Poker Impedes on Hopes and Dreams? (low content)

[KramerTM]

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I find that I can't play any other computer games. I view every hour I spend playing Tiger Woods 2005 or NBA Live as wasted revenue.

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How does one purchase a bootleg of your avatar? I find I can't stop staring.

[SuitedSixes]

Right click, save as.

Put it in your Party Poker Images folder as celebration.gif and you'll be (even more) happy every time you drag a pot

[KramerTM]

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Right click, save as.

Put it in your Party Poker Images folder as celebration.gif and you'll be (even more) happy every time you drag a pot

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LoL. Made my day.

[psyduck]

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I find that I can't play any other computer games. I view every hour I spend playing Tiger Woods 2005 or NBA Live as wasted revenue.

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This is just so true. I view playing StarCraft or watching TV or surfing forums (not these) as time I could have spent increasing my bankroll.

I've somewhat overcome this by setting a minimum of 50 SNGs per day, after which I feel satisfied.

[bluewilde]

Between the Blue's Clues avatar, the incredibly cute picture of your daughter as a ballerina/rodeo clown, and Shakira's...how should I say..."frenetic" ass, I have a conflicted impression of you, sir. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[USGrant]

There's no stopping it. Visualize your screenwriting dreams as a field of ripening wheat and your poker playing a swarm of locusts.

[skipperbob]

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There's no stopping it. Visualize your screenwriting dreams as a field of ripening wheat and your poker playing a swarm of locusts.

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I was trying to think of something "cutsy-wutsy" to say to OP, while at the same time trying to convey the sense of sorrow that I feel for his predicament (as I feel for all the youngsters that are going to pissaway their lives in the pursuit of this fruitless dream)....But your post is "Spot-On"

[ebaudry]

I wonder about that too. I'm 27, just left the corporate world and will do anything necessary to never go back. At the moment, that means seeing how good I can get my poker game so I will know if I can pay my rent with it or not.

But even as I hone my poker skills and develop as a player, I am quite concerned about that as well. I don't perceive myself as addicted to poker, but it certainly isn't always easy to tell. I enjoy poker a lot, it occupies a lot of my mental energy, and it certainly is my "topic of choice" which makes conversation in certain circles difficult since I'm kinda off in my poker scenario "holo-deck".

Then there is the social stigma attached to gambling, and how very few, non-poker players (or math majors) understand that given a sufficient sample size (which most of us regulars will get to someday) we aren't really gambling. Of course there is risk, but given proper bankroll management, discipline, and personal integrity I think the risks are very low compared to stocks, housing, stamps, or whatever other investment people choose to make. In this case part of the investment is in ourselves to improve our analytical abilities (with is very useful in the rest of world, either with poker or after moving on from poker), and to engage in an activity that we find fun and enriching. Since we seem to be more or less the "same kind of monkey" as I like to say, I presume you, like me, are constantly gaining new insights on life via poker situations and metaphors. Folding AA on JsTs9s when you get lots of flop action comes to mind as a metaphor for going gung-ho with a great idea, but recognizing when environmental factors have changed and your original path needs adjustment.

I think the absolute, #1, most important concept to maintain here is balance. These days I am trying to play about 20STT (can only 2-table so far [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] ) a day which lets me spend a lot of time doing something I enjoy, but also leaves time to get a little exercise (which I really have to force myself to do), eat a healthy meal (chowing fastfood in front of poker should be looked at closely, multitasking digestion is a path towards poor health in the future), read a book about philosophy, hang out with friends, or whatever.

When I find myself not playing my A game because I am bored or restless, I finish up whatever games I am in and quit for the day. Poker is simply over for the moment. That tends to be when I play other video games, call up a friend, go for a walk, whatever.

Further along the balance line, I try to only discuss poker with my friends who really like it. Most of my friends are curious but tentative since I speak about the game in such a different level than they really understand. For those friends, I only bring up the occasional highlite, like making $1,000 on a given day, or how I just spent 15 hours straight bonus-whoring. Other than that I only respond to questions about poker and try not to let it affect other areas/relationships in my life.

I used to play poker and watch a movie, or surf 2+2, or read a book, but I have come to realize that not only does that significantly affect the quality of my play (I can still bring my B game which isn't terrible, but my reads on other players, and my ability to go with the flow of the game are drastically reduced), but it also exemplifies those times when I fell that my relationship towards poker isn't healthy. So anytime I get tempted to start multitasking anything other than just a few tables, I time-out for a second to ask myself if I would rather just play poker, or just surf 2+2, or whatever.

Speaking to your "poker or screenwriting" comment, I would remind you to remember that you are not one single self. You are the sum of many drives, instincts, desires, and conflicts. There's nothing wrong with poker being on the forefront for a while, so long as it doesn't block the flow of other things that could come into your life. I used to love chess and play tournaments all the time. If at some point I hadn't realized that I was ready to move on and leave the game, I would never have found poker. There's never any way to know if you have found your calling, but you can always be sure that life is all about change. I would say try to maintain a healthy curiousity towards other events/interests in your life. Maybe go a little out of your way to try something that has tickled your interest in the past, but you just never un-lazied enough to check it out.

Anyway, through everything I said above, I have at the core been thinking Balance. Toss in a little Flow and it would seem you can't go wrong.

Hope this is at all useful.

In the mean time check out my new favorite way of looking at poker, its old-hat to some, but new to me:

1. Patience
2. Discipline
3. Confidence
4. Aggression
5. Imagination

I heard someone say something like all 5 must be balanced in a winning-players game. Some points are more important at certain phases in the game, others are important at all times. For me this has been a very spiritual way to look at poker, and has certainly affected my non-poker life.

If you want to talk more about addiction, feel free to get in touch if you think I could be of any assistance. Help is around. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

-Eric
ericbaudry@yahoo.com

Im still young so it hasnt impeded with any huge life goals. But i did used to play a computer game Warcraft 3 semi-professionally, and have been taking a short break to play poker online. I would usually devote about 2-3 hrs a day to W3, time that it now shares with online poker. My skills have certainly gone downhill, and the World Cyber Games(a Global gaming tournament) tournament that im i was invited to in NY i will have to practice for hours on end to do well.
Every1 wish me luck [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[tigerite]

Heh, I just played against you in two games.. thought I recognised the name.