The temptations of online poker

[kmart2103]

Alright, heres the deal. I am 18 and have been playing poker for about 2 years now, and have made many deposits online. Each time I deposit, I start playing smart and end up getting a fairly decent bankroll (about 4x the deposit). After getting a fairly decent amount of money on my account, I seem to become "Decentasized" to the limit i was playing at, and I feel that I have to move up to have fun.

I always start at playing .10 cent bb ring games and then I will move up to .25, then .50, then I will move all the way up to 1.00 bb games. I then always blow all of my money with the huge blinds and end up pissed. I know the simple answer is to stick with the lower blinds, but I CAN'T HELP IT! I just get this crazy feeling that I can move up and win so much more money.

My question is..does this happen to anyone else and what do you do to cope with it? I know if I played smart I would be making a good amount of money for me, but I move up in the blinds and blow it all. Am I just too dumb and immature to handle online poker or does this happen to others? Any comments would be appreciated!

[Dislexsik]

Bankrollmanagement

[swiggidy]

Am I just too immature to handle online poker or does this happen to others?

It does happen to others, but that doesn't mean it's OK for you to do.

Bonus whoring might help. You'd be making a little more, and it helps to build the bankroll. So you can play at the higher limits (which you may or may not be capable of playing).

[Greedo017]

you are playing to have fun, this is fine, if you can afford to lose the money.

if you want to play to win money, you need to stop it. if you're not able after a while, it could be because you're still too immature.


people do it sometimes, you're not alone at all. but these people all are just going through a glorified cycle of donating their money to the higher stakes people.

[jyms]

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...poker-9214.htm
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...poker-4971.htm
read, read, and re read!!!

[Irisheyes]

Discipline is the key to winning at poker. I can tell you that a million times but it's up to you to listen.

[Muxy]

Discipline is the key to winning at poker. I can tell you that a million times but it's up to you to listen.

qft

[Lukie]

hey if u keep moving up and losing your money, you can always get a job at mcdonalds or whatever. Not the end of the world right?

[biondino]

Am I just too dumb and immature to handle online poker

I don't think you're too dumb, because you recognise it's a problem, but too immature sounds about right. If you want to make anything of your poker career, learn about BR management and never, ever, ever play outside its requirements. It's that simple.

[biondino]

Also, I suspect that at about the same time as you feel the need to move up, you also change how you play - more risks, more recklessness etc. You leave behind the "smart" play that got you there and you donk off your hard-earned. Fair or not?

[Reidak]

I think the problem is that you dont see the money your playing with. Your figuring that "hey, ive tripled my investment, im really good, lets have some fun" but in real life I doubt youd be playing $1 BB since you can see your money disappearing. Think of the money in your bankroll as an offshore bank account (mines in san jose :P), i used to have the same problem with 10$ SNGS with a 200$ bankroll, just sit back, relax, and take it slow - youll make more money.

[TLR]

Poker is about displine and about the lon run.
It sounds you are playing outside your bankroll, and probably playing a bit differently

I would suggest you try some Sngs, it might fit you better

[Irisheyes]

Discipline is the key to winning at poker. I can tell you that a million times but it's up to you to listen.

qft

possibly the most profound thing I've ever said!

[Laeelin]

Discipline is the key to winning at poker. I can tell you that a million times but it's up to you to listen.

qft

possibly the most profound thing I've ever said!

qft

Edit: Also, without following bankroll managment, it doesnt make a diffrence how good you are.... YOU WILL END UP BUSTED! (not might, will). Even if your the best in the world. It will happen.

[flomo]

Discipline is the key to winning at poker. I can tell you that a million times but it's up to you to listen.

qft

possibly the most profound thing I've ever said!

qft

Edit: Also, without following bankroll managment, it doesnt make a diffrence how good you are.... YOU WILL END UP BUSTED! (not might, will). Even if your the best in the world. It will happen.

QTF

[Jiggus]

Probably too late on the wagon for Kmart to take heed, but I have been trying to move up in limits for the last 15,000 hands.

I am in a sort of Poker Purgatory, or Sisyphus' Card Room. I play steadily at my $10 NL tables, get over $500, win a couple of hands at $25 NL, then have one or two bad sessions and end up back at $450 or so and have to start all over again. I don't move up to $50 NL to try and get my money back quickly!!!

This time, I'm going to push up to over $600 before trying to move up. I'll tell you why: I don't play comfortably with $500 'roll at $25 NL. I realise it and I've paid for it -- two times.

I now have over 31,000 hands of $10 NL under my belt and I'm willing to stay until I have 40,000 if it takes that long. Bankroll management is crucial.

However, I'm old and therefore more mature than you all!

[biondino]

Dude you can go dow to 18 buyins without dropping down, you know! Go back down at 15 buyins, should you reach it, which you won't. And I'm not being blase here - BR management is essential because it helps a winning player deal with variance. 15 buyins should be fine as a lower limit. You're not doing yourself any favours running away from 25NL the moment it gets tough.

[Jiggus]

Dude you can go dow to 18 buyins without dropping down, you know! Go back down at 15 buyins, should you reach it, which you won't. And I'm not being blase here - BR management is essential because it helps a winning player deal with variance. 15 buyins should be fine as a lower limit. You're not doing yourself any favours running away from 25NL the moment it gets tough.

Of course I will! I am pompously assuming that you're addressing me, Biondino, by the way.

It's psychology. If you start getting nervous due to the large losses, then you do not play at your best. Betting is too timid or too radical, tilt is looming on the horizon and before you know it, you're back to $2 NL. That's me, a positive thinker!

A one hundred buck swing in one week is just not good for my -- or most people's -- confidence. It's an event that needs some re-grouping of thought and re-gaining of confidence.

It is possible that $10 NL may be the zenith of my "career", anyhow.

[thnwkd]

Dude you can go dow to 18 buyins without dropping down, you know! Go back down at 15 buyins, should you reach it, which you won't. And I'm not being blase here - BR management is essential because it helps a winning player deal with variance. 15 buyins should be fine as a lower limit. You're not doing yourself any favours running away from 25NL the moment it gets tough.

Of course I will! I am pompously assuming that you're addressing me, Biondino, by the way.

It's psychology. If you start getting nervous due to the large losses, then you do not play at your best. Betting is too timid or too radical, tilt is looming on the horizon and before you know it, you're back to $2 NL. That's me, a positive thinker!

A one hundred buck swing in one week is just not good for my -- or most people's -- confidence. It's an event that needs some re-grouping of thought and re-gaining of confidence.

It is possible that $10 NL may be the zenith of my "career", anyhow.

Sounds like you need to take a serious look at your expectations. Do you seriously expect not to lose? at all? You need to accept that its not about winning or losing its about making the right decisions.

So after a losing session or winning session for that matter, do a review. Did you make the right plays/laydowns, did you bet the right amount to price out draws, did you have to go broke on that hand or could you have gotten away, Is you pf play good...etc. etc. post hands learn from mistakes and continue to play.

The only way to get better is to go through this process which improves your game... Otherwise you will languish in 10nl where you could very well be reinforcing some very bad habits. Personally i think you should spend as little time at 10nl as possible.

What are your goals for poker? Is it to make some minuscule amount of money per week or to make thousands of dollars per month? The only way to do this is to challenge yourself and continue to improve... this site is a gold mine of information, if you cannot beat 25nl for at least 3ptbb/100, perhaps you cant read.

So get your ass to 25nl right away and stop being a puss <--- this is incase you're the type that needs a swift kick in the posterior

[thnwkd]

To OP... you are very young, Make sure you are not starting down a path that could ruin your life... Gambling can be an addiction and your post sounds alarming. Very Alarming.

here's a test; pick something you love and do everyday, watching TV, the internet, playing some game... etc etc and give it up for 3days minimum, perferably a week.

This is all about discipline and self control, If you can do this i think you may be ok and just need to learn proper bankroll management. In addition when you have that very bad downswing playing poker you can easily take a week off .

[flomo]

here's a test; pick something you love and do everyday, watching TV, the internet, playing some game... etc etc and give it up for 3days minimum, perferable a week.

i gave up masturbation for a week

[johnnyBuz]

Alright, heres the deal. I am 18 and have been playing poker for about 2 years now, and have made many deposits online. Each time I deposit, I start playing smart and end up getting a fairly decent bankroll (about 4x the deposit). After getting a fairly decent amount of money on my account, I seem to become "Decentasized" to the limit i was playing at, and I feel that I have to move up to have fun.

I always start at playing .10 cent bb ring games and then I will move up to .25, then .50, then I will move all the way up to 1.00 bb games. I then always blow all of my money with the huge blinds and end up pissed. I know the simple answer is to stick with the lower blinds, but I CAN'T HELP IT! I just get this crazy feeling that I can move up and win so much more money.

My question is..does this happen to anyone else and what do you do to cope with it? I know if I played smart I would be making a good amount of money for me, but I move up in the blinds and blow it all. Am I just too dumb and immature to handle online poker or does this happen to others? Any comments would be appreciated!

i started playing exactly the same way when i started playing online poker back in january. the short-term outlook didn't look good. i depositied so much money into ps and pp ($50 at a time, what a donk!) and eventually lost most of it. so i stopped playing for the summer, getting poker out of my mind. reading some books. and when i go back to school in september i'm depositing 15 BUYINS at $25NL and not moving up till i have 12-15 at $50NL. and i'm gonna try to strictly obey the 10% thing, or is it 15% or 20%? whatever works for me, that's what i'm gonna try.

this is my last stand in online poker. either i make money, or i don't.

[johnnyBuz]

Probably too late on the wagon for Kmart to take heed, but I have been trying to move up in limits for the last 15,000 hands.

I am in a sort of Poker Purgatory, or Sisyphus' Card Room. I play steadily at my $10 NL tables, get over $500, win a couple of hands at $25 NL, then have one or two bad sessions and end up back at $450 or so and have to start all over again. I don't move up to $50 NL to try and get my money back quickly!!!

This time, I'm going to push up to over $600 before trying to move up. I'll tell you why: I don't play comfortably with $500 'roll at $25 NL. I realise it and I've paid for it -- two times.

I now have over 31,000 hands of $10 NL under my belt and I'm willing to stay until I have 40,000 if it takes that long. Bankroll management is crucial.

However, I'm old and therefore more mature than you all!

i wish i had this discipline.

completely wrong thought that just went through my head: is poker not like weight training? you need to "shock" your muscles at a poundage higher then you can currently handle if you want to see improvements your next time at the gym? i'm gonna say no, but it was nice to try to make the analogy anyway.

[thnwkd]

Probably too late on the wagon for Kmart to take heed, but I have been trying to move up in limits for the last 15,000 hands.

I am in a sort of Poker Purgatory, or Sisyphus' Card Room. I play steadily at my $10 NL tables, get over $500, win a couple of hands at $25 NL, then have one or two bad sessions and end up back at $450 or so and have to start all over again. I don't move up to $50 NL to try and get my money back quickly!!!

This time, I'm going to push up to over $600 before trying to move up. I'll tell you why: I don't play comfortably with $500 'roll at $25 NL. I realise it and I've paid for it -- two times.

I now have over 31,000 hands of $10 NL under my belt and I'm willing to stay until I have 40,000 if it takes that long. Bankroll management is crucial.

However, I'm old and therefore more mature than you all!

i wish i had this discipline.

completely wrong thought that just went through my head: is poker not like weight training? you need to "shock" your muscles at a poundage higher then you can currently handle if you want to see improvements your next time at the gym? i'm gonna say no, but it was nice to try to make the analogy anyway.

FYP ---> Linky

pay particular attention to Miffed22001's 2nd post

[Greedo017]

poker is like endurance running. you need to start running slow, and run slow until you've got the endurance to run a little faster, a little further. if you try to make it a sprint every time you're just gonna get tired and go home dissapointed.

[swiggidy]

i gave up masturbation for a week

I don't believe you. Unless you rubbed a sore on your dong that took a week to heal (which meant you tried in the intern but it wasn't ready yet).

[Lukie]

here's a test; pick something you love and do everyday, watching TV, the internet, playing some game... etc etc and give it up for 3days minimum, perferable a week.

i gave up masturbation for a week

lol, no you didn't.

[Jiggus]

So get your ass to 25nl right away and stop being a puss <--- this is incase you're the type that needs a swift kick in the posterior

Yes, that would be the type that I am.

I have secretly been back at $25 NL of late.