Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

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there has to be a level of excitement for live mtt poker, else u will get bored/not play your a game during the early stages.

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thats what ipods are for!

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

can you stop trolling this thread jurollo? kthx you are quite annoying.

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

wow leo wins. I think I'm the apathetic type that has outbursts of pure destruction

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

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Honestly, the question behind this should be "would you rather run super hot and be thought of as a clown (vietcong01) or run cold/average and be thought of as a good player (any number of mttc regs)?"

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Easily, definitely, would rather be "thought of as a clown" and be super-successful than have moderate success along with the respect of a bunch of self-inflated poker snobs. Most people try to buoy their own self-esteem by convincing themselves that poker has more skill/talent than it ever will.

I'm in the "apathy/detachment" camp, but maybe that's just cause I'm not ultra-competitive. I definitely don't want to prove to anyone that I'm the best, and I know that I probably never will be the best; being able to compete despite that awareness gives me plenty of satisfaction by itself. I just want to quietly win some donkaments and ride off into the sunset. I think using poker talent to fuel one's ego/self-esteem is ultimately pretty empty, so I treat the game accordingly.

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

why do you think you "probably never will be the best"?

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

I'm definitely in the apathy/detachment camp like 90% of the time, but I'm also hyper-competitive in things I actually do which is why I play MTTs and not cash games. I of course want the feeling of conquering everyone else in the tourney, but at the same time since that like never happens I'm usually just "blah"

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

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why do you think you "probably never will be the best"?

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Because the way the game is, I don't think there never will be a clear definition of what is "the best," so it's a pretty abstract concept to begin with. And there will always be players who care more than I do about being considered "the best," so I just don't see the value in pursuing an impractical, romantic and fairly useless concept. Also, if there a point of excellence that could easily be described as "the best," it wouldn't be satisfying to me unless I had a balanced life and enough money. My goal is to make money and live a healthy life, not to be "the best."

Now, being the best you can be (to use the Army slogan) is obviously something a poker player needs to do in order to be successful, and I generally agree with Superfluous Man's (is that Leo?) summary:

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To sum it up: Apathy is good, it prevents you from going crazy. Too much is not, it prevents you from improving. Being driven is good, it makes you take conscious steps towards improving your game. Being overly driven is not, it makes you a results-oriented little bitch, like me of late.

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Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

i dont see anything wrong with pursuing an impractical and romantic concept if the result is working on your game. obv you need balance to succeed, i would argue that is part of being "the best". And I don't think its useless...wanting to be one of the best is a lofty and noble goal imo.


e - however i didn't mean to say that one could not have success in poker without this mentality. I just feel that in a game where the only limitation is mental capacity and motivation, not striving to be the best is a waste of my time. I guess part of it has to do with how much time I've invested in this game....might as well go all the way with it.

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

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i dont see anything wrong with pursuing an impractical and romantic concept if the result is working on your game. obv you need balance to succeed, i would argue that is part of being "the best". And I don't think its useless...wanting to be one of the best is a lofty and noble goal imo.

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From your other post:

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why do you think i talk so much [censored]? why do i berate every other "good" player? Why do i spend like 8 hours a day on 2+2? Cuz i gotta prove to everybody including myself that i can be the best at this silly game.

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Your "lofty and noble goal" seems to involve a lot of levels of human interaction that are unpleasant in my view, and I personally wouldn't direct much of my energy that way. Obviously, you can do what you want with your life and career, but it's not my style.

Re: Apathy or unquenched desire?
 

I can say that Jimmy has made a definite slide since he's become more apathetic. When he played the PCA and Aussie tournaments he was wound so tight, and HUNGRY to win. Since then, he's lost the burning desire and it's affected his game quite a bit.

In my own very short playing time, I know that the more I want to win, the more I concentrate and keep my focus.