Motivation to play gone

[UATrewqaz]

Over the past 2 years or so I've played a fair amount of hands, maybe 500K per year. Nothing too huge as I don't play for a living, just casually, but when I do play I normally multitable (at least 4 tables).

Anyway, over the past few years I have played at every big and medium site there is (mostly low limit, .5/1, 1/2, and finally some 2/4).

The thing was, I always played with some sort of bonus or promotion behind me. It gave me a goal, something I felt I was working towards and also provided me a saftey net, aka I almost couldn't "lose", even if I ran bad, I'd come out even or ahead after the bonus or promo.

Well the days of easy poker bonuses are dead and alot of the good bonus type sites have closed their doors to U.S. customers. As a result I have barely played at all in the last 2 months.

But the thing of it is, I'm a modestly profitable player (1.5 BB'ish / 100) so therefore playing should be a goal unto itself, aka I can make $ through playing by itself, no bonus needed.

However without the "goal" of a bonus to clear and the saftey of knowing I'll be withdrawing at least what I put into a site, my desire to play is 0.

Advice/thoughts/questions/flames?

[CaucasianAsian29]

Have you checked out World PX? Free rake, i think the site is growing enough now. For me it's been more profitable than any other,although don't know much about limit at the site.

I've found these things help me for burnout
1.play some diff games(sng's,NL, or some pot limit Omaha)-although they may not be as profitable for you, it's exciting to play new games and may give you some more motivation for your old game.

2.Try playing less tables and doing some fun/interesting online. (for ex. cut down to 2 tables and start building a website)

Just some thoughts hope it may help.

[SteveM]

Hey UATrewqaz,
I'm in the same boat. For the last few years I've been playing just for fun but have made a nice income doing it. The bonuses (plus unmentionable) plus various promos on top of my normal winrate made each session feel like it was going to be a guaranteed win. I would typically 6-8 table $0.5/1 to $2/$4 6-max at whatever site I could maximize $/hr. It was fun, it was profitable, and I was +2bb/100 over several hundred thousand hands. Then as the bonuses dried up and I got banned from my favorite sites I found myself not having the desire to play as much, for the same reasons that you articulated.

So I decided to change it up a bit. I took November "off" to retool and work on my SnG game. After playing limit almost exclusively for so long, this was a big change. I enjoy the difference. The games feel more exciting (albeit maybe because of the novelty factor) and I like the changes in strategy as the blinds increase and the table shrinks. I also enjoy learning something new, which is what drew me to poker in the first place. I've realized that lately I'd just been playing for the easy money. Even very profitable sessions were no longer "fun." Now that I'm choosing to take some time off from grinding and instead use that time to study, practice, and concentrate on improving my game I'm actually enjoying it more. If my training month continues to go well I'm hoping to hit the tables hard in December.

[cwar]

SteveM gives you several good ideas. Learning a 2nd game is a lot of fun and takes the onus away from BB/100 and hourly rate. You start concentrating on correct play again and it can be very stimulating.

Also learning NL might be really good for you (hourly rate and game longevity reasons). Personally, I started playing some HU when poker started feeling like a grind. One table, making reads much less of a grind then 4-8 tabling your standard cash game.

[ubercuber]

Same thing here. I now play one table, 6max, while "watching" a movie or a WSOP rerun, and usually for only a couple of hours. For me I think the motivation to multitable is gone, but I still enjoy the game. Someone send a link to Lee Jones!

[the_rookie]

Hey UA I only play small-stakes too and have been for about as long as you have. I've made a decent amount and am too conservative to move up. The bonuses/unmentionables have made up most of my profit.

You're a winning player, do you feel guilty for not playing more because of it? Or that making 10-15 bucks an hour isn't worth your time? You seem bored of the game and maybe moving up in limits will spark that desire once again for poker.

But you know it also depends on your priorities, and maybe poker isn't worth your time. Combining a 40 hour work week with a part time gig can make you feel trapped. Making a few extra hundred dollars/month isn't going to make much difference in the quality of life, so don't feel you're throwing anything away by leaving the game.

BTW I also lack the motivation to play as well. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'm actually considering leaving for good. Good luck to ya UA.