I think I have an addiction problem with poker

I

ilostmysoul

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I've been noticing this for a while as soon as I started keeping records on the amount of hours I was playing. First of all, I'm not as far off as being in debt or losing money I can't afford to lose or depositing more than I was initially thinking of. I only deposit 10-20€/month (so far only had to redeposit 3 times) to play NL2 and make a mess (I know it goes against most bankroll policies, sue me) in .5-.75 S&Gs, if I lose the whole deposit, so be it, I wait until next month.

This is more of an identity issue. I play poker since I was around 10, and I've been playing online as soon as I turned 18. I've studied several books. Poker has been a consistent part of my life. I consider myself a poker player, and I think this is my problem. Take chess. I know how to play chess, I'm pretty good at chess, I had chess classes through my childhood, but I don't think of myself as a chess player. I play chess for fun, I play chess to have a good time and think a little. I don't play chess to win.

But when I play poker, it comes a point where all I care about is winning. Because after all this time and studying, I should be winning. So I sit down and start playing and I say "I should be able to get to 30€ playing NL2 and S&Gs today".

Then 2 things happen.

1. As long as I am playing for fun and having a good time without caring about the money, I'm a profitable player, both at NL2 and S&Gs. In my first 2 sessions today, I had a steady increase from 10 to 25. But as soon as it becomes about the money ("Should I withdraw now? No, let's make it to 30. Let's just play this one more game, etc.") I suck. I will literally be thinking "I am beat, he has me outkicked" and I will shove 200BBs or call a river shove in NL2 with 3rd pair. I lose all my aggressiveness too, and I let myself be kicked around, which then gets frustrating and it turns to an endless negative spiral.

2. It took me 4 hours in a row to get from 10€ to 25, 2 hours to get from 25 to 9. I played 6 hours in a row from the time I got home. I am an university student, I work out, and I have side studies and other things I care about. I can't afford 6 hours. It wouldn't even be worth if I had kept the 25, not by a long mile. And the only reason I stopped playing is probably because it's late.

Besides, along those last hours I received 2 phones calls and I'm aware I will have to call those people back tomorrow to apologize for my arrogance and unwillingness to talk with them.

I have no idea what to do. Taking a break doesn't work. I had a 2 year break from online poker and the first day it got back this same exact thing happened; I played 7 hours in a row. I could stop playing altogether, but by now poker has become part of my identity.

Ideally, poker would be like chess to me. I would sit at a table when I felt like it, play while it was fun, and leave (especially at NL2 where you really can't expect to make a living or even enough to buy a new book - which is the way I see poker, by the way, "I want this book and it costs 15€ so let's play to get instead of buying it right now"). If I ended up losing money, so be it. But I'm very far from that destination and I have no idea how to get there :mad:
 
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detroitjunkie

detroitjunkie

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Play for free...forget about the money...it can still be fun...lots of ways to play for free...wsip App is good start
 
T

trent32la

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Each session you play, you shouldn't have monetary goals. You should plan to play for x amount of hours or x amount of hands, and have a stop-loss point of x number of buyins where you will end your session if you lose that much.

You certainly need to lower your poker volume and put some of that time towards studying the game if you are passionate. If you start feeling out of your zone during your sessions and are playing wrecklessly/bad, then it's time to walk away from your computer, do something else, and come back when you are feeling more calmed/focused.
 
B

B1BOMBER

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Well it could be worse. You could be hooked on drugs and spend $100 to $1000 or more daily. If you are in some form of control of your money and are only loosing all the time this you can try to work on. Don't even turn your computer on for a couple days and you will see you can live without it.:D:D
 
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paulsmall007

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Lol right you could be an alcoholic, a lot cheaper to play cards, at least your learning a skill in the long run. And a good social gathering game. Try teaching your friends and get them involved
 
Nick Lopez

Nick Lopez

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Well if the first thing you do after getting up and the last thing you do before bed is play poker I think if this is the case you could have a problem with poker and it does not matter if you play with real or fictitious money there is always the need to play Then you are entering the category of addicted to poker.
 
Kenzie 96

Kenzie 96

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Your repeating behavior that is counter productive & makes you unhappy. Unless you are talking about a relationship, I agree, you obviously have a problem.
 
W

Weee3eee

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i know how you feel man. I took a year off of poker and came back into it 6 months ago. Man, i have done this and it's a world a lot better.

get around other poker peeps that are of positive influence.

Play within your bankroll. Always stay in action.
 
Z

ZingyT

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some thoughts to manage this "issue"

If it is a "too much time" spent on poker problem, try setting some time limits. Play for x hours or hands etc. Also having a "loss-stop" point is a good idea. Generally if I find myself losing alot it is more to do with me then with the cards. ( i become to impatient from boredom and look for action, etc)

But if your not going into debt or having other issues (sleep deprivation, etc) then there is likely no need to panic yet.

Good limits, both on bankroll management and time management should help.

Also freerolls are a great way to get your "fix" without spending anything.
 
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Weee3eee

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I will also add something else that has happened to me. Write out your goals and keep a poker journal. Write down feelings and read your goals before every session. It will help you engage yourself in a better clarity.
 
BlackJesus

BlackJesus

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The way I got around your problem was playing properly :D :D

I mean - try to play professionally, so no matter what it takes, you can say you did your best to profit. This includes uneasy decisions at the table, patience, etc., etc, and, of course, taking breaks for simply letting my brain to have a much needed rest. For me playing poker wasnt that pleasant all of a sudden and I can take breaks easily. It is also more profitable/less losing strategy.
 
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