I'm tommo and I'm a poker addict

[tommo]

Alright, so I figured I had to admit it somewhere and this is as good a place as any. I'm a poker addict. Sometimes I want to stop playing and I can't, I always come back.

I go to a very good university and have always done extremely well grade wise (3.8 gpa) up until I started playing poker. I still do pretty well, averaging a 3.4 (since I started playing poker) but thats a noticeable decline in my grades. I used to be incredibly social and now I don't see my friends nearly as often as I used to.

I'm a fairly smart guy and have always thought I'd like to start a company or something after college but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that with this poker addiction.

I play the 200nl-1000nl tables depending on time (I look for fish at all levels) and I average about $32-$4k a week. I've played over 100,000 hands like this and am fairly confident I can keep up this win rate. The question I have for you guys is

when do I quit?

I guess its really just a question of what I really want in life but I'm not really sure what that is. As it is, I make more money than most the adults I know but I've lost the motivation and determination that I was once so proud of. Its not uncommon for me to spend 8 hours playing poker in a day just to feel sick and unfulfilled at the end of it. I just have no idea what I can do with my life after college. I'm a math and physics major but I've hated all the tedious internships I've ever had . Does anybody hire poker players?

I'm a junior in college and am honestly afraid of what happens next. I hate internships, I don't relish the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen 6-8 hours a day playing poker for a living and I can't think of what else I could possibly do. Should I up and quit poker and concentrate on grades this year? Should I just try to make as much money as I can and see if I can turn that into a successful business after college? Should I just go wherever my addictions take me and [censored] thinking about the future?

well...I don't expect too many replies, I just had to admit to myself that I'm an addict and I should probably decide whether or not thats a problem for me.

[chekraze]

heavy........it sounds like you don't actually enjoy playing though from the sound of your post.

if u do enjoy it and you can consistently make $$$ then that's not too bad, except for the effect it's having on your social life and grades (please get the degree with as high a GPA as u can) and the fact this may be a true addiction.

i'm thinking it may be time to visit a counsellor or someone at your school to get soem good advice on this. i'm sure there is a service for students at your school that is also free.

[TStoneMBD]

im in a similiar boat as you tommo. finish your degree, thats for certain but you already knew that. money creates options and opens doors, so make it while you can. your degree will create more options than those that do not have a degree, but those options might not provide happiness for you. when you are not sure what you want out of life, channel your energy into expanding your options.

[Indiana]

Tommo,

my advice to you is to play professionally. Trust me, I have a 9-5 job making big bucks and I'm completely bored and sick. I plan to go pro as soon as I get my game back on the right track. Dude, just quit school and return later if you want to. There's nothing wrong with playing poker professionally and I would bet that you will end up playing pro anyway once u see how much a 9-5 cubicle job sucks. American companies are very political and you will never move up to the "boys club" unless u kiss a lot of ass and sell your soul along the way. Play lika pro.

Indy

[ QUOTE ]
Tommo,

my advice to you is to play professionally. Trust me, I have a 9-5 job making big bucks and I'm completely bored and sick. I plan to go pro as soon as I get my game back on the right track. Dude, just quit school and return later if you want to. There's nothing wrong with playing poker professionally and I would bet that you will end up playing pro anyway once u see how much a 9-5 cubicle job sucks. American companies are very political and you will never move up to the "boys club" unless u kiss a lot of ass and sell your soul along the way. Play lika pro.

Indy

[/ QUOTE ]

This advice is about on par with "never raise with AK pre-flop"

[Indiana]

Ok then Pretel, what do you suggest? This guy has tasted financial freedom without having to drive 30min one way through traffic to go suck his boss' ass. You really think he will be happy working a boring ass corporate job?

Please advise,

Indy

[ChicagoTroy]

I advise you you're an idiot. This guy's academic and social life is declining because he has an unhealthy preocupation with gambling. The answer isn't become a professional gambler any more than telling an alcoholic he should become a professional drinker.

[ QUOTE ]
Ok then Pretel, what do you suggest? This guy has tasted financial freedom without having to drive 30min one way through traffic to go suck his boss' ass. You really think he will be happy working a boring ass corporate job?

Please advise,

Indy

[/ QUOTE ]

Just because your job sucks doesn't mean his will. Its not his fault that you are a coward with no ambition.

People who graduate with a 3.8 from a good school generally have lots of opportunities open to them - and if you have an ounce of ambition, you can turn those opportunities into a rewarding career.

Maybe you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself why YOU stick with a job you hate so much. Something tells me that it isn't all just about waiting for your "game to get back on the right track"

[ QUOTE ]
I advise you you're an idiot. This guy's academic and social life is declining because he has an unhealthy preocupation with gambling. The answer isn't become a professional gambler any more than telling an alcoholic he should become a professional drinker.

[/ QUOTE ]

Holy sh*t - you mean you can get PAID to drink??

Why was I not informed!!!???

[img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Indiana]

You guys give this guy no valuable advice whatsoever. If he is making this kind of $ then why shouldn't he go pro. America is the land of second chances and he can go back to school later if he wants...For now he can live the dream if he wants and save a fortune in the process. And by the way, I don't hate my job anymore than the next guy. Thing is, all these 9-5 jobs suck because they become routine and repetitive. I'm just trying to give this guy a piece of my experience here. What are you giving him? You are telling him to quit what he does well so he can make less money being a conformist and getting prostate cancer sitting in a cubicle for the rest of his life like a caged animal.

suck my nut sack,

Indy