I'm glad I'm not a gambler.

After reading one crazy post on hre a few minutes ago I'm so glad I'm not addicted to gambling or an action junky. I know friends who have lost 10's of thousands of dollars doing this and online poker. I've turned a profit since I started. Not enough to brag about but about 7k in over a decade of going from zero bankroll to something and back again. I never play the lotto ( the white trash retirement plan) we call it here. I like control of my life. I'm not a control freak but I do control my own actions and do positive things for my community and those around me. I play on a specific routine that increases my bankroll at a slow but decent rate at most sites. kind of gotten out of it a while with a few health concerns but overall i hang in there. I cant believe some people can be so vulnerable. Some I guess can handle it some cant. To the guy with the insane post about pokerstars ruining his life. You ruined your life. Get your priorities in order or poker will never come easy or anything else. Take responsibility there's no excuses. I still scratching my head with what I just read. Poker can be a cruel gimmick to some without enough backbone.Dont let poker run your life. You run it. Take this for what its worth to anyone that reads it.

Gambling can turn it to a lot of bad things like drinking and drugs. Addiction is sometimes hard to stop by yourself. You know you have to stop but you can't. It's always great when you have someone in your life that can help you get help. Not everyone has a person like that though. There's always hotlines though.

I don't know what post/thread you a referring too but if some one is a gambling addict yes they are responsible for their actions but addictions can be uncontrollable - To say Stars ruined your life wouldn't be how I would word it, or how Poker ruined my life - I would word it like "My addiction ruined my life"

It's easy for me to go "you shouldn't smoke" because I don't smoke and I'm not addicted to it but anyone who smokes can tell you just how hard it is to quit..

As for me I like gambling I like the rush I don't gamble in slots or things where no matter how good I get I can't win in the long run, I like games where If I get better my losses become lower or my wins become higher.

However moderation is key in things like this (which for me moderation isn't not doing the activity such as poker but it's controlling my bank roll and limits I play)

Interesting post.. poker actually got me off drugs and alcohol. I used to be an everyday pot smoker but I realized it affected my play so I quit and I drink only rarely now. I enjoy poker and blackjack, I wouldn't say I enjoy gambling however. I only like to play games that you can beat, it's kind of some sort of personal challenge to me. I am an adrenaline junkie on some level though. I enjoy motorcycles for that reason and got turned onto skydiving last year. I love it. It's like a reset button on life for me. Kind of like an acid trip or something haha.

In my opinion, we are all gamblers but armed with skill and education we are able to win and profitable gamblers. People call be gambler here in our country, i just embrace the idea, although at first i always try to deflect it but no matter how I see it and defend myself that I am not, I always end up as a "gambler" although somehow a winning player.

mendiolacubicle said:

In my opinion, we are all gamblers but armed with skill and education we are able to win and profitable gamblers. People call be gambler here in our country, i just embrace the idea, although at first i always try to deflect it but no matter how I see it and defend myself that I am not, I always end up as a "gambler" although somehow a winning player.

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I don't like being called a gambler. If poker players are to be considered gamblers then so should stock traders and everyone on wallstreet.. But I do see your point.

the best players in the world are the ones that truely love the game. i buy into a tourney so i can sit down and play some cards not to become a millionaire

Regarding addiction, it is any act out of craving and temporary relief, which the individual is still not able to stop, in-spite of long-term negative consequences. The roots of it are ultimately in pain and it is often very misunderstood.

For the record, one can be addicted to poker, gambling, and the internet, and still not lose any money if bankroll management is adhered to. However, if gambling more than one can afford to lose is the biggest fix then it is unfortunate.

I don't agree with the original poster that addicts consciously ruined their lives. Addicts are typically missing a lot of compassion for various reasons beyond their control and need a greater escapism from their lives just to fill the void. The problem is it ultimately creates more pain.

If you truly understand addiction, you will understand the moments they are chasing their fix are ones where they feel the most alive with love, confidence, happiness etc. and every other moment is filled with a living hell in comparison.

It is only when an addict is willing to love themselves enough to be with themselves through the worst moments of reality that they will start to make ultimate progress and reclaim responsibility.

or3o1990 said:

I don't like being called a gambler. If poker players are to be considered gamblers then so should stock traders and everyone on wallstreet.. But I do see your point.

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Stock trading is gambling just like poker, Sports betting and etc, based on gambling's definition.

I don't know why a losing investor is held higher in the non gambling publics eyes then a winning poker player or whatever.. I think the argument of the Stock market is gambling with winning and losing investors should be Online pokers #1 push to showing the politicians it should be legalized.

There are losing players just like winning players and investors.

S3mper said:

Stock trading is gambling just like poker, Sports betting and etc, based on gambling's definition.

I don't know why a losing investor is held higher in the non gambling publics eyes then a winning poker player or whatever.. I think the argument of the Stock market is gambling with winning and losing investors should be Online pokers #1 push to showing the politicians it should be legalized.

There are losing players just like winning players and investors.

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Your absolutely right and they're playing some of the highest stakes on the planet. Poker can't even compare. I don't get why the public considers what they do to be more moral, maybe it's the suits. I'm gonna start wearing a suits when I play cards haha.

I think it's easy to say when you never been through to a similar situation. I think so easy to not smoke or drink, but I know that for some persons this is almost impossible because it's so difficult to handle with addiction. Blame only the person for his addiction, in my opinion, it's not the way you can cure an addicted.

If someone is addicted to gambling that means he is loser? Maybe in 98% of gamblers are, but the rest 2% are winning millions of dollers for just sitting on a chair and saying "fold" "call" "raise". Everyone wants to be in these 2% so will you?