Do I have a gambling problem?

[TheCroShow]

As many of you already know I went to Las Vegas for a week and had a blast playing poker. I am now feeling the downsides of that trip. Part of the plan was to build up my online bankroll, cash out then go down to Vegas, make more money, come back and put the money in...SIMPLE RIGHT?? WRONG! All my winnings went to "entertainment," beer, food, tux rental, limo ride (times 2!), taxis, and of course poker (i had 2 losing sessions!) oh wait and i must have dropped 30 on slots and oh about 40-50 on blackjack....ok MY FAULT for losing! NEVER EVER PLAY SLOTS, NEVER EVER PLAY BLACKJACK!!

Now I am here without any money in my favorite poker site Party Poker. I have to build my RL (real life) bankroll first, so I have to work some more shifts at the arena and hopefully I can put some money into online poker and start earning again. I cashed out close to $400 USD from Party Poker, Pokerstars and Tiger Gaming. Not a lot of money and I DEFINATELY could have AND WAS building on it, but I have zero regrets. my little bro got married, I experienced Vegas, a small price to pay! (btw I did have other money on the trip, that was merely my online poker cash, i will not disclose how much i actually took down, but if you are reading this thinking CRO?!?!?! YOU CANNOT GO TO VEGAS FOR ONE WEEK ON $400 USD!! haha)

Does this mean I have a gambling problem? I hosted a game last week and I wanted to play like 2 days later, I even tried to scrounge up some guys! NO DICE. Do I need professional help for this? Is it a problem that I sit here and think about the good ole days when I was earning money playing poker while maintaining a few msn conversations, surfing the net, listening to music and enjoying some dinner?

I'm going to take the easy road and say no I do not have a problem. What if an athlete suffered a career ending injury and could not play basketball again? Would that be an issue? Does that athlete have problems? How about the athlete that is injured in his final year at high school? Does he have issues? Does he need professional help? I think not so let's not get carried away here. (Yes I did sprain my ankle and tore my ankle to shreds and missed half of my senior year)

I love playing poker, I get a lot of joy just from playing. It helps a lot to win (and I win often) but whether it's sitting at a table or signing in to play some hands, I love it. I love calling my LAGgy friend when he tries to bluff me out of a pot (thanks for doubling me up Yoshi!), I love making those huge laydowns, flipping over top pair good kicker and my opponent shows a dorky set of deuces. (thank you for the free information by the way) I love getting away and concentrating on one thing, WINNING. So when I cannot play it really hurts. It kills me to watch my friends play poker and I'm thinking GOD DAMN I'D BUST THIS TABLE UP! It kills me when I have to turn down a poker game because of a miscommunication and my supervisor "misplaced" my paycheck (paycheque for you CANADIANS out there!).

I will be back and watch out, when I get back I will be out for blood. To badly quote Samuel Jackson from XxX (Vin Diesel movie) "Have you ever seen a wild lion in a cage? You can tell the ones that were taken out of the wild, they have that crazed look in their eye. After spending too much time in a cage, they lose that hunger they lose their wild streak and after that they might as well be dead." HORRIBLE paraphrase but that is basically what he said. I am the wild lion in a cage, hungry and determined to get that red meat. My master (THANK YOU NEXT PAYCHECK) is coming to my cage with the key and I am ready to let loose and DESTROY everything in my path.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate it. Please message me sometime and let me know your thoughts. Do not hold back, if you feel I have a gambling problem, tell me straight up! If you're feeling my pain, tell me! If you do not have an opinion that is all good as well.

thoughts? opinions? e-mail me or add me to msn messenger thecroshow@hotmail.com