Losing the "desire"

[jsnake716]

I just want to make a short post, wondering if anyone else gets these feelings. January 2018 through May 2018 , I was having a "good" year. Yes, only about 5 months.

The only downside, I was not playing as much cash as I had planned to play. I was doing well in Mtt's. I am only a Micro to Low Stake player. I have develop small bankrolls on 4 sites, definitely not making enough money to live off, but winning.And I can show small winrates for going on 2 years.

Suddenly June-July it has been work to open up my HUD and load up the sites. Never in all the time I played poker has it been "work". I am staying active in the freeroll club here. I was playing 15-20 MTT's per day. Now , just trying to get 2.

I am feeling a little excited about August CardsChat is having some big freerolls. Hopefully, this will be my come back, I never really took off more than a few days so maybe I just needed a break. Question- Does anyone else ever feel this way??????

 

[ScooperNova]

online poker gets boring for me at times.

 

[hugh blair]

breaks are good from time to time especially when have busy schedule with work or family committments.

 

[Poker_Mike]

I agree with Hugh....breaks are good.

But to answer your question directly....a break may not stop a bad run - if you've been playing profitably for 2 years. A bad run meaning no matter what you do - you can't win a hand ! Gotta give some back due to variance.

But, what a break might do is....allow you to clear your head so that you can emotionally handle a "bad run" better than the place you sound like you are in right now.

Without a break you may continue to run bad and feel worse. Worse enough to quit and that would be terrible !

Because...profitable poker is not about always winning. It's about winning more than you are losing.

Re-group your head and ask yourself why you play poker and what you expect out of it.

Maybe it's time to actively plan out a strategy to double your bankroll in any of those rooms. Now that sounds like a challenge you can get excited to open your HUD for!

Good luck !

 

[rachelle2291]

its called summer! lots of other fun things to do other than sit in front of a computer all day long!

 

[thackro]

I took several years away from the game, I had lost my zest for it. Most likely due to playing too much, all the time. I agree with those that suggest moderation and diversity. I love the game but there is so much more out there.

 

[iamtoldurghey]

Yeah if you grind too much ......

"your whole life becomes a ****in grind"

 

[Wiltz82]

If it seems to be like work then take a break and you’ll come back to it when it’s fun again. It’s what I do I play for a couple of months and have fun win or loose it’s playing cards and if your just doing micro an low buyins it’s not going to hurt to take a break or if you do have some money saved up on the sites cash part of them out and go to the casino and play some real poker. Maybe all you need is a change of pace a different look at playing where it’s still fun.

 

[DougPkrMonsta]

Definitely have felt that way before - especially when results are disappointing / when down-swinging.

I haven't played more than 1-2 tournaments a day since Black Friday but before that I played 300 tournaments a week ($10 buyins and lower).

I generally just pushed through and kept playing, but getting a schedule of events I looked forward to each day really kept it from being less of a grind.

There are less choices out there now but try to play some other games to break up the monotony... A PLO here, a PLO8, or HORSE tournament there... etc.

Good luck!

 

[infonazar]

Everybody feels excitement after a long break. This is a normal reaction.
Start playing again to get back to shape.

 

[AlexStar1981]

When you do monotonous actions many times and so every day for a long time, you just need to periodically take breaks. And the fact that it bothers, no matter how interesting the occupation was - it's normal. And if time after time, you still return to this occupation, then it means you are not tired )))

 

[disorder64]

I just want to make a short post, wondering if anyone else gets these feelings. January 2018 through May 2018 , I was having a "good" year. Yes, only about 5 months.

The only downside, I was not playing as much cash as I had planned to play. I was doing well in Mtt's. I am only a Micro to Low Stake player. I have develop small bankrolls on 4 sites, definitely not making enough money to live off, but winning.And I can show small winrates for going on 2 years.

Suddenly June-July it has been work to open up my HUD and load up the sites. Never in all the time I played poker has it been "work". I am staying active in the freeroll club here. I was playing 15-20 MTT's per day. Now , just trying to get 2.

I am feeling a little excited about August CardsChat is having some big freerolls. Hopefully, this will be my come back, I never really took off more than a few days so maybe I just needed a break. Question- Does anyone else ever feel this way??????

I play a lot more live poker than I do online. Online tends to be something I just kind of do for fun, while I am watching TV, etc. But, I have been playing live tournaments and cash games for years. I have found in the last couple years, the cash game doesn't interest me like it used to. I started playing badly, because I was getting bored. It took me some time to realize what it was that made it boring for me, though.

I am a very competitive person - and poker is where I get most of that out. I want to win. Not money, necessarily... I want to come in first place. Winning money is great... but its not what drives me in poker...I want to be the best... I want to be the last one standing at the end of the day. I don't get that from the cash game. So, I've mostly been sticking to tournaments and focusing on them. Now, when I play cash, its to just be social and have a good time - turns out, when I am doing that, I actually play much better.

If I ever feel like its all too much, I take breaks. But, I haven't felt that way in a long time. As for online; it has never gotten boring to me... but I don't rely on online for poker, since I have so many live opportunities to play. But, I would think about what it is you enjoy and try to figure out why you are bored.

I recently decided to start setting more finite goals for myself in poker. Challenging myself. That might be a good thing to get you more interested -- set a bankroll challenge... start blogging your tournament results, etc.

 

[JessiPinkman]

Yes, I'm bored of online poker too, because cards not really and combinations are determined, nearly. Of course if you have a big bankroll, the game coming fun. But freerolls allow to me to develop my skills and understanding the behavior of players

 

[neptun1914]

It is completely normal to need a break sometimes. I have also reduced playing in the summer due to the many other things that i am doing. Balance is very important thing. If you do not want to play just take some rest and focus on your other hobbies to have fun.

 

[Alex Sentsov]

What can I say? Without the desire to sit down to play poker is not necessary. The results will upset you and discourage you from playing in the future.

 

[Mikeloti13]

This is a really good topic. I get that feeling 2-3 times a year. Mainly online poker involved. Live poker is different specially if you are playing tournaments. I need to wait couple of days before another tournament start so thrill is still there. But online you can play 15 tournaments a day and its normall to lose desire a bit. You need to devote yourself 110% to the tournament you are playing at the time, act like its for 1 million dollars and everything will be more fun, believe me.

 

[Hey]

Poker is not my job. In my case it is waste of time and no profit.
Sometimes I feel fed up of poker (this feeling comes when I play too much as I think). And I make a break for tow days or more. But after several days of break I want to play again. I call this feeling Love. I Love Poker. And what about you? I agree that our head is fresh after the break. If you are going to make a long break don't waste your time, but learn to play poker reading the books (may be not for the first time) and watching videos. You'll see it will bring you a benefit.

 

[ZenGreen]

The problem is that is isnt worth the time anymore unless youre a top player. It seems when I started playing that payout for a min cash was at least double the buyin if not more and it seemed 1st place paid more. Now it seems min cash is like the buyin plus %10 or something insane and it seems top plaves pay a lot less.

I keep trying to get remotavated but lately I just get over it from the first hand I play. Even cashes used to keep me alive on downswings but right now they dont even do it. It just no incentive to play knowing Im going to devote at least 6 hours a day playing a ton of MTTs and hoping I find the lucky MTT slotmachine that table where you win flips and youre aheads, HOLD!!

Then I think its me but Im watching twitch streamers doing this all day almost everyday and they will have a lot of FTs and such and Im like they are killing it, and then find out they are break even most of these days WTF!!!

Plus add to the fact that not too many plays work as often as they should, too many players know everything and at my buyins we all know the plays eve if we dont know they whys and hows.

I dont know lately its just a grind and not a fun one

 

[bkniefel]

Congratulations on setting your goals and meeting them like you have this past year! That alone has a lot to say for how seriously you take poker and how diligent you are in your mental investment. That is certainly what stakers will want to look for..

The only time I get tired of poker is when it becomes a grind like mentioned above because it becomes a means for your expenses rather than for fun and thrill of getting deep in tournaments. Other than that, sitting in a chair for a long time can get you anxious especially if you've been spending hours playing great hands and just beat after beat comes right at you.. it can become discouraging.

If you need a break, just take one and see what happens.

 

[kceow2981]

I do get this way. I treat poker more like a hobby where I come back to it from time to time. But really I just never play when I'm not totally mentally invested. If I'm not then I make terrible plays and lose a bunch of money every time. So I just dont force it. I just let it go and whenever I feel good about playing I'll play.

 

[VisionNutz]

Great post!

 

[Ricey155]

Agreed on the boredom factor, luckily I'm busy through the UK summer so I miss lots of action so come the winter I'm reenergized and ready to rock again.

A break is good for the mind and the grind

 

[22meandu]

Agreed on the boredom factor, luckily I'm busy through the UK summer so I miss lots of action so come the winter I'm reenergized and ready to rock again.

A break is good for the mind and the grind

YES , Sell ice blocks , enjoy the sun . :bandit::lollypop::beer: .

 

[xxxREAPERxxx]

Going on losing streaks or just getting burned out from playing too much can make you feel discouraged,but just keep playing because soon enough you will win a big game and your drive and the desire to play will return very quickly.

 

[BDI]

a break and come back energized helps!

I just want to make a short post, wondering if anyone else gets these feelings. January 2018 through May 2018 , I was having a "good" year. Yes, only about 5 months.

The only downside, I was not playing as much cash as I had planned to play. I was doing well in Mtt's. I am only a Micro to Low Stake player. I have develop small bankrolls on 4 sites, definitely not making enough money to live off, but winning.And I can show small winrates for going on 2 years.

Suddenly June-July it has been work to open up my HUD and load up the sites. Never in all the time I played poker has it been "work". I am staying active in the freeroll club here. I was playing 15-20 MTT's per day. Now , just trying to get 2.

I am feeling a little excited about August CardsChat is having some big freerolls. Hopefully, this will be my come back, I never really took off more than a few days so maybe I just needed a break. Question- Does anyone else ever feel this way??????

I have had that same feeling before a few times; and have to remember that poker is a game but at the end of the day, it takes up a lot of time and can get discouraging if you have played for a while and been on the receiving end of a bad, dry run for a month or two or even longer. You should know when it is time to give yourself a break and do other things in life. Sometimes I would have to take a few weeks off or even a few months, and when I did and came back - the excitement for poker was there I was energized. Try to always be growing and set short, practical goals. My gut tells me you want to become a pro, and aren't just doing this for a hobby, so I suggest watching the replays of some million dollar tournament final tables, and maybe even studying some of the greatest poker pros on youtube, which energize you and whose styles and skills you can adopt and adapt to as well. Poker will always be here, but remember also, your time is more-valuable than money. In this life, we only get a set amount of time; don't waste any of it. Try new things; grow in new areas; and be willing to advance forward boldly in new ways. I understand because I've been there a few times myself. I hope this helps.