Should I Quit?

[Trees879]

Been playing for around 6 years, only more seriously for around 6 months. Lost $2000-$3000 over those years.When I first started playing poker it looked like a promising way to make a living.Then, as I started playing more and more, (culminating this past week), I realize that poker is a very difficult (and somewhat miserable) way to make a living.I can't tell you how many thousands or even tens of thousands of hours that I've spent playing poker with nothing to show for it. And those lost hours are something that I'll never be able to get back. (and I'm only 18).I'll be attending university in September (for math/finance) and I was hoping to play poker during those next few years as a way to make a living.I want/wanted to be a winner at poker, and have put in many hours of study, but sitting in front of a computer screen for 9-12 hours, only to breakeven or even lose 10+ buyins is frustrating as hell.I decided to post it here, seeing as the advice is generally alot better than in other parts of the forum.I know that ultimately only I can answer this question, but I'm looking for feedback from other people who are in, or have been in, similar situations.I'm leaning towards calling it quits, as most pros probably don't make over $100K, and yet there are so many other professions (within the realm of entrepreneurship and financial management, which I someday hope to enter) that do.In other words, it seems alot more +ev to be the operator of a poker site (or any business for that matter) than a player.

 

[omeg]

Hello Trees879:Welcome to the No Deposit Forum.  As far as your question, you are right in stating, ONLY you can answer what is best for you.  People from here, there, everywhere can offer advice till we are blue in the face, but folks are going to do what they want and feel is best. I dont play poker, but I think as a fellow gambler, we all ask ourselves this question from time to time.  Is it time to call it quits.  I learned a long time ago to play for the enjoyment out of it, NOT for the hopes I would become rich.  Those are BIG dreams for all of us, but the odds are highly against us. You enjoy the game, but sounds like as far as making a living out of it, is is burning you out.  Get back to the time when you enjoyed the game, and play strictly for that. This way the wins are much more enjoyable, and not a matter of if the bills get paid or not.  That is no way to live feeling like that. Thanks for letting me give my two cents.  I hope it helped.                                                                                           Pam

 

[Mben]

Hi Trees and welcome.From what I read just from the title of your post, I don't think you want to quit and need the urging of others to help you make that decision because you are leaning towards it. You have to make that decision on your own and wake up one day and say I quit . (I know you said that in your post, that only you can make the decision)  When you start getting rid of your deposit options ie: closing reloadable CC accounts, cutting up cards, killing links where you have access to transferring funds easily, deleting account numbers, uninstalling casinos and poker rooms, then you will know that you are quitting for real instead of toying around with the idea. Now I know those actions seem to be more for the problem gambler and I am not saying you have a problem. But if you feel you are dumping more money into gambling than you are making, then that's a problem. Not a quote unquote gambling problem but a I'm not bringing home any money problem even if I have all the money in the world to lose . So basically what I am saying is ... make your decision whether to quit or not. If you choose to quit once and for all, follow through with it. It's so easy to say I quit and not mean it. And once and for all does not mean forever either. Maybe take a long break and come back later. I will admit to you that I have been toying around with the idea of quitting myself for a few weeks now. I do not have all the money in the world to lose and have not been winning at all. Just this morning, I got rid of the last option I had to easily deposit into an online casino. I know I am not quitting entirely but I had to make it more difficult for myself to make deposits. That's where I stand. I hope whichever road you take, whether to continue or to quit, brings you the results you are looking for.

 

[Tirileja]

Sorry for derailing a little, but I thought this was a spammer writing."
There was a link in the post at first. Then I maybe think that an 18year old boy may have had it difficult to gamble for six years already and the language was also a little too old ."
If you think I'm totally wrong you can delete my post. I just had to say it

 

[krystalkitty]

ditto Triri.....That is why I took it with a grain of salt

 

[Mben]

hahaha Sometimes I don't put two and two together. I didn't catch the 6 years of gambling and the fact that he is only 18 now. I didn't see the post when it had a link in it otherwise, yes, I would have known what he was up to. But really, it's a good thread for those of us who are thinking about quitting. I spent time spilling my guts (as did Pam) so I am leaving the thread. (that's not suppose to sound mean.

)

 

[Tirileja]

Nice to read that there was someone except me that thought so. Now it feels a lot better that I wrote it. I don't want to hurt anyone.

 

[PSP]

Hi Trees - I'm not sure as an 18 year old, but if you really follow pro poker, I'm sure that you've heard of Jesus - aka Chris FergusonIf not, check out his bio here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Jesus_Ferguson Jesus tried to generate a bankroll from nothing using freerolls and low limit tournaments. His  0 to $10,000 Bankroll challenge is chronicled here http://www.chrisferguson.com/article-4It took him a VERY long time to actually complete this challenge - and he is one of the smartest pro poker players out there - what are the chances that you can pull this off? ... and even if you are as smart (or smarter) than Jesus with his PhD in Computer Science from UCLA, how long would it take you to earn $10K vs winning it playing poker?I'm not trying to brag here (because it probably wouldn't be appreciated anyway ), but I have a similar background and IQ to Jesus - I realized long ago that being a pro poker player wasn't the way to go simply because there were too many variables that were completely out of your control. For every Jesus or Unabomber out there, there are WAAAAAAY more guys out the like Ernie Scherer out there. I met and hung out with Ernie about 6 years ago - pro player, pretty successful, but he couldn't keep it going. He got on an incredibly bad losing streak and did things that were horrific to cover his losses. You can Google his name for the details, but trust me - it wasn't pretty.I'll try to bottom line it for you (not expecting it to be accepted based on the age) - play for fun, not a living. You are about as likely to make your living playing poker professionally as you are to be an NBA or NFL star. It can happen, but don't put all of your eggs in that basket. If you're smart enough to really be a pro poker player, you'll be much more likely to make a fortune doing something entrepreneurial than winning it.Of course, your mileage may vary ...

 

[omeg]

Mben wrote: hahaha Sometimes I don't put two and two together. I didn't catch the 6 years of gambling and the fact that he is only 18 now. I didn't see the post when it had a link in it otherwise, yes, I would have known what he was up to. But really, it's a good thread for those of us who are thinking about quitting. I spent time spilling my guts (as did Pam) so I am leaving the thread. (that's not suppose to sound mean.

)

Hi gang:I saw the original post with a link in it, and deleted it.  It was to a particular poker site of which now I do not remember which one exactly. Although it was a brand new member, with a link, I found the post to be geniune and a good read, so I left the post, and replied. I too missed the part about it being a 18 yr old with all that experience already.  I suppose I should of caught that as well. Thanks for leaving it Mben, I too think it is a good read, and letting other members add to it if they feel the need, and want to have a place to throw ideas around about quitting.                                                                                            Pam