How bad is taking a break from poker?

[AFchung]

I'm 19 in college right now. I'm in a fraternity and I have a bunch of stuff I want to do like playing guitar and some other hobbies. Poker is taking a huge amount of time (even a bit out of my studies) and I was wondering, how hurtful is it for my game if I quit for like a year?

And how long do you think it would take to get back to normal after I got back?

like 2 hours, lol? mostly to remember how donks play

you have other things you want to do and other priorities in life
just because this is a poker website doesn't mean I'll tell you to quit all you're doing and start playing only poker

in the end the choice is really yours

[OneEyeLefty]

I haven't taken a year off before but a month or so has always allowed me to re-evaulate things in the poker world. I didn't lose touch with communities such as FTR but didn't play a hand. As long as you are reading and continue to educate yourself. Your game won't get away from you. Good Luck in your pursuits.

Xxxxx

[BennyLaRue]

I'm 19 in college right now. I'm in a fraternity and I have a bunch of stuff I want to do like playing guitar and some other hobbies. Poker is taking a huge amount of time (even a bit out of my studies) and I was wondering, how hurtful is it for my game if I quit for like a year?

And how long do you think it would take to get back to normal after I got back?

I've been playing for nearly 4 years and have taken at least a month off five different times for various reasons. Two of those stretches were for 4 months. Even skimming through my poker books and FTR/other forums was enough to bang enough rust off my knowledge that I could play ABC poker, with things like feel and advanced moves coming after a few thousand hands. It shouldn't be hurtful to your game if you appreciate that you won't be where you were when you left and start a little conservatively. In fact, the time off may ultimately sharpen your game. Some of my biggest heaters have come after taking time off.

[daven]

breaks from poker are fine. It's not quite like learning to ride a bike, but kinda close
you'll never have to re-learn pot-odds etc.

[Gshark]

Dude you're 19 and want to live your life. I say go for it. Poker will always be here but college won't be. Enjoy yourself - and if that means taking a break from poker then so be it.

[Random_Hero]

Im just back from a long stretch off, probably about 14 months!! main reason is due to me travelling around Australia at the moment. I've just mvoed into to an appartment with the internet so I can play again.

I only play sng's and have found that I've lost some knowledge and some basic hands im making mistakes on. Saying that im running pretty well. im just going over all the stickies and refreshing my memory to get me back to roughly where i was before i stopped.

it shouldnt damage your ghame too much though.

[kb coolman]

I think taking a break from poker is a great idea, especially at your stage in life. Enjoy college. Enjoy your fraternity. And don't neglect your studies for poker. And for the love of God learn to play the guitar.

The great thing about poker is that it's immediately available to anyone in any stage of life if they choose to play. It will be here when you get back.

[Stacks]

Hmmm.. I can see how poker can cut in. However, if your not making money from poker are you getting it from another source, say a job? If so, then if you think about it, if you keep with poker for a bit longer then it could become your job. Then it wouldn't interfere any more than a job, yet you would likely make quite a bit more money, have a very flexible schedule, etc.

[flomo]

go get laid

[chrisa]

Why quit poker? Sounds to me that you're a bit reluctant to quit poker for a year or whatever. Why don't you just play less? Limit yourself to playing to like a few days a week and taper off from there.

[mrhappy333]

Set yourself a schedule and *try* to stick to it. If your making money at it why stop.

[mieczkowusc]

As others have said, poker will always be there. Your life won't be. If you have the ability to make poker your job, then its a different story.

I am in a similar position where my bankroll and abilities are at a turning point, where I can either get much more serious. However, I am also working my tail off making sure that I have a job when I leave the blissfully free land known as college in a few months. What this means, is that I am working around 40 hrs a week plus school, which doesn't leave much room for poker when I have a girlfriend as well.

If you aren't motivated to play, or don't have time, take a break. Just leave your bankroll there so you don't have to start over.

[St8ofN8]

And for the love of God learn to play the guitar.

Great advice! I wish I learned it when I was younger.

I say do what makes you happy, but definitely don't neglect your studies for poker or anything else for that matter. Too much money is spent on education to waste it.