Winning too much to quit

[DrFuzzy]

Jason posted his dilemma here, so I thought I'd give mine a whirl. It is perhaps not that different. I've got an MD and am supposed to be working as a junior doctor "training" and working long hours for at absolute most $50k/year net (optimistic). Online poker has proved one hell of a distraction, here are my results:

2004 Up 90k (6 months) part time whilst working fulltime. Earnt about another 25k net from work. Total 115k
2005 Up 200k (full year) part time from poker whilst working fulltime (about another 45k). Total $245k
2006 Up 400k (10 months so far) fulltime from poker whilst working part time in medicine (another 15k). Total $415k/10 months.

All up i've made over $650k from poker. Last year I nearly pulled my hair out i was so busy between work and poker I had to cut down on one.

Here's the thing - I'm getting pretty bored of poker. The way I see it, poker doesn't help anyone, and it makes for a pretty lonely, selfish life. I have paid off my mortgage and have some $ left over so the money is a bit less important to me now.

My family think I've just been successfull as a doctor - i haven't told them i've made so much elsewhere and I'm not sure they'd be that happy about it. They've figured out something is up because everytime they call me i'm not at work anymore (big change).

My peers are getting further ahead of me in their medical training. I don't want to be any sort of fancy specialist and the way I see if i was able to make 100-150k/year from medicine when i've finished my training i'd be doing very well.

It's amazing the different reactions people will give you. Say "I'm a doctor" and you are universally met with a level of understanding and respect. Tell someone you play online poker for a living and they look at you like your bananas. Up until this year it's been something i've largely hidden.

I'm tempted to just quit the poker idea and return to my training but I know i'll be taking a huge pay cut and working 70 hours a week in pretty stressfull conditions. I've sort of expected the poker craze would die off or i'd stop winning big money and my decision would be made for me. So far that hasn't happened and I've only had one losing month out of around 30. What do people think...should I focus on my career or should I keep playing and not feel so guilty about it?

[DrFuzzy]

Mainly 25/50 THNL but also some higher and some lower. I've done pretty well from 10/25 and 50/100 as well.

[Jive Dadson]

This is not the place to ask. Ask yourself. It sounds to me as though you will not be happy with either pursuit.

Life is short.

"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time." - Joseph Campbell

[shootaa]

[ QUOTE ]
This is not the place to ask. Ask yourself. It sounds to me as though you will not be happy with either pursuit.

Life is short.

"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time." - Joseph Campbell

[/ QUOTE ]

nice, campbell pwns all

[ManChild]

the way i see this (and my winnings are absolutely nowhere near yours, and im only a junior in college with an undecided major so maybe i dont have much to contribute)
BUT
if i were you, id spend some more time playing poker, if you are making a few hundred K a year, then spend some time playing poker, put money in the bank, buy a nice house, live comfortably, then once you are financially set for a while decide if you would be in a better place if you were doing something else

[danped]

No-one can make sure choices for you, but you've got the reactions you've had partly because being a Dr is a respected and valued way to contribute to society. Being a poker player isn't, plus people assume if you are playing poker you either are loosing now and if not you soon will be.

[DrFuzzy]

Jive: Thanks for the advice. I do hope your wrong though as I'd like to find happiness somewhere between the two.

ManChild: I guess i've reached that point where I'm financially fairly set (for a twenty something year old) have nice house etc. Hasn't yet made the decision easier.

Danped: I think i'm playing off the respect against the lifestyle and (so far) cash with poker. Haven't trouble balancing both.

[Cye]

This piece of advice from the Apple founder Steve Jobs has followed me from job to job. I am very happy working where I am now. I hope this advice will help you:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1422863/posts

[Isura]

Great link Cye.