Am I falling out of love with poker?

Something odds happening, something I've not really experienced before with poker.

Ok the title wording "poker" might be the wrong thing to say, maybe I'm falling out of love with hold'em.

Two days ago, as normal after everything is done, wife reads her book, or ereader whichever whilst watching some T.V. I usually start a "grind" with SnG MTT's + MTT's..but I loaded my first MTT and a second, then I thought to myself "I don't really want to play" so I didn't bother loading anymore and sat through the 2 games, spewing chips, playing quite bad and didn't care if I busted, which never is the case usually I'm usually so in the zone and hate busting but anyway, after a couple of hours I busted them and just shut down pokerstars and played around on the computer for a while doing non related poker stuff.

Usually I think about poker quite a bit, (sounds sad) on a day to day basis. Today, I didn't...or had any interest in anything with poker. Tonight, I just watched some T.V with the wife then when she went to bed, I thought "Ok, lets just try play some STT SnG's and see if my interest comes back" I quickly loaded 10 $3.50 games and all filled quite quickly. I sat there looking at my screen with the and players in my games"Tournament will start within 1 minute" and I thought "oh my god, I have 10 of these I REALLY dont want to play" what a waste of money I thought. I saw there was even "regs" at 3.50 grinidng it out and several on each of my table, it made me think "dear god this is pathetic" I'm unsure if it's the stakes I'm playing or what or the grind and all this mass multi tabling taking the "fun" out of it for me.

Anyway, I played AWFUL (ended up with a little profit) but played so bad and didn't care again if I busted. I was open shoving UTG with 16 blinds with suited connectors, 10,2 os and so on, just wanting it to be over or double up whatever was fine with me.

I did this for a while till I ended up with a few tables left and down to heads up in one and so on, again, coming over the top with poor hands etc etc.

Now I've finished, I have no desire to even look at other games running in hold'em. I think I'm bored of hold'em..or something...

I did want to play something different, like Omaha but I've had really bad results and lost a lot of money along with the fact I'm really really bad at Omaha. Limit hold'em slightly interests me and 8game/horse/draw poker/razz etc also interests me which I want to play but I know I'm bad at them but I dunno something isn't right lol. I can happily sit p laying one table of 8game or razz for example but hold'em seems to bore the hell out of me, espically SnG's!

It isn't even as if I'm in a downswing, if anything I was down over a 100 only a few week ago and managed to grind back up a bit so it isn't because I'm losing, I'm making a little bit of money here and there.

Do you think it could be the boring stakes I play and even "regs" at these stakes making it a CHORE more than fun?

any ideas on whats wrong with me? lol

I dunno dude, sounds like you're in a mindset of I have some time, guess I should play poker. We all have times when we don't want to play/CBA to play. I play because I want to and I enjoy it. If i don't want to/won't enjoy it, I do something else.

TBH, I wouldn't mind being like you sometimes, when I know I should be getting on with something else like writing my articles but instead I just wanna carry on playing. At the end of the day, you're not someone who relies on poker for a living, so if you don't fancy it, don't play. It's a fun game where you can win some cash. If you're not having fun, take a week out, spend some time with the wife, watch Deal or no Deal. You'll probably look forward to coming back in a week's time.

I find playing a single tournament table to be a refreshing break from a "grind". Think about every single hand, take notes, and really try to figure out your opponents. Listen to some music, have a drink and enjoy immersing yourself in the game. This is probably how you fell in love with online poker, only now you are much better at it!!

I'm U.S. player and I don't think I've gotten excited one way or the other since FTP went down...I still play on Merge Gaming sites and Luvin Poker but even when I'm in the money it just doesn't feel the same....I even do what you did....play to finish and get out of game!

I'm like that quite often, simply put I'm not in the right frame of mind to be playing, I either continue to play.. properly until the current SNG is finished. or just close the whole thing and let myself blind out, done it quite a few times.

I don't think there is anything wrong with you. It sounds like NLHE has ceased to be challenging for you. If you're prepared to put some effort into improving at PLO and Mixed Games, I would pursue those.

You may have noticed that many high stakes pros have migrated from NLHE to PLO and Mixed Games over the last few years. Invariably, you hear that they have done it because they find these games more challenging and that they want to become more complete players.

I think PLO is a great game. When I play, I feel more engaged in the game because there are so many hand combinations to consider. Although I still play more NLHE than PLO, regularly switching between the two has improved my overall enjoyment of poker.

Sound like you feel going to work when you open the tables and not having fun and relaxing time.
I am fairly new to poker so I don´t have such an experience and I still enjoy it.
But maybe a break of one or two weeks will help you.
Remember: There is still RL out there, lol

Like JohnBoy said just take a break. If you're not enjoying it and you're playing bad then don't play. No harm done and in a week or so you'll probably get your appetite for the game back.

Tangerine 53 said:

Like JohnBoy said just take a break. If you're not enjoying it and you're playing bad then don't play. No harm done and in a week or so you'll probably get your appetite for the game back.

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This^

It's perfectly natural to get a little stale or jaded with the game. It happens to me fairly regularly. The key is to recognise when it's happening and to give yourself that break so you don't do terminal damage to your BR. You seem to think a lot about the game and it sounds like you know what you need to do.

Stop playing donkaments, imo. I got totally bored of those after less than a year of my poker carreer, then I moved to cash games and i've never been bored since then. And obviously the deeper you play the more interesting it gets.

Also, when you don't feel like playing anymore, you just insta sitout from your cash games, while you're stuck in and forced to play till you bust in donkaments.

Yeah - I think a break is in order of some sort.

@belgo

I've done this before when I got bored, went from one format to another, I've always enjoyed cash games, I'm just so so bad - I only ever lose lol. To much skill involved in cash, I don't have it.

ramdeebam said:

Yeah - I think a break is in order of some sort.

@belgo

I've done this before when I got bored, went from one format to another, I've always enjoyed cash games, I'm just so so bad - I only ever lose lol. To much skill involved in cash, I don't have it.

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nobody has it from the start. You need to learn it. And the learning process is what makes it enjoyable.

I think it is because all us fun Americans can't play. Totally boring now.........

This is normal. I haven't been into playing SNG's in over a yr. & won't reg. for MTT's unless I'm actually feeling into it.
Find something else to do.... but if you still want to play poker, try a different game (ie. play PLO or STUD at micro stakes cash tables).