Just A Reminder To You Guys.

I am making this post based on some of my observations. Now let me start by saying that we all want to be great poker players, we all want to reach that level where we are playing for thousands of dollars and that position where we are the idols of a future generation of poker players but I got some bad news for you. 99.9% of us will never make it to that place. While we want to succeed and do everything we can do reach there, sometimes it is not in the cards for us. A lot of what makes some of the great players great are things that most people don't have. It is like any other sport, as often as I play golf, I will never be Tiger Woods but I can be a good golfer. So while most of us will never reach the top of the poker world, we can still be good players. I am not trying to discourage people but rather say that be greatful that you beating 10nl or 5$ sngs. Be happy to not be a fish. Be happy with where you are and just enjoy the game because in the end, we all started playing as a form of recreation and we should mostly try to keep those feelings in mind everytime we book a win etc. Let us just have fun and if we happen to make money at the game great.

I am also not trying to tell people not to grind and be ambitious to move up or to not set any goals because all of those things are beneficial in the long run but I am saying that when we fail to meet our goals, just remember why you started playing which is to just have fun.

Secondly, I am guilty of thinking down on some people who have been playing for 5 years or more who never really move up and just play occassionally but the thing is, they are better off than most of us. They play where they are happy and enjoy the game with some friends and I salute you!

Now I dont know why I have typed this out, maybe I am bored but let's just have fun, let us forget those bad beats and enjoy the game that we love to play.

marginal, you're on a roll with awesome posts recently.

I agree with this 100%. Poker is supposed to be fun. I think originally, we all got into the game because we actually just had fun playing the game, win or lose.

There are many different walks of poker life, from the degen gambling thrillseeker to the once-a-week MTT freeroll player to the 24-tabling 12-hour-a-day grinding machine. Each one can gain satisfaction from the game in different ways. There is no one correct way to play poker... as long as we are able to gain some form of satisfaction from it it is worth playing. For some, satisfaction can mean just having fun trying to outplay their opponents while freechipping on Zynga. For others, satisfaction lies in annually making six-figures from their poker playing. Some just want the thrill of throwing money around and hoping to "make it big". The danger lies in when we continue playing but receive no satisfaction (monetary or otherwise) in doing so. When this happens, it's usually time to take a break.

One of the reasons why I like Cardschat vs. a forum like 2+2 is that there's more of a mix of players here, which fosters a little more communal and discussion-friendly environment. It is also a broader spectrum sampling of the poker world, which is actually quite vast. I like, no LOVE hearing about how people feel about and experience poker from all sorts of different perspectives. I would hope that posts here retain an good balance of 2+2-style witty-cynicism, heartfelt enthusiasm and cheerfulness, serious and well-though discussion, and the occasional insane off-the-wall exravaganza.

I remember an interview with Daniel Negreanu in which he gave a shout out to one of his friends who he said he deeply respected because of her love of poker, no matter the stakes.

One of my fondest memories is playing 5-card draw for gummy bears with my brother over the winter holidays when we were kids. I don't think even winning the wsop ME would rival these memories for me as my personal favorite moment in poker*... because really, money isn't everything... and poker isn't the only or necessarily the best way to make mountains of cash.

* Although, winning the WSOP ME would probably be a pretty close second!

Any money in poker is free money because I would do it anyways.

(I just turned a beautiful topic into a one liner. Win?)

Dude, way to be a downer.







But seriously, good post marginal. Alot of people I know are always asking me "Why don't you play bigger stakes and win lots of meney? Why waste your time nickle and diming it?" I always tell them that while making thousands is the dream, I am quite content where I am and realistically I will never be a poker made millionare. They just don't understand why I am putting in so many hours in a game that I love, without expecting major money down the line. Many of my peers (people I know personally) play poker as well, and many of them believe they are going to be the nexy Phil Ivey and get pissed as all hell when they lose a $5 sng, or go on a bad run for a few days. They take it waaay to seriously. I kinda feel sorry for them, since I think thay are playing for all the wrong reasons.

Would I like to make millions playing poker? Hell yeah! Is it going to happen? Not bloody likely. But I am ok with that. I just love this game and I will continue playing it just for that reason.


BTW, did you get hit in the head recently marginal? I've never seen you be this deep in your posts.

benkids said:

1111111111111111111111111111111

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Don't do that.

Great post marginal, it's good to be optimistic but better not to get too carried away.

Nice post marginal, I know the odds are unlikely most of us will make it big, but I'm still shooting right for the top. For now though, I am happy to grind the micros but hopefully will catch a break soon

Very nice post and not discouraging at all imo.

I'm a recreational player myself and I've got a pretty a busy schedule in real life - one of many reasons why it's highly unlikely that I will be pro anytime soon.

On the other hand I'm constantly working on my game and trying to stay focused on the particular game I'm playing - be it a micro sng, a CC buy-in or even a freeroll.... I just hate making mistakes.

Things need to be kept in perspective, I'm even "earning" a few $ with my hobby.... nothing bad about that I guess.

Introspection

marginal said:

we all want to reach that level where we are playing for thousands of dollars and that position where we are the idols of a future generation of poker players

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Not necessarily, but I understand what your driving at.

marginal said:

Secondly, I am guilty of thinking down on some people who have been playing for 5 years or more who never really move up and just play occassionally but the thing is, they are better off than most of us. They play where they are happy and enjoy the game with some friends and I salute you!

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Great point, some (not you) call some of these same players donks. Never liked the term, even though there is a lot worse. It also seems to me that the very same players who like to refer to others as donks are not the very good players. It's all relative to who you're comparing yourself to.

marginal said:

Now I dont know why I have typed this out, maybe I am bored but let's just have fun, let us forget those bad beats and enjoy the game that we love to play.

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I think you typed this out because you are reflecting on the game, the people who play it, and your personal goals.

Good Job!