Is poker good for you?

Snowball, I couldn't agree with you more. I was talking about this with my girlfriend the day before you posted. I wouldn't necessarily say that playing makes me tough, or unleashes my competitive side (I'm not very competitive at all, and I rarely share poker swings with anyone).

Poker has increased my confidence in my ability to make decisions.

I used to be very uncertain if what I was doing was correct. I would constantly worry about the outcome of tests, projects, and relationships, as I was deciding what to do. Poker has taught me to removed the emotional association between decisions and results. Imperfect information ensures that we can never know the outcome of a situation based on what we know. Why waste effort on trying to predict the result when it can be used towards improving the cause?

Poker has given me the power to understand long-term investments.

Variance and standard deviation had only been important to me when studying for Stats 241. I'm starting to understand the necessity of risks in order to gain rewards.

Poker has improved my bankroll management.

I was often concerned about spending money; I always felt that I didn't have enough. Then, I started working and increasing my income, leading towards a desire to spend more money. It was Caro that taught me that spending money when you have it is the same as spending money when you don't have it. I know that there will be a point where I'll need this money more than right now, and I plan to prepare for that time. Money lasts over the course of your entire life, as long as you plan accordingly.

Poker has improved my patience and my ability to stay calm while remaining forceful.

I am getting better at waiting long periods of time without getting bored. Instead, I understand that time can be utilized no matter where you are. Train stations and long lineups are now great places for me to catch up with myself and complete small tasks.

I've also been getting better at structuring arguments and controlling frusterations. Getting aggressive is not always a sure way to win a fight. I've been seeing a much higher success rate while staying calm and maintaining the ability to make points that are deserving of a response. Even further, if I think it's clear that an argument is going nowhere, I cease to be stubborn and respectfully back down. I believe this is equivalent to quitting bluffing a calling station.

[ckmo]

before I started playing semi-seriously you would have had to pay me to read a book. Now I've got a stack of about 10 or so on my desk and I've even read most of em. I've found it to be way to easy to drift through the days with my brain in standby, at least poker gives me something to keep it awake with.

[jaydub]

You people are funny.

Poker devastates relationships. Obviously OP hasn't but I wonder how many have tried to sustain a relationship with a poker career. Hell I part time it with difficulty and can't imagine a marriage lasting around poker as a sole source of income.

If poker taught you all that you know of money management, keep reading.

I look at it this way, poker is an eventuality for my personality type and skill set. The question of whether it bettered me is irrelevant. It was me.

Its a double-edged sword

[Mister Z]

[ QUOTE ]
You people are funny.

Poker devastates relationships. Obviously OP hasn't but I wonder how many have tried to sustain a relationship with a poker career. Hell I part time it with difficulty and can't imagine a marriage lasting around poker as a sole source of income.

If poker taught you all that you know of money management, keep reading.

I look at it this way, poker is an eventuality for my personality type and skill set. The question of whether it bettered me is irrelevant. It was me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you should respect the fact that a lot of people have grown and changed in positive ways because of poker. Instead, you choose this thread to start a post with "you people are funny". Excuse me for being an [censored], but that's one of the most arrogant things I've across on this board in quite some time. You've missed the point of this thread entirely. Good luck with your poker career.

[Jeffage]

I agree completely with this statement. In fact, when friends ask me to teach them how to play poker, I almost always tell them not to bother. For most people, getting seriously involved with poker will lead to nothing but problems. For me personally, poker has been good to me financially and just for the fact that I love the game. Bad things? Loss of motivation in other areas, sometimes neglecting things I shouldn't. I'm working on it. Sorta.

Jeff

I've found that I see the world in a bit of a different light now - A lot more numbers in things and a lot more mannerisms from people.

For school, I used to be able to just pound out the 2k word essays in one sit-down 8 hr session of writing. Now I have a great deal of difficulty doing that. It seems that what passed as "acceptable" writing before no longer does. As a result, Im much more of perfectionist when it comes to those sorts of things and I have to give myself a lot more time to write.


Other things to consider:

Did you have not-so-good sleep habits before poker? Well, welcome to crazyness. Throw your sleep habits out the window if you are playing in the late evening.

[davet]

Is Poker good for you? I give it a resounding YES!

I used to be a 70 hour a week worker living in poverty. I have no "real world" skills and no formal education (this is more a product of circumstance, not my IQ). When I was working so much, I didn't have time to do the things I wanted to do with my life.

Now that I play poker, I:

- have time to take classes.
- have time to make other income through writing, fire eating, acrobats, etc.
- have time to work out
- no longer drink away my problems
- no longer have to get infections from my work or be demeaned by my managers
- eat a little better
- prove to myself that I am worth more than minumum wage

Although I went through hell to get to where I am today, I believe it was well worth the journey. My so- called friends tell me that my life will be destroyed by poker, but they fail to recognize my life was effed long before poker. Poker for me was the 45-1 longshot with 3-1 odds.

I don't make six- figures a year, but hey, that's a fine goal for me.

[brick]

I'll be honest.

Poker has not been too healthy for me. I play to much in smokey cardrooms and I'm allergic to the smoke.

I stay up too late and I'm more tired the next day than I should be. Multi-tabling for a few hours totally fills up my short-term memory and a feel like a zombie.

I think it has increase the analytical side of my brain but my creative side is wasting away.

I play a lot in addition to my computer job which causes my but* and back to hurt from sitting so long.

Also emotionally, it's draining to go on long losing streaks when you have been a winning player for several years. After losing a few hundred bets I begin to doubt my ability and this isn't healthy.

take care.

I agree with you wholeheartedly on your post in every respect. The same has happened to me. Poker really got me off my butt and has lead me to other great things in my life.