If you were me..............

[PokerBob]

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If you play poker professionally, you won't be able to play poker for fun any more.


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I'm not sure this is true. If was a professional blow-job judge, would that mean I couldn't get blow jobs for fun anymore? [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[Rockfish]

Let me know if there's a job opening for that one, OK?

Seriously though. I hope you will not be as insulting as those other two posters since you started this thread.

Why do you play? Is it still fun? Do you think it will still be fun if you decide to turn pro? What about outside activities that originate from your work environment that you enjoy?

I play for fun and the side benefit is that I win a bunch of money that I can use to do other stuff that's fun and buy stuff that's fun. If I were to play for a living I would be less inclined to feel like the money I win at poker could be used for buying big-screen TVs and high powered stereo. It would be for stuff like groceries and car payments. Big fun.

If you've already made up your mind then you don't really care what I say and if you haven't, I've given you some things to think about.

[PokerBob]

[ QUOTE ]
Let me know if there's a job opening for that one, OK?

Seriously though. I hope you will not be as insulting as those other two posters since you started this thread.

Why do you play? Is it still fun? Do you think it will still be fun if you decide to turn pro? What about outside activities that originate from your work environment that you enjoy?

I play for fun and the side benefit is that I win a bunch of money that I can use to do other stuff that's fun and buy stuff that's fun. If I were to play for a living I would be less inclined to feel like the money I win at poker could be used for buying big-screen TVs and high powered stereo. It would be for stuff like groceries and car payments. Big fun.

If you've already made up your mind then you don't really care what I say and if you haven't, I've given you some things to think about.

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I think this just boils down to "why do we work". I have things that I enjoy outside of teaching and poker. I enjoy both. Whether I would start to hate poker if I "had" to play remains to be seen.

[ QUOTE ]
play for fun and the side benefit is that I win a bunch of money that I can use to do other stuff that's fun and buy stuff that's fun. If I were to play for a living I would be less inclined to feel like the money I win at poker could be used for buying big-screen TVs and high powered stereo. It would be for stuff like groceries and car payments. Big fun.


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I think this just boils down to how you approach things and your attitude toward money/work. If you didn't play poker but made twice as much at your "real" job, would you still feel like you couldn't spend money on "fun" stuff? If the answer is "yes", then you may need to reevaluate a few things. I am starting to come the realization in my life that I am gonna die. I am attempting to make everything "fun".

If there is a job opening for BJ judge, it's mine. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[ElSapo]

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I am starting to come the realization in my life that I am gonna die. I am attempting to make everything "fun".

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Religous thoughts aside, there is no destination. This is it, and as far as I know you get one shot at it. Living your life so you wont be uncomfortable when your 90 and about to kick it is a shitty way to live.

[Rockfish]

You're getting to the core of the matter aren't you?

Do you really want to know? Just between you and me, I have a really cool job that doesn't pay too badly, but twice as much would be nice. If we had more disposable income I would probably have an easier time convincing my wife that we "need" x or y toy. She might buy it, she might not. She would have a definite say in it though.

A little background. My wife leaves my bankroll alone and doesn't even ask about it. She did recently comment though that she is not interested in having yet another set of speakers in the living room (7.1 surround is a little too much for her, go figure).

So despite the fact that money is fungible, what I make at poker is mine, whereas if I were to take home twice as much as I do at work, it would not be mine alone.

Therefore, if I were to turn pro, that would be my income. There would be nothing to replace the poker on the side that I have now that generates income, that I can do sitting in my chair listening to music that I buy with what I win at poker on the stereo I built etc. etc.

Damn, I have a great life. I don't think it would be as good if I were a professional poker player. That's my perspective.

Additionally, there's a whole level of satisfaction I get from coming to work every day and interacting with the people I work with. I actually have the coolest job in the world (I'm a scientist) and I work with some of the smartest people you will ever meet in your life. I don't want to be at work every day, and I don't always enjoy the work, but I think my life would be a little less interesting if all I had to do was get up, fix toast and coffee, and go to the computer.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything. If this is right for you, go for it. You're obviously giving it a great deal of thought and you have a safety net. What the hell? Go for it and let us know how it turns out.

If I were a younger, single man knowing what I know now, I might do things differently than I have. Not if I were given the chance to marry the woman I did again. I would do things exactly the same, but you know what I mean.

I want to wax poetic here about how short life is and how you only get one go-around but you know that. You're in a good spot here because you can give this a try and it won't be a disaster if you decide that it's not right for you.

Your move.

[PokerBob]

[ QUOTE ]
You're getting to the core of the matter aren't you?


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Kinda. It's funny how our mind plays tricks on us. "This is money from work so it must be utilitarian. This money is from a side source so we can play with it." I'm not condemning you here, just making an observation. My mind works the same way, and I am trying to get out of the habit. I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for the response.

[Rockfish]

Thanks.

I've read some of the rest of this thread now. By your responses to the mostly very insightful suggestions I can tell that you are prepared for this.

You may be one of the few that should give this a try.

One other thing that occurs to me showed up much lower in the thread, and that is the subject of increasing your earn over time. The work equivalent of getting a raise.

I don't think anyone can actually know this, but do you have any sense of where your ability to beat the game might top out?

I realize that we're talking about a year and then re-evaluate, but imagine you're at the end of the year and have tried to move up and discovered that you're at a limit that you can beat but that's as high as you can play and still win. Now what if you could do better financially teaching and playing part time?

When are you going to make a decision? You will let us know? Now I'm curious as hell. I think you'll do it and I wish you all the success you want for yourself as long as it doesn't cut into my action...

[PokerBob]

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I don't think anyone can actually know this, but do you have any sense of where your ability to beat the game might top out?


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I really don't know. I work pretty hard, and am dedicated to getting better. I am moderately intelligent, so I think I could go quite a ways. I am different than most in that I believe that if one is a 1bb/100 over a large (200K) sample, then that is great. I am not looking to be a 3-4bb/100 winner. IMO this is only sustainable for the short run. (Bicyclekick tells me that he is under 2bb/100 for his total. Now he plays 100/200, so things are obvously a bit different, but I think it illustrates a good point.) I don't need a lot of money. If I could beat 10/20 at 1bb/100, I'd have more money than I knew what to do with. That said, I enjoy all the challenges that poker brings. How to adjust to different players and table conditions, how to assess/exploit/manipulate my table image, etc.

[Rockfish]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I don't think anyone can actually know this, but do you have any sense of where your ability to beat the game might top out?


[/ QUOTE ]

I really don't know. I work pretty hard, and am dedicated to getting better. I am moderately intelligent, so I think I could go quite a ways. I am different than most in that I believe that if one is a 1bb/100 over a large (200K) sample, then that is great. I am not looking to be a 3-4bb/100 winner. IMO this is only sustainable for the short run. (Bicyclekick tells me that he is under 2bb/100 for his total. Now he plays 100/200, so things are obvously a bit different, but I think it illustrates a good point.) I don't need a lot of money. If I could beat 10/20 at 1bb/100, I'd have more money than I knew what to do with. That said, I enjoy all the challenges that poker brings. How to adjust to different players and tabkle conditions, how to assess my table image, etc.

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The game is fun isn't it?

That's where this whole thing started. Will it still be fun if you have to play?

Under 2BB/100? That implies over 1BB/100. At 100/200 that's f-you money isn't it? Of course I don't think there's a lot of guys 8-tabling 100/200...

[PokerBob]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I don't think anyone can actually know this, but do you have any sense of where your ability to beat the game might top out?


[/ QUOTE ]

I really don't know. I work pretty hard, and am dedicated to getting better. I am moderately intelligent, so I think I could go quite a ways. I am different than most in that I believe that if one is a 1bb/100 over a large (200K) sample, then that is great. I am not looking to be a 3-4bb/100 winner. IMO this is only sustainable for the short run. (Bicyclekick tells me that he is under 2bb/100 for his total. Now he plays 100/200, so things are obvously a bit different, but I think it illustrates a good point.) I don't need a lot of money. If I could beat 10/20 at 1bb/100, I'd have more money than I knew what to do with. That said, I enjoy all the challenges that poker brings. How to adjust to different players and tabkle conditions, how to assess my table image, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

The game is fun isn't it?

That's where this whole thing started. Will it still be fun if you have to play?

Under 2BB/100? That implies over 1BB/100. At 100/200 that's f-you money isn't it? Of course I don't think there's a lot of guys 8-tabling 100/200...

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I thought BK said something like 1.67, but he has run good at the right times (like when he's in the 300/600 game). He play OK, too. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]