Online Poker and Dopamine (?)

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Lephos2019

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I have been a brick and mortar cash game player off and on for about 18 years now. One of my biggest weaknesses has been bankroll management, and a proclivity to be too aggressive with my bankroll by playing blackjack with my money. Even though I can technically beat the game of blackjack, I am impatient and tend to try to build too fast. This has caused some issues.

As a result of these years of struggling with the brick and mortar issue, I have been paying closer attention to my mental state while I play so that I can identify what triggers cause me to make unwise decisions.

So I have made deposits online both in the past and recently. And I can't win. It's as though I think of the game in a completely different way while I'm playing online than I do in a live cash game. I recognize that there is less physical information coming my way. In live games I do tend to rely a lot on physical information that players give off, but online that is not available. However, I also notice something else that affects my play. After a short time, it's like my brain starts to heat up and race. I find myself becoming impatient and it's like I feel like if I don't win a hand, I'm failing. I'm trying to convey this as clearly as possible, but it's difficult to find the words. And what I'm wondering is if it's possible that the electronic poker game might be triggering greater amounts of dopamine than would otherwise happen in the brick and mortar games. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about or can relate?

I had a back who was very happy to back me in brick and mortar cash games. But he backed me in some online games while I was out of town and I simply could not win. As a result, I have lost him as a backer for now. I thought he would be able to help me overcome this weakness, but I don't think he was able to look at the problem objectively. Any help or advice is appreciated.
 
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I have been a brick and mortar cash game player off and on for about 18 years now. One of my biggest weaknesses has been bankroll management, and a proclivity to be too aggressive with my bankroll by playing blackjack with my money. Even though I can technically beat the game of blackjack, I am impatient and tend to try to build too fast. This has caused some issues.

As a result of these years of struggling with the brick and mortar issue, I have been paying closer attention to my mental state while I play so that I can identify what triggers cause me to make unwise decisions.

So I have made deposits online both in the past and recently. And I can't win. It's as though I think of the game in a completely different way while I'm playing online than I do in a live cash game. I recognize that there is less physical information coming my way. In live games I do tend to rely a lot on physical information that players give off, but online that is not available. However, I also notice something else that affects my play. After a short time, it's like my brain starts to heat up and race. I find myself becoming impatient and it's like I feel like if I don't win a hand, I'm failing. I'm trying to convey this as clearly as possible, but it's difficult to find the words. And what I'm wondering is if it's possible that the electronic poker game might be triggering greater amounts of dopamine than would otherwise happen in the brick and mortar games. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about or can relate?

I had a back who was very happy to back me in brick and mortar cash games. But he backed me in some online games while I was out of town and I simply could not win. As a result, I have lost him as a backer for now. I thought he would be able to help me overcome this weakness, but I don't think he was able to look at the problem objectively. Any help or advice is appreciated.

Mindset IMO is just as, if not more, important than lots of the other factors in playing good poker. Books like The Mental Game of Poker and Zen and the Art of Poker are must reads.

Whenever the thoughts you describe start coming to your awareness, acknowledge and note them, refocus yourself or take a break for a few minutes.
 
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Lephos2019

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Thank you for pointing those books my way. I will read them.

It's interesting what you say about noting the mindset. At the beginning of this year I started keeping notes like that of a quick journal or diary. I don't seem to always remember it, but when I do I notate some of the things that happen or that I notice and may need to remember.
 
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joshua360

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I too have a similar issue. It's as if i'm not getting action I don't feel like i'm doing good. I've started sitting out if i start making calls with just a pair when a flush/straight is clearly likely hit by my opponent. I go for a quick 10/15 minute walk, walking fast enough to break a sweat. This seems to clear my head and calm my urge for constant action. It also gets my blood circulating to my legs after sitting for too long.
 
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xy23

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I have been a brick and mortar cash game player off and on for about 18 years now. One of my biggest weaknesses has been bankroll management, and a proclivity to be too aggressive with my bankroll by playing blackjack with my money. Even though I can technically beat the game of blackjack, I am impatient and tend to try to build too fast. This has caused some issues.

As a result of these years of struggling with the brick and mortar issue, I have been paying closer attention to my mental state while I play so that I can identify what triggers cause me to make unwise decisions.

So I have made deposits online both in the past and recently. And I can't win. It's as though I think of the game in a completely different way while I'm playing online than I do in a live cash game. I recognize that there is less physical information coming my way. In live games I do tend to rely a lot on physical information that players give off, but online that is not available. However, I also notice something else that affects my play. After a short time, it's like my brain starts to heat up and race. I find myself becoming impatient and it's like I feel like if I don't win a hand, I'm failing. I'm trying to convey this as clearly as possible, but it's difficult to find the words. And what I'm wondering is if it's possible that the electronic poker game might be triggering greater amounts of dopamine than would otherwise happen in the brick and mortar games. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about or can relate?

I had a back who was very happy to back me in brick and mortar cash games. But he backed me in some online games while I was out of town and I simply could not win. As a result, I have lost him as a backer for now. I thought he would be able to help me overcome this weakness, but I don't think he was able to look at the problem objectively. Any help or advice is appreciated.


Like the post above, reading the Mental Game of poker definitely helped me. I used to be just like you, constantly impatient, and simply gambling away my bankroll on blackjack to double up if I lost part of my bankroll during a session.
Just like how gamers watch their favorite pro gamers on twitch or youtube and try to mimic their moves, play style, and strategy, you should watch pros go over their hand history reviews, or watch their live sweat videos. Their patience and drive is nothing short but inspirtational. Over time, that helped me calm my impatient, and reckless gambling side immensely.
 
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