how many of you?
How many of you thinks your above avg in poker?
i've been thinking how many people that plays poker for a hobby actually wins the big one and don't have to work again? or win enuff each week/month so all they have to do is play poker ??
i'm having 2nd thoughts on poker .. i love the game and everything
but some nights i can play really good like making good bluffs knowing what my oppenents holds like 70% of the time i'm right winnng like 240 or so a night
but then theres some nights where i can't do anything .. making wrong choices and making wrong reads on my oppenents losing close to double of what i win
again i love the game and everything about it ... but i'm starting to think poker is a really expensive hobby specially for a student like me ...
ive decided to take a break from poker for a month or so and see what else i can get my mind on ... thinking about stocks (anyone got any tips??)
i've been thinking how many people that plays poker for a hobby actually wins the big one and don't have to work again? or win enuff each week/month so all they have to do is play poker ??
i'm having 2nd thoughts on poker .. i love the game and everything
but some nights i can play really good like making good bluffs knowing what my oppenents holds like 70% of the time i'm right winnng like 240 or so a night
but then theres some nights where i can't do anything .. making wrong choices and making wrong reads on my oppenents losing close to double of what i win
again i love the game and everything about it ... but i'm starting to think poker is a really expensive hobby specially for a student like me ...
ive decided to take a break from poker for a month or so and see what else i can get my mind on ... thinking about stocks (anyone got any tips??)
Comments
As for stocks......RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH....you need to apply similar concepts as in poker. For example what is your risk profile? Do you want hight risk/high return stocks, or low risk/low return stocks, or bonds or funds. Look into income trusts, but I think the bubble will burst sooner than later. Also, insurance companies are making a move along with foreign and smaller banks such as ING and ICICI.
There is alot of literature online, but as always Caveat Emptor. If you are unsure where to start contact a broker. I personally use TD Waterhouse. I liquidated my portfolio to pay for school, but i averaged 35% return, which is not bad, plus their fees are pretty reasonable.
Good Luck with the stocks, but remember its a market, the price doesnt necessarily reflect value.
but I'm not god of all things poker :P lol
It's when you know you can sit the highest level tables availiable and go I took xxxxx$ off him last week, and him ... and him ... lol
Then you can give up your day job.
Until then, I'll just grind out 400$ a session at 5/10 lol
I haven't been in a few weeks, and I wont be able to go for a few more either, maybe next weekend not sure.
Stocks are a great place to lose your money as well.Â
I don't consider myself that good of a player, I just love cards and gambling. But, if you can find a "system" to play by, you can lower your "loss %". "Bet with the best-Good draw to invest-Fold all the rest." Read a book or two, pick your starting hands and learn to play boring profitable poker. Don't give up on it. Unless of course you are an afwul play.
If you can play a solid game and realize ALMOST everyone at the casino is going to chase to the river, you will learn to love to fold.
Remember "People who chase straights and flushes, show up in limos and leave in buses."
Recently I have read and reread Dave's book. And the most important thing I have learned from Dave is.....KEEP TRACK OF YOUR MONEY.....write down, the game (2/5, 5/10), your buy-in, how much you win/lose and for how long you've played that session. Then you can honestly see what is going on.
The only person really winning at a poker table is the DEALER, who inturn will now become your STOCKBROKER, you may make a little profit, but he/she will be making more.
Whether you play the lottery, poker, stocks or bingo, it is gambling, keep track and and only play the best. None will show you a major profit overnight, don't forget you may have won $531 for 5 numbers in the Super 7, but how much have you spent over the years to win it
I think of myself as a beginner that makes promises.
"I promise dear, I'll only rebuy once tonight, not three times like the last time."
A few of us here at work used to get together once a week and discuss poker. Hands, strategies, etc. Then Lou went all professional and Rob upped his rank to beginner. We don't get together anymore (unless we're playing at lunch (everyday)). I miss that.
Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: don't kid yourself about what poker is to you. If it's a hobby, then treat it as such: play well within your means, enjoy yourself, maybe you'll make a little money, maybe you won't. But it's a hobby, so it doesn't matter. I have a good friend who races a stock car as a hobby. It's a very expensive hobby... he loses money every year and will very very likely continue to lose money. But, he loves it, and has decided that the cost is worth the fun, and that the cost isn't going to really do any serious financial damage to him. Basically, he decided what he can afford to lose, he loses it, and he loves every minute of it. More power to him.
Don't be afraid to walk away from poker. Your idea of taking a month off is a good one. If you're losing more than you can afford to lose, maybe you need to forget about poker altogether. Or, get better, or, play smaller. If it's just a fun hobby for you, then playing small shouldn't be an issue, and as is the case with most hobbies, getting better is really really really satisfying.
As a general note to the folks at this forum (at least the ones who will read this thread) I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. Normally, I wouldn't apologize for life getting in the way of poker, but after all the support I got from this forum during my WSOP trip, my absence from here is ill-timed. I'm looking forward to being back in action both here and at the tables, and sooner, rather than later.
Great post a_a, no apology needed, life will always get in the way of your plansÂ
I consider myself a below average player. Often I start out playing very well finding myself up a couple hundred and then for some stupid reason I begin to play too loose. My winnings quickly evaporate. The good thing is that I am very aware of when I have made a mistake and try to ensure that it doesn't happen again. I have made great strides since December and always striving to improve my game. I have no intentions of ever becoming a pro however I do have a goal of playing in the WSOP main event within 5yrs.
I am looking foward to metting and playing with some of you on Aug 6th. I will also be playing in the Elgin Poker Classic at the end of the month. As well I will be going to Vegas for the 1st time in September. I love to write so I when I return from Vegas I'll write a detailed report about my experiences.
i will be back playing poker in sept 1st
meanwhile i'll just read up on post
overall, average.
I read some where that when you first start playing poker your skill is a little better then when you have been playing for months based off shear luck, not realizing when to fold, when there are possible flushes and straights and so on. This usually gives new players a sense of confidence and they tend to be a little better then they know. After a little while they start to recognize hands and become scared, becoming a little worse losing some of that confidence.
I disagree, I think its true that this does happen, but with that experience you also recognize opportunities to steal pots and it becomes easier to recognize when you're beat.
I've been playing for about 7 or 8 years now and every year I usually don't play for a month or 2. Either the games getting to me, I can't seem to do anything right or I'm just plain tired of the playing. But I always get the itch to play again and come back with a vengance.