum. You asked for it, so learn as much as you can from this experience (from both your supporters and detractors). Ultimately, you have created every facet of the world in which you find yourelf, the more responsiblity for it you accept the greater your ability to move forward. The fist step in really enjoying life, wherever it may be taking you, is to come to terms with and accept yourself as a person.

I wish you all the best in this difficult time.

Cheers,
the Real Macoy

[Indiana]

vpaco,

kewl. How is thai life? How much american $ per month u need there to live? Nice beaches? Easy to find clean pretty girl?

Please do tell,

Indy

[sthief09]

awesome [censored] post

[EStreet20]

Hey TStone,

Some of your posts have heled me in the past so I figured I'd try some words of encouragement. First off, cut out the sleeping the day away. Summer's here, wake up and run on your treadmill, go outside and enjoy the weather. No BS, you'll find it helps you relax and feel better.

As far as getting down about poker and not finding it exciting I'll tell you my motto regarding work when people complain about their jobs, all of which pay more than mine. I say, "The worst day of vacation is better than the best day of work." IE, remeber you are a professional, this is your living and you have to grind it out, even if it sucks. Then step back and realize that there are far worse things people do for a living, and it should help you feel better. Also, schedule in some vacations and breaks from poker. You need to every now and then in order to refresh yorself mentally.

Also, don't forget to stay in touch with your old friends, even though you've moved away. During one of your vacations you can visit with them, take a trip to AC or Vegas with them etc.

Last, thanks for the contributions you've made on this forum that have helped me out. I finally have a stable poker dedicated BR that I havne't had to touch for unexpected reasons and I feel like I'm making great strides as a player and I remember your name as one with some good points in a lot of discussions.

Good luck dude,
Matt

[1800GAMBLER]

This thread has convinced me to go back to college. I'm on the exact same path as TStone and dropped out last year due to lack of interest in my course and for poker, at the time i thought i was the 'one' it was right for; i thought when everyone said 'you learn life lessons at college' that i had already learned them all, at 19.

I was dismissive from advice from paluka and Diablo and now once again Diablo gets to say 'you should have just listened to me the first time'; hopefully i'll soon grow out of this and just learn the first time. I've had a great year with poker and other interests, i don't regret it, but i feel i need to balance my life again now. thanks for the thread.

[1800GAMBLER]

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my schedule isnt very satisfying to me, but its the way it is becasue poker is most profitable late at night. i usually wake up at around 3pm est, not something that is appealing to me but the way that it is.

ive thought about taking vacations alot lately, and will probably do some shortly. i dont have a laptop atm but have been telling myself i should buy one for so long. i should probably take a plane out to aruba... or amsterdam(??) and get in 30 hours on my laptop while spending the rest of the time partying.

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This is exactly what you don't want to do. Man, for effing once forget the laptop, go on an effing holiday, [censored] the money, stop thinking of how many hours you can get in while on a flight or if you should wake up early in amsterdam to play at peak american times.

Man, tomorrow, wake up, shower, get something to eat, and do something, either walk a long distance, take a train journey somewhere, drive for 4 hours, rent a room for the night, do something, just effing prove that you are free and free from the grip of poker having you by the balls and infecting upwards through you. You're like a dog chained up to a back garden pole.

I respect you for the thread but your follow ups have been awful, you realised the problem but wont do anything to resolve it. Stuff like this:

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i thought about getting a dog or a cat, but dont know if that is a good idea. for 1, my landlord requires a $250 one time fee if i decide to get a pet. also, its not fair to the animal if i decide to leave the country for several months next year. other than that, id love to get a dog or a cat though, its just probably not a good idea right now though unfortunately.

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It's $250, which is probably 2 hours of poker for you? Plus, the chances of you travelling seem 0% you are just fondling with the idea to make yourself feel like you have a solution. Exactly what odds would you lay yourself on you going away? 2:1? 10:1? 100:1?

[TStoneMBD]

i will take a vacation somewhere in a few months. 95%.

i will move out of here within 2 years 90%.

my estimation.