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taking a break from poker.
hi just like to ask has anyone been feed up from the game of poker. its not because of bd runs or titling but im going to take a brake from all poker for a few weeks. i was tempted to go full time but think this is not for me has anyone had a felling like this im not been playing the game for enjoyment for a while. just like to say gl to all at the table il be back but not for a few weeks.
Comments
Imo playing full-time poker is not as easy as people may think and it's worth speaking to other full-time grinders and seeing what they do to keep their longevity.
Life /> money.
All the best mate.
I have been playing poker, either full or part time, for some years now, so wanted to post on this one.
The first thing to say is you need to set realistic goals. You can play for enjoyment like a rec, or for a living like a reg-you can't do both. You can choose to play lower stakes sometimes for fun-I do. I think I have played over 40,000 tournaments over the years. I haven't always enjoyed it. That said, I haven't always enjoyed any job, and I don't expect to.
If you are to play full time, then you need to mix it up. As an example, i usually play on 4 sites, but i regularly vary them. I also occasionally play live, for variety. Motivational tools, such as pocket 5's or aussie's tables are also important. So are breaks-it is easy to be so results orientated that you forget that it is necessary to take breaks to keep sharp.
You are a talented player-I hope you find the best solution for you. Most people post your initial post when in the middle of a huge downswing!
In all seriousness if you find yourself actively disliking playing or feel boted then definitely take a break and come back whenever you feel like it. Or maybe instead of completely stopping just reduce your volume or the length of your grinds until you find yourself enjoying it again. Switching to a new game type like omaha or Razz could be a refreshing change I usually play some omaha hi lo when I'm sick of hold-em and even though I'm not as skilled at it I enjoy it much more.
Going 'full time' completely depends on your circumstances. You might be bored of playing poker but is it really any worse than your job now? Maybe you love your job and poker is just a nice supplement to your income. Either way hopefully you'll feel better about it soon and be back happily crushing in no time.
and you're a good bloke. so all is fine.
Poker has been my full time "job" for 3 or 4 years now. Sometimes I get a bit fed up with it, but I used to get more fed up with my old "IT" job.
I rarely take a long break from Poker, as I do miss it. However it gives me much freedom to make my own hours and live where I want to live, go where I want to go etc. There are a lot of people who work extremely hard in minimum wage jobs etc., and have very little physical or financial freedom, so I am grateful for what Poker gives me.
However, if I feel like I've been staring at the screen for too long, I go out and play live. I find this helps, especially when I put the focus on enjoying the experience and meeting all the diverse characters in the game, as opposed to whether I win or not.
I find for me, this is a different sort of experience than playing solely online. I take a genuine interest in the people I meet on the live circuit, and for me this brings some of the fun back into it.
Also the charity initiative that you have so generously supported gives me an added altruistic interest which helps make it not just about the Sharkscope graph.
However when I have a bad run, the expression "It's a tough way for an easy living" does come to mind, although as time goes on I embrace "variance" more, so it has minimal impact.
The times that are tough is when, "for some reason" I seem to be playing badly. I sometimes then doubt myself, however, touch wood, this doesn't happen too often and I usually am able to "play through it"
Perhaps we could meet up at a live tournament and chew the fat in the breaks and make it more social. It might be just the tonic.
Let me know!
All the best, I'm sure you're be giving me a hiding at the tables again soon.
Cheers,
Graham
Like Groggy said give the rest of us mere mortals a chance!
Great words of wisdom from Phil and Graham, im not it a position to give such advice but highlighted bit resonated with me as did a lot of what Graham said.
Whatever you decide to do im sure you come back bigger and better and i wish you all the best.
Just an after thought but how much do you study the game? im sure a player of your calibre does a lot but thats what im doing is learning as much as poss of the felt too and promised myself(and wife lol) a month off poker this year where the book rate will no doubt increase to get my poker 'fix'!
Anyway like i best wishes, sure it will all work out for you,
Regards
James