Revisiting - WHY DO WE PLAY POKER?
In a conversation recently - related to feeling blue about long bad streak - the following was brought up:
Quote:
I remembered when I first played my motivations were..
Enjoyment, competitive drive, money, something to do
Now...
Money, competitive drive, end of list.
the sites have changed from what I remembered from a few years ago...
What was it that gave you enjoyment online?
and is it that you're not enjoying those same things anymore?
or it is that those things you enjoyed have changed?
I found it very interesting to go over my own "motivators" and how it changed over time, and how poker changed over time.
For me...
Poker started out (apx 5 years ago) as a entertainment, that in a fact did not cost me anything, but it was self sustaining - it was even making a few $'s, and made me very happy. Making friends - becoming member of a community was for sure big part of the fun. So was discussing poker and anything else with the friends I made. There were some team games at that time - the competitiveness was great fun and was in real sportsmanship spirit. (this was at Poker.com - later named PDC - their forum).
The game in general was far less "sophisticated".
The game CHANGED a lot. To maintain some sort of even balance - or positive outcome - I think today you must "study" poker - read a lot (which I am just starting) - and have a HUD (which I do not). What I am saying is that the "game" is far more "serious". Way more people are very knowledgeable about the game. In some ways - I find that today poker is considerably more challenging and far less just an entertainment.
What did not change - is I love to win - and I love the "excitement" of getting close to final table - even more - ON final table working towards a WIN.
That excitement, that process and sharing it with friends - is totally addictive for me. As such - I have to change - as the game changes ....
Of course this is just ME, but it is interesting to think about it all.
I wonder if it is just me who finds that in time there is a change in what we are looking for - perhaps for personal reasons - and perhaps because of changes in online poker...
