Re: Parents Packet
 

If you're not playing professionally, talk about poker with your family as little as possible.

Re: Parents Packet
 

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talk about poker with your family as little as possible.

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Re: Parents Packet
 

LOL my dad lent me $1k for a stake earlier this month, guess i'm lucky [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Parents Packet
 

If you truly feel like you are in total, 100% control of your gambling (yes, poker IS gambling), then it shouldn't offend or threaten you to actually read the packet. Gambling, and even poker, does have a dark side.....I suspect for most everyone at one time or another. Can't hurt to face what those bad outcomes or possibilities COULD be, so you can keep better track of your emotions and "reasons" for playing.

I say this not to disuade you from playing poker, but to help you be a better player....

Re: Parents Packet
 

But this material is likely to be far from objective since it comes from anti-gambling sources. According to AA, I'm an alcoholic because I drank two beers by myself last night and I assume these materials would be of the same nature.

Re: Parents Packet
 

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But this material is likely to be far from objective since it comes from anti-gambling sources. According to AA, I'm an alcoholic because I drank two beers by myself last night and I assume these materials would be of the same nature.

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Oh it is. i.e. one of the questions: do you gamble to get back to break even? Umm yeah... I am a winning player and just because I am losing at the moment doesn't mean I am gonna quit.

The questions are all based on -EV gambling so it's impossible for a winning poker player not to be a gambling addict.

Re: Parents Packet
 

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So I receive a packet in the mail from my parents. The first thing I see in big bold letters is "The Dangers of Online Gambling" and I'm just say to myself OMG. The post it note says Please read through this material and honestly look at what you are doing with your life.

All I can think is what the [censored]. My parents have never been a fan of me playing poker but this is the first time they have really taking that next step. It pisses me off for a couple reasons mostly because they can't understand the concept of poker.

What can I do? I have tried to explain the concept of a winning poker player, but obviously they think I "have a get rich quick" scheme like the packet says is a sign of a problem. I mean this really upsets me. I have no idea what to say/do.

Any thoughts, comments, advice?

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My advice would be not to debate your parents on poker. They have a mindset that poker is just gambling and by debating with them - it makes you look passionate towards poker like your obsessed. Trying to tell them it isn't gambling is not the right way to go about dealing with peoples bad perceptions of poker.

The correct thing to do is to show them that yes you play poker but you only really play for fun... this might not be the case but do it regardless. Try not to get into deep conversations or any conversation on it for that matter - always trivialise it and make it sound unimportant to you.

I would post the book back to them with a note that says something along the lines of.

"Look, I know you mean well but this is out of line. It is a bit silly to jump to the conclusion that since I play poker therefore I have a gambling problem. I would of hoped you have a little more faith in me than that. Poker is a game, games are fun and I play because I enjoy it. I have never played for large sums of money. I have never play for any amount I cannot afford to lose. Infact ever since I have played with real money, I have played entirely on winnings and I have never deposited money more than once. These are hardly traits of a gambler spiraling out of control and running head first into huge debt. I have never seen poker as getting rich quick. I don't play because I want a 'rush'. I play poker because I want to sit down and switch off for a while and I don't think there is much wrong with that."

Re: Parents Packet
 

send them a copy of ToP

Re: Parents Packet
 

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send them a copy of ToP

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Sklansky's gimmick account?