Time Consumption

[LetYouDown]

I've played poker on and off since I was probably 7 years old. Started with the home games and as I got older, progressed to B&M and online. I play online pretty much every night, either a couple hours of ring games or several SNGs simultaneously (usually 4 at a time, 3 rounds...so 12 total). I'd say I probably average 3 hours a day playing cards.

Anyone else find that this really throws other aspects of their life off? Some effects I've noticed:

1.) I've never had defined sleeping patterns, but I can't imagine it helps when I'm playing an MTT until 4 in the morning.

2.) I find myself constantly ignoring phone calls, especially when I'm "involved in a hand."

3.) I think about it constantly...whether it's reviewing hands in my head, thinking about my table image, tells I might have missed, etc. etc. etc. The list never stops. Sometimes when I can't sleep at night, my mind starts going about poker and I'm screwed.

4.) The amount of time it takes away from my social life (both family and friends) is a little absurd. I've always looked at poker as a long run game, so I feel that in order to play it affectively, the long hours are required.

5.) Stats tracking is driving me up a wall lately. I probably spend (Playing Time x 10%) analyzing hands, reading books or otherwise looking for leaks in my game.

6.) Poker just seems to make me socially numb. Not sure if that makes sense, but when I'm playing...I'm completely oblivious to the passing of time. I realize I'm not surrounded by clocks in a B&M environment, but online it shouldn't be too difficult to realize 4 hours have passed.

7.) I rarely feel "enough is enough", even for an evening. I may be exhausted, but I don't want to stop playing.

Noteworthy point: I never play outside of a limit I'm comfortable with. I'm never looking to make the big score and I've never had a financial problem due to gambling, I just enjoy it. If I win, great...if I lose, it's not the end of the world by any means.

Anyone else find these things happen on a recurring basis? I'm wondering if I should take a month or two off and re-evaluate.

[Zygote]

no job is perfect. welcome to the life of a poker player.

Most of the things you mentioned are necessary parts of a full-time player's jobs. If you don't feel you can't handle these things, then perhaps serious poker playing isn't for you.

[LetYouDown]

I'm not a pro. I don't "need" the money. I just play in my spare time, when I get home from work, or on weekends.

[Al Schoonmaker]

By your own admission, your life is seriously unbalanced. I love poker. It's the greatest game I have ever played, but it is only a game.

If you let it take over your life, you're making a huge mistake.

Regards,

Al

[LetYouDown]

Agreed. Control might be a bit of a misnomer, as it doesn't get to the extent that I miss meetings or appointments or anything important. But at times it can get emotionally draining and have an effect on my life off the table. I've taken weeks/months off before and never felt an overpowering urge to return to the tables. I just come back when I'm ready. I do think, at times, it has a little bit too much influence on my spare time, however.

[toots]

I know where you're coming from.

I used to like to stop by the casino - very occasionally - to play some stud or something. Last year, I started playing casino Hold 'Em.

Everyone here - I mean absolutely EVERYONE - told me that to improve my game, I should play online. I really didn't want to, because I thought it could take on a life of its own.

Well, it did. My game's improved to the point to where it's sucked all the free time out of my life.

Disclaimers:

1) It doesn't stop me from doing my job or doing all the legitimate things I have to do to get along with my life

2) I haven't lost any money. Most of the money I have deposited online was built up by grinding out the $2 that Paradise gave me a year ago. Other than that, I've made two $50 deposits at Stars and Party, and have never needed to make additional deposits.

3) It's all micro limits, and I'm definitely not playing for anything important. If I lose it all, I'm out $100 of my hard-earned income, and to tell the truth, I've done worse than that in a single day in a B&M.

Thing is, my B&M visits are maybe one per month. Twice a month if I'm really "getting into it," but I'm just as likely to go two or more months between B&M visits.

Yet, when I get home from work, I naturally gravitate to one online room or another, and it's pretty much what I do until bedtime.

This has seriously cut into all the other things I could be doing with my time: cleaning the apartment, working on other toy projects (writing, messing with hobby mode programs I write), or even wasting my life away playing video games.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. I lost about a year and a half of free time to Half-Life once, but I got over it.

Still, I'm getting to be seriously concerned that online poker is completely sapping my will to do anything else outside of work.

Which is pretty much why I fought the idea of playing online tooth and nail in the first place.

Maybe I should have listened to myself.

[LetYouDown]

Exactly. We're in the same boat. Yesterday, I decided to go buy some stupid little video game that I wanted, so I went out and picked it up. Got home, tossed it on my bed and proceeded to 4 table online. It's kind of sad that it even takes away from "stupid fun". In itself, that's not a horrible thing...it's just the sheer volume of the time I spend playing cards makes me feel somewhat detached from society. It's like a different environment. I get home, hop online and find myself trying to reschedule laundry, when I'll shower, etc. I don't ignore them entirely, as I always end up doing the chores I need to and showering (B&M players thank me). I guess it does have a larger element of control than I'd originally thought. Dr. Schoonmaker's brief words have found me being more introspective than normal today.

[toots]

Over the weekend, I went out of my way to play something on the Xbox. I mean, I bought three new games, and they've just been sitting there for a week, because I was too "busy" playing poker.

It was a pleasant experience.

But, when I find that I have to make an explicit "appointment" just to play a videogame, yeah, the Dr.'s right. I've got a seriously unbalanced life right now.

I went nearly cold turkey for a couple months last fall. Maybe it's time for me to try that again.

[LetYouDown]

The similarities are scaring me. I found that I had to semi-force myself away from the computer to sit down and play the games I just bought. It was incredibly nice to not have to focus for the hour that I just sat there mindlessly pressing buttons. Having to pencil in time for video games is an eye opener.

[toots]

Fine.

Just tell me it wasn't the latest Oddworld installment.

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