Poker is my best friend, girlfriend and family in one

[Alex/Mugaaz]

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My two part series in our magazine, "Don't take poker too seriously," was aimed right at you.

You have allowed poker to take over your life, and it is destroying you. Get help quickly.

Regards,

Al

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Normally I think Al exaggerates a bit. However, this time he is 100% correct.

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most people you meet in casinos are gross.

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My suggestion would be to build a schedule - include poker in it, but also include other activities where you get out and do something. Perhaps you could simply have 2 days where you play NO poker and make sure to get out and do something else during those times. Try and find social activities where you are more likely to meet people who DON'T play poker.

[TStoneMBD]

channel your energy into practical use of this forum. if you truly thought about poker as much as you think you do you would be thinking about it here in a productive form.

[lemonPeel]

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I agree with Al.

But I'll also make a simpler suggestion. Sit down and make a list of all the things you used to like to do. Then add two or three new things that you would like to do to the list.

Every day pick something off the list and force yourself to go do it.

This won't work if you're clinically depressed or a compulsive gambler, which is why I agree with Al that you need help to evaluate your situation, but maybe you're just lonely and bored. Anyway it can't hurt to vary your routine.

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Ever meet a girl in a card room?

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I suggest you put this issue aside for a bit. I don't mean this in an unkind way, but why would you want a girl who was attracted to someone in your mental situation? Improve your life and the opposite sex will probably take care of itself in time.

BTW, you mentioned a job. What do you do? The fact that you don't say anything about it suggests that at best you don't enjoy it. Is your horrible job the real problem? Is poker just your inappropriate way of coping?

BTW #2, it sounds like you don't keep records of your results. That's very bad. You need to know if you are a winning player or how much this habit is costing you.

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Hmm, I do programming i.e. computer science "super nerd" work. I'm basically surrounded all day by intelligent, logical, but pretty boring people. After work, I drive half an hour and play poker with mostly unintelligent, illogical, but for the most part pretty interesting people who happen to say some of the weirdest and funniest things at times.

You mentioned my "mental situation", I'm not sure what you mean by that? Maybe you think I'm a little crazy or something and I will confirm that I am, but not so much that I have to see a Doctor or anything I wouldn't think.

Yes, I probably don't keep records as accurately as I should, but I know (really, I do) that I am not a losing player. How do I know this? Well, I started with a fixed bankroll at the beginning of the year and the figure in it right now, is almost 3x what it was at the beginning. It got there through various tournaments, holdem, omaha and 7stud, but it just seems to me that I seem to break even ALOT of the time. I guess it's contradictory of me to say that I break even or lose a little even though my bank roll has continued to grow over 8 and a half months, but I truly don't remember how it got to that point because I never made additional deposits to it unless I won the money from poker. I guess thats why I should keep better records huh?

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All I ever do is play poker. Poker all day, poker all night. If I'm not playing, I'm thinking about it. The problem is, I just moved to a new state for a job and I know no one. I'm still relatively young, but POKER IS CONSUMING MY LIFE. Any poker, tournament, live, online and I also play every form of poker that is spread in card rooms these days, including NL holdem, limit hold'em, 7 stud, 7 stud hi/lo, Omaha Hi/Lo... I've managed to break even mostly but have small sporadic spurts where I double my bankroll or get some insanely huge wins, then I slowly drop some and win some back etc. Anyone been in my situation before? Ever meet a girl in a card room? Ever made some friends you hung out with in a card room? I figure since I eat, drink, and sleep even sometimes in these card rooms, I can do just about everything else there like meet people. Bad idea? Suggestions? Comments? Help?

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I read PART of your post, none of the others so my post would NOT be biased....

You have a SEVERE problem, it is worse than being a gambling addict man - There is SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE than just playing poker, god man I hope u change your ways bud.

Best of Luck !