When I first started playing poker, I saw it more as a fun hobby. Something you could do with friends or relatives on a weekend ....a form of release of stress from the monotony of everyday work ......something that fires up the competitive spirit ..... you know .. keep the ol' juices running.
But as you grind along and start winning small amounts, then you start thinking..... it looks like a good way of earning extra money ..... so you start playing more .......... and more
What started as a weekend thing ..... something you did on a saturday or sunday ....... now became a daily ritual. After work, you turn on the trusty old PC ..... log in to your favorite poker site and you start playing ............. Before you know it, 2 to 3 hours have passed and its time to go to bed since you have to go to work early the next day ......
Now, the thing is ...... this time after work ....... the 2 to 3 hours free time before bedtime was previously reserved for your family ........ it was the time you watched a DVD film with your wife ... or played with your children ......
So my dilemma is .... how are you supposed to balance poker and the family ? I am not deluding myself into thinking that I will eventually be good enough to play poker as my solitary way of earning a living ........ it will remain to be something that i do on the side.
But poker as with any skill game, is something that you need to do continuously for you to get better. I have long ago rid myself of the notion that somebody can have an innate ability which would allow him to excel in this game. Of course, mathematical and analytical ability helps ..... but so does playing thousands of hands in the online felt. From my limited view, nothing beats experience in this game. You simply get better as you play ..... you learn to read online tells, you learn to avoid trouble hands, you can compute pot odds faster.... and so on .
Now, I am lucky enough to have a pretty good job which allows me to provide for my family's needs comfortably ..... but I also cannot deny that poker .... or online poker .......allows me to earn a few bucks extra every month ........ which is then used to provide even greater comfort to your family ....
so its the classic head scratcher ........ i would not like to wake up one day and discover that i barely know my daughters .....or that my wife using my poker winnings has gotten herself a gigolo ;) ...... but then again, especially with the recent good luck i've been having ...... it looks like a financial opportunity that i cannot affored to let past ......
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2 comments:
Yup money from poker can be alluring, I think most poker players have at one time of another dreamed of making money from poker full time (I know I have). But it's not all fun and games especially when variance hits. Nor is it stress free, getting hit continuously by one and two outers is enough to make you punch someone. I think it's better to treat poker money as "found money", something to buy goodies for you and not something that you expect on a regular basis. Keep expectations low, fun factor high...
BTW grats on that big tourney win, libre naman :) or how about a bounty on you on the next tourney :) kahit $1000 lang lol
hey finger, yep, agree with you wholeheartedly on how to approach the whole winning thing. Even with the last big payout, never really changed my buy-ins. Saw it as more of a lucky streak.
No problem with the libre. Should meet you guys when I get the chance. $1000 Bounty .... hmmmmmm .... naaahh .... =)
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