Goodbye cruel (poker) world

[TomCollins]

Well, I've decided to quit. Fortunately for me, I managed to be a fish who came out ahead. Its a shame it had to end this way, but I can't see any other way. I'm just thankful I never got the crazy idea to quit my job and still have another part of my life to live. But I need to cut off the bleeding somehow.

Good luck to everyone.

[Leroy Soesman]

You should've been having fun playing poker. Seems like you were only having fun when you were winning, trying to get up as high as you could.

If online isn't working for you, why not stick to a weekly game with your friends for $25 or something?

If you don't love the game, you're going to get into the frustrating situation you're in now.

[jokerthief]

Here is a radical thought, go back down to the smallest micro-limit and pretend that you are learning how to play for the first time. Go back to the books and spend more time with them. Start with HEP, then go to SSHE, on to HEPAP, finally TOP. If you don't already have Poki Poker or Turbo Texas Holdem get one of those programs and warmup for 30 minutes before you hit up the ring games. Or beat them for 10,000 hands before you step back into the ring.

Start with a .01/.02 limit game and a ultra liberal bankroll, say 600 big bets, and refrain from moving up until you have at least 600 BB of the next level. This will be slow but I bet theraputic. You will be playing limit so the tilt factor will be less costly than NL, thus you will have more time and opportunity to beat it into submission to your will.

You aren't playing for a living so time is a thing you have. Take the pressure off your self, hell your first bankroll will be only $12. Think of the poker wisdom you will have gained from this as you rebound, as I bet you would. No one makes the kind of money you made with out talent. What has happened to you has happened to the best poker players in history. Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim admitted going broke a few times in their careers as have many others.

Take your time and refine your skills and you will come out of this process like tempered steel. Who knows, ten years from now you could very well win 15 million taking down the WSOP.

Best Wishes,
jokerthief

[TomCollins]

I appreciate your thoughts.

That was my initial plan (although not moving that low, low enough where the bankroll toll would not be as much of a factor).

Unfortunately, for me, I would not respect the money and played piss poor and still lost a significant amount of money for those limits, although only in relative terms.

I will not play until the New Year, which will give me some time to break away from poker and find other things in life that do not wrap me up so much. I was becoming far too emotional and far too involved in poker. I will start with a fairly small bankroll when I begin playing again. If I lose that, I will not play until Jan 1, 2006. This will force me to concentrate on smaller limits instead of dreaming of the days of playing my former games. I also have made the exception of playing friendly games or playing in a casino on a trip. In the casino case, I will only play extremely easy games and for low stakes or tournaments.

I thought tournaments might be a good way to refocus. Tournaments have a start, finish, and a pretty clear goal. They play out like a story. This is much easier to concentrate. Unfortunately, the rate of return and variance for tournaments pretty much sucks. I managed to get 15th a Super Party, and was just breaking even for the week.

I will need some time to reevaluate my goals (at one point, I was dead set on WSOP 2005- willing to pay OOP if needed to). I will need to figure out what I want out of poker and how I can achieve this. And I can never lose the focus of grinding it out and how much work is involved. I think my success blinded me into thinking it was something other than a tough way to make an easy living. It sure didn't seem tough.

For right now, I see no alternative than a huge break. It will allow me to come back focused and ready to dominate. Thanks for the advice.

[steamboatin]

I think that taking a break is an incredibly good idea.

[eeeguy]

Bobby Fischer did the same and answered all the doubters. Have a drink and enjoy the break and get stronger. Be mentally prepared for much success.

Triple E Guy