Should I quit playing poker?

    • ga11ant
      ga11ant
      Bronze
      Joined: 01.07.2011 Posts: 21
      I have been playing at party poker, on and off for about three months. In the beginning I played cash tables, and quickly lost my first 25 dollar deposit. Since I lost that so fast I switched over to MTT's. I think I placed in or around the minimum payouts a couple times but never made my money back. I also discovered sit and go's, especially the double or nothings, and again I would get some money but also eventually lose it. I lost about $200 before I earned my first "big money" payout. I placed 2nd in a tournament and won $300. I cashed out $200 and over a week I lost my other $100. Now this month I lost another $100 but placed In another tournament and won $100. Now I am about even (probably down). I have only just discovered poker strategy but I'm not eager to read all the articles (I'm probably to lazy to be poker player). So should I quit while I'm not too far behind?

      (sorry but I rushed this post cause I gotta go to work, if you have any questions asked and I will respond when I get home)
  • 23 replies
    • purple16
      purple16
      Bronze
      Joined: 21.05.2011 Posts: 102
      If you are lazy and you have not avid interest in learning game, then better quit it. As learning process of poker never ends, it is not for lazy people. Except, you can read articles thoroughly and patiently and go on with you poker career analyze your game, find your flaws etc.
    • ilrasso
      ilrasso
      Bronze
      Joined: 05.05.2010 Posts: 49
      dear ga11ant.. :D

      I think ur doin ok for a beginner.

      As being new to the game, you should not expect to profit. You may, but probably wont. So your goal should be to have fun and get better, while making sure your losses will not have significant negative impact to your real life economy.

      Learn about bankroll managment, what it means and how it applies to you.

      Remember poker is very swingy - has mucho variance. Most poker players (i suspect) have had several "ohh its really that!! swingy" aha moments.

      Try and pick a game and see if u can make a profit over a reasonable sample size. Say 10k hands or so. If u can chrush the micros over that kind of sample, slowly start moving up through the limits.

      Lastly - poker is not easy money - at least not to begin with and at least not for most ppl. Luckily the internet - this site in particular - is full of articles and discussions over most aspects of poker and at most levels of skill.

      Learning stuff the hard way can be very expensive in poker - not learning it at all even more so.
    • Gunn56
      Gunn56
      Bronze
      Joined: 23.09.2008 Posts: 139
      was the same way then i found this site . poker is like a job to get better you gotta learn n do it everyday .. not everyday but odd day
    • Gunn56
      Gunn56
      Bronze
      Joined: 23.09.2008 Posts: 139
      was the same way then i found this site . poker is like a job to get better you gotta learn n do it everyday .. not everyday but odd day
    • pzhon
      pzhon
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.06.2010 Posts: 1,151
      • 18.08.2011, 18:20
      • This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by pzhon: 19.08.2011 05:58.
      Whether to keep playing is a personal decision. It's right for some people to quit, and it's right for others to keep playing.

      Poker is a game of skill and chance. If you don't study, you probably will not have a skill advantage over your opponents, and you will be a losing player. Poker might still be a lot of fun, but it will be an expense. Typical losing players deposit money, play until it is gone, then take a break, then deposit some more. (One common deviation is that losing players often withdraw part of a big tournament prize.) Just make sure you don't deposit money you can't afford to lose.

      One danger is if you feel you have to play for higher and higher stakes to get the same level of excitement. Another danger is if you feel obsessed with poker and lose your enjoyment in other activities. If either of these happen, then gambling may be unhealthy and dangerous whether you win or lose, and you should walk far away.

      If you don't find poker interesting, quit.

      Many people have hobbies. Some are expensive, some are free, and some are lucrative. Poker can be any of these, depending on how much and how effectively you study and your raw talent. Many people find that playing poker makes the poker on TV more exciting and vice versa. Some people enjoy learning to play games well. You might find it satisfying if you can treat yourself to a reward purchased with your winnings. You might have a goal to become a winning player at a stake level you first found intimidating and confusing.
    • ExternalUseOnly
      ExternalUseOnly
      Silver
      Joined: 30.01.2010 Posts: 3,373
      Thanks for the good advice in here guys :heart:

      Hello Ga11ant.

      Its a tough question to answer really ask yourself if you enjoy playing poker? If you do it would be a shame to never play again because you arent winning right?

      We have sooo much to offer here to turn you into a winning player but the thing is it does take some work but is it not worth some work to start making some money from playing a game you enjoy?

      If you wanna take a break from the game, PokerStrategy.com will still be here when you decide to come back :)

      All the best,
      Carl
    • ExternalUseOnly
      ExternalUseOnly
      Silver
      Joined: 30.01.2010 Posts: 3,373
      Originally posted by pzhon
      Whether to keep playing is a personal decision. It's right for some people to quit, and it's right for others to keep playing.

      Poker is a game of skill and chance. If you don't study, you will probably not have a skill advantage over your opponents, and you will be a losing player. Poker might still be a lot of fun, but it will be an expense. Typical losing players deposit money, play until it is gone, then take a break, then deposit some more. (One common deviation is that losing players often withdraw part a big tournament prize.) Just make sure you don't deposit money you can't afford to lose.

      One danger is if you feel you have to play for higher and higher stakes to get the same level of excitement. Another danger is if you feel obsessed with poker and lose your enjoyment in other activities. If either of these happen, then gambling may be unhealthy and dangerous whether you win or lose, and you should walk far away.

      If you don't find poker interesting, quit.

      Many people have hobbies. Some are expensive, some are free, and some are lucrative. Poker can be any of these, depending on how much and how effectively you study and your raw talent. Many people find that playing poker makes the poker on TV more exciting and vice versa. Some people enjoy learning to play games well. You might find it satisfying if you can treat yourself to a reward purchased with your winnings. You might have a goal to become a winning player at a stake level you first found intimidating and confusing.

      Great post :f_love:
    • ga11ant
      ga11ant
      Bronze
      Joined: 01.07.2011 Posts: 21
      Thanks guys, I do enjoy playing poker greatly, those tournaments I played in lasted 4-5 hours, and I don't know about you guys but the time just flies while playing them. I exaggerated when I said I'm too lazy, if i ever decide to play poker at least semi professionally, I would take the time to go through all the articles and learn as much as I can or at least skim them. I'll never quit playing for fun or playing for small amounts of cash with friends but as for online poker I will probably keep at it for a little while longer see how I do and try not to lose too much money.
    • SRBSavic1
      SRBSavic1
      Bronze
      Joined: 11.05.2011 Posts: 370
      • 19.08.2011, 06:07
      • This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by SRBSavic1: 19.08.2011 06:30.
      last 3 weeks i spend 12h on poker daily
    • purple16
      purple16
      Bronze
      Joined: 21.05.2011 Posts: 102
      Originally posted by SRBSavic1
      last 3 weeks i spend 12h on poker daily
      Isn't that too much ? :f_eek:
      I mean 12h for poker + 8h for appropriate sleeping , only 4h left for family, friends etc. I guess you should rearrange your time =)
    • MatejM47
      MatejM47
      Black
      Joined: 21.01.2010 Posts: 1,193
      Originally posted by purple16
      Originally posted by SRBSavic1
      last 3 weeks i spend 12h on poker daily
      Isn't that too much ? :f_eek:
      I mean 12h for poker + 8h for appropriate sleeping , only 4h left for family, friends etc. I guess you should rearrange your time =)
      There's a lot of people that work 12 hours a day in regular jobs so i don't see why spending 12 hours on poker if you do it for a living is a bad thing. Once you get to higher stakes and have a better hourly you'll get lazy anyway.

      As for playing poker if you do not want to study the game you will lose money longterm. And by studying i dont mean reading a few articles here it takes way more then that. And if poker is your hobby then losing money on it is not such a horrible thing. No matter what hobby you go for it will cost you money, with poker you just have to have enough self conrol not to play with the money you cant afford to lose.

      So if you enjoy playing some MTTs once a month then deposit what ever you can afford to and play them. I know a lot of people that play that way.

      But if you want to start making some sirious money it will take a year and a lot of hours before you get good enough to make some good money at midstakes.
    • matovicmilos
      matovicmilos
      Bronze
      Joined: 06.09.2007 Posts: 115
      Think about poker as starting your own business.

      You have to learn all aspects of your job, learn from more experienced people who are already doing it and work alot on improving your skills. Every business is a gamble in a way and so is poker but hard working and persistent will show some progress in it eventually and of coarse profit.
    • SRBSavic1
      SRBSavic1
      Bronze
      Joined: 11.05.2011 Posts: 370
      I am still young to have a job or worry about other things, and i dont understand why do you people see my commitment like a bad thing...

      If i play a lot it doesn't mean that i don't respect the game...

      i exchanged all my personal life for poker, and i am quite enjoying it, and i try to give it a break but i am unable to think about other stuff...

      And i know that probably i will get sick of it, and if i do...to bad...
    • SRBSavic1
      SRBSavic1
      Bronze
      Joined: 11.05.2011 Posts: 370
      visit my blog i started it today..
      My rise and demise (starting with 22$)
    • dogma18
      dogma18
      Bronze
      Joined: 08.12.2009 Posts: 340
      Ive asked myself this question too...People judging me saying i have a gambling problem(especially my mum), spend lots of time on the computer and not with friends family etc, and Of course the financial implications as you can lose lots of money in a short space of time.

      I usually just try to think of the good things, ive reached a good level where i have a little extra money for eating out with my girlfriend or buying new clothes, okay i cant get a mortgage but my friends all have part time jobs and i can make double what they earn a week in an hour if i run good.

      If you have an interest in poker then i suggest take it seriously and i promise you will be rewarded. It may take time and there will be times where everything goes against you. But get strong, study and play your best and in the end if you are up a few hundred dollars each month from something you really enjoy doing i cant see a better way to spend a few hours each day :D
    • LayedBackLuke
      LayedBackLuke
      Basic
      Joined: 28.07.2011 Posts: 4
      • 21.08.2011, 23:48
      • This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by LayedBackLuke: 21.08.2011 23:49.
      I think that if it entertains you and you are not an addict you shuld play as little as you can and as low as you can...maybe you become more interested and wanna learn...I definietly wouldnt quit right away...Just remember KEEP YOUR GAMES AS LOW AS POSSIBLE...because you dint want to go on a gambling rampage and develope an addiction...Poker is fun there are a lot of people who play the micros for fun and have no intention of going deeaper into the game its perfectly normal.... :spade: :heart: :diamond: :club: :s_cool:
    • ga11ant
      ga11ant
      Bronze
      Joined: 01.07.2011 Posts: 21
      UPDATE: I placed 3rd in another tournament. Won $100, so I'm now making a profit. It was a $1 re-buy, I re-bought at the beginning and didn't need to the rest of the tournament. My final hand I had Ace, King, the flop came A,K,J, he raised I went all-in, he called, he had queen, ten. I couldn't believe I lost, but I had been playing for seven hours, so I was just happy to be done :D
    • ExternalUseOnly
      ExternalUseOnly
      Silver
      Joined: 30.01.2010 Posts: 3,373
      well played mate great result you will have a really nice starting bankroll now if you choose to play more seriously and improve your game.

      But dont let "take your game seriously" put you off, to me the better i am at a game and the more i win the more i enjoy playing that game. Poker is a game that when you put in some effort it definately pays off for you.

      Let us know how you continue to play maybe you could even get a blog going :)

      Carl
    • Zhusy
      Zhusy
      Bronze
      Joined: 17.01.2010 Posts: 382
      Should I quit playing poker?


      yes.
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