FTR Made me improve my game and hate it at the same time.

[d0zer]

I'm sick of this stupid game. Sitting there for hours, folding hands, only to find queens in front of you that end up costing you bigtime. When you start to play a lot, you start to notice real variance. You can be playing tight as a nun's cunt, but you still take 10 bad beats in a row and start to realize that to be successful over the long term, you've gotta put in a serious number of hours, days, weeks into it so that your good play averages out to positive outcomes over the long haul. I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you this...

...my coworker said it the best -- It's like playing world of warcraft and sitting there killing boars in the forest to get XP for days on end. I just can't justify that kinda time expenditure anymore. Plus I just went and re-watched that south park episode...and...well...

I like the tourneys the best, but those 180 SNG tourneys take forever to finish if you even make it to the final table from 20 starting tables (usually not).

So last night I decided to quit -- take my last $8, and put it into two $4 180 player tourneys. I start playing last night around 10. It was like the poker gods were trying to suck me back in. Nearly EVERY time I was all-in on a near coinflip I came out on top. I made it to the final table on both games I entered. I finally busted out of the first game in 5th. Second game dragged and dragged till it was finally headsup at 2:30 in the morning. My opponent had a slight chip edge on me, and offered to split the top 2 places for $180 each. I was thankful for the opportunity to go to sleep and took it.

Despite doing so well -- I remained dedicated to quitting. I've seen too many downs to get fooled by the poker gods again.

The great online poker experiment final results:

Total money put into my pokerstars account: $120
Total money cashed out: $600
Poker strategy books read: 3
Total time spent folding hands while I should be getting sleep: I don't even wanna think about it

[d0zer]

I had fun at first -- but it was more fun before I 'figured out' the game. That it's nothing more than making decisions that yield positive expected value in the long term. I used to get incredible highs from winning a big pot, and incredible lows from losing one until I figured that out.

Then it just became "oh, good. I made a correct decision". No satisfaction from winning a big pot when I made a bad decision and lucked out. I'd just beat myself up for making a bad decision. Correct decisions that landed me a big score I would just begin to see as run of the mill 'good play', and get a little internal 'yay', but nothing like when I first started.

I started playing online to improve my game for when I played with the boys -- my game's long surpassed theirs, and I won a bit of cash in the process, so...mission accomplished I guess...

I don't mean to rip into anyone's hobby here -- just sharing a personal experience...

[Zee Devee]

Goodbye?

[Warpe]

...my coworker said it the best -- It's like playing world of warcraft and sitting there killing boars in the forest to get XP for days on end. I just can't justify that kinda time expenditure anymore. Plus I just went and re-watched that south park episode...and...well...

<<<<<<

[d0zer]

...my coworker said it the best -- It's like playing world of warcraft and sitting there killing boars in the forest to get XP for days on end. I just can't justify that kinda time expenditure anymore. Plus I just went and re-watched that south park episode...and...well...

<<<<<<

"Really, if there’s one thing I’ve learned without question about poker, it’s that poker screws with people’s brains and drives them batshit." - Ed Miller

Hmm...maybe that's what I'm experiencing...

[IowaSkinsFan]

i dont blame u for quitting but hey, i stuck to poker for three years and ive now made over 30k.

[badgers]

Poker doesn't have to be boring. I guess you've just burnt out from grinding too much, but if it was me I'd try learning a new for of the game like stud or omaha (even 2-7 triple draw looks really interesting.) All forms of the game are so complex and deep that I can't see myself getting bored with this game. I may, for instance, get bored of grinding SnGs, but I won't quit poker prolly until I'm busto or my circumstances really change.

You could just move up to higher stakes where there's another level of thinking and you have to really work on your game to beat it.

But I doubt I'll change your mind, so goodbye!

[bode]

see you in a few weeks

[swiggidy]

It sounds like you're playing mostly SnGs. They suck, I felt the exact same way. Especially if you're still playing $5.50 or less. It's called grinding for a reason.

1) Start playing cash, the decisions are much less robotic. If you go back to SnGs you'll be a better hand reader (it will shock you).

2) Pick another game. One of them has to be interesting.

[Trikflow77]

i dont blame u for quitting but hey, i stuck to poker for three years and ive now made over 30k.

sick 10k a year you would have made 90k by now working at mcdonalds

[Jack Sawyer]

It sounds like you're playing mostly SnGs. They suck, I felt the exact same way. Especially if you're still playing $5.50 or less. It's called grinding for a reason.

1) Start playing cash, the decisions are much less robotic. If you go back to SnGs you'll be a better hand reader (it will shock you).

2) Pick another game. One of them has to be interesting.

Golden advice.

[bikes]

LOL BUMP

[supa]

That was a truly awesome read.

[baudib]

i dont blame u for quitting but hey, i stuck to poker for three years and ive now made over 30k.

this is my favorite part

[d0zer]

gold jerry, gold!

[Penneywize]

awesome

[BankItDrew]

dozer, what's your poker update?

[kiwiMark]

since this post in 2007 his game got better and he hates it

[d0zer]

dozer, what's your poker update?

I quit again after beating 2007 ISF's score. I gave up trying to beat his 2011 score...

[kevster]

EPIC BUMP.

Now go find the one where I advise not getting it AI with AA when presented with the opportunity. WildBob flamed my candy ass.

[bikes]

stealth bump

[d0zer]

fuck 2007 d0zer was such a little bitch

[BankItDrew]

One does not simply walk away from the game.

[d0zer]

One does not simply walk away from the game.

Ain't that the truth. I'm sort of almost grinding again after over a year of not really playing at all.

[jyms]

Ain't that the truth. I'm sort of almost grinding again after over a year of not really playing at all.

qft

[d0zer]

This time, I'm making sure poker is a fun hobby. I didn't enjoy paying the bills with it, totally burned me out on the game. Now I'll play as long as I'm enjoying it.

As soon as I start stressing about results, have to force myself to play, get bored or frustrated with the game I'm done. If that means I can't get more than 10k hands/month then so be it.

[rong]

This time, I'm making sure poker is a fun hobby. I didn't enjoy paying the bills with it, totally burned me out on the game. Now I'll play as long as I'm enjoying it.

As soon as I start stressing about results, have to force myself to play, get bored or frustrated with the game I'm done. If that means I can't get more than 10k hands/month then so be it.

That's exactly where I'm at. To get much more than 10k hands per month takes effort beyond which I am willing to exert and means at some point in the month I'll be playing when I can't arsed or am too tired or w/e at which point it's no longer fun.

[BankItDrew]

You'll get over running bad and long break-even stretches faster if you play 10k hands a day.

[sweetlemon69]

BOOBIES

[kiwiMark]

RIKS

[kingnat]

Woah, you read 3 books?