(OT): My Poker Situation, need advice (super long)

[snakekilla88]

I will start this post off by giving you a brief back ground of my poker history. At the age of 16 I sent $30 bucks in the mail to someone I met on a poker forum hoping he would put $30 bucks on a poker site for me. Luckily, he was a man of his word and I had $30 bucks on Ultimate Bet. I grinded my initial $30 dollar deposit up to $260 playing $1+.10 and $5+50 SNG’s over a 5 month span (I did not play poker very much). I then found someone who was willing to trade 50 bucks from ultimate bet to pokerstars.

With the $50 bucks in my pokerstars account I was immediately attracted to playing in big field tournaments. Everyday I would play out of my bankroll, and do the $10+1 (19: 45) freeze out. I remember placing 18th and scoring 160 bucks, two days later I placed 6th and scored around 400 bucks. Then two weeks later I chopped the tournament with around 1700 entrants for almost 3k. I immediately cashed out around two thousand dollars. I left my poker account with around 1500 bucks and actually realized a lot of money could be made playing poker. From playing ten to fifty dollar tournaments and small stakes SNG's(6.50-15 turbos) I was able to build the $1500 to $3500 over a 6 to 8 month span. At the time I was attending high school and could not invest much time to play although I thought about poker a lot. When spring break rolled around which was about 3 months ago I mutilated my bankroll by failing to drop down and continuing to play 30 to 50 dollar tournaments. When my bankroll reached a depressing 1200 I took a two week cold turkey break from poker to evaluate my thoughts.

Recently, I found 2p2 which re-enforced how little I know about the game of poker. I immediately came to the SNG one table forum since the thought of tournaments just made me sick (the variance is so high and they take so long). After buying the recommended programs (ace hud, pokertracker, SNGPT) I began setting goals to play a lot more poker. So far for the month of June here are my stats…



Stars $6.50 Turbos: 40.64% ROI over 96 games
Stars $15 Turbos: 9.22 % ROI over 361 games

I just graduated from high school and planned on getting a part time summer job and play as much poker as I can on the side. Unfortunately, finding a job in my area is truly difficult. I have already gone to two or three job interviews and felt confident I would get the job, since the interviewers seemed to really liked me but no luck :-/. As for one of the reasons I am posting this….my parents seem to be the problem. My dad has been pressuring me to get a job like crazy and I have honestly been trying. My dad is a cardiologist that just retired from the military and is now working as a civilian. Since I can not find a summer job I do not want to sit and home play poker all summer. I decided that I would go to summer advancement classes to get rid of some of my credits early….I would be taking a nutrition class that is 2.5 hours from Mon-Fri for 26 days in June. Yet, before my dad would pay for my school he wanted to have a talk..

He said its fine since that since I am struggling to find a summer job that I go to summer school under a few conditions….
A. In college he wants me to pass this course with flying colors
- I agreed 100 percent (Always A/B’s student in my high school). (My dad has always pushed absolute perfection in college. He said having a 3.0 in college will not mean anything, you have to get all A’s.)

B. Wanted me to go to the gym and come back looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger
- I agreed I plan to go the local gym, stay healthy run a couple of miles each day and pump some iron.

C. Help advance my major
- Engineering, talk to my counselor about career goals and offer my time/services as a volunteer over summer to serve as a teachers assistant to anyone in the engineering department.

D. Here’s the big one…he wants me to delete my poker software on all my home computers. He said I am just wasting years of my life by playing online poker and that it is an addiction. He said in college he does not want me to be playing poker.
-There will always be a little bit of extra time in my day and I truly enjoy poker. Yet, from a parent stand point I can understand where he is coming from watching me play so much poker for the last 6 months of my life. I realize its time to get serious and college is no joke but he is asking a lot. I do not drink or do any sorts of drugs so poker is sort of the thing I do…

As you read my results are far from anything impressive and I am trying to improve my game. As of now I have uninstalled pokerstars and ultimate bet and now have nothing to do until summer school on July 2nd starts. (Except maybe review HH’s and read hoh3 :-D) I promised my dad I would not play for the next 8 days and I will keep my word. When school comes around on July 2, I will put my studies before poker 100 percent guaranteed. Yet, should I even play at all is the question….Quit poker? Play just a little bit in college?

Feel free to ask questions/give me advice/ call me retarded for posting something this long :-D.

[recondite7]

The great thing about going to college is you don't have to listen to your dad's stupid rules anymore. It sounds like you have enough self control to manage your time so as long as your other priorities are in order. Make sure he doesn't know about the $ you are making and keep the grades up.

[jwesty5]

Buy a laptop play poker at school.

[J-P]

oops, you fixed it

[mattak]

[ QUOTE ]
I will start this post off by giving you a brief back ground of my poker history. At the age of 16 I sent $30 bucks in the mail to someone I met on a poker forum hoping he would put $30 bucks on a poker site for me. Luckily, he was a man of his word and I had $30 bucks on Ultimate Bet. I grinded my initial $30 dollar deposit up to $260 playing $1+.10 and $5+50 SNG’s over a 5 month span (I did not play poker very much). I then found someone who was willing to trade 50 bucks from ultimate bet to pokerstars.

With the $50 bucks in my pokerstars account I was immediately attracted to playing in big field tournaments. Everyday I would play out of my bankroll, and do the $10+1 (19: 45) freeze out. I remember placing 18th and scoring 160 bucks, two days later I placed 6th and scored around 400 bucks. Then two weeks later I chopped the tournament with around 1700 entrants for almost 3k. I immediately cashed out around two thousand dollars. I left my poker account with around 1500 bucks and actually realized a lot of money could be made playing poker. From playing ten to fifty dollar tournaments and small stakes SNG's(6.50-15 turbos) I was able to build the $1500 to $3500 over a 6 to 8 month span. At the time I was attending high school and could not invest much time to play although I thought about poker a lot. When spring break rolled around which was about 3 months ago I mutilated my bankroll by failing to drop down and continuing to play 30 to 50 dollar tournaments. When my bankroll reached a depressing 1200 I took a two week cold turkey break from poker to evaluate my thoughts.

Recently, I found 2p2 which re-enforced how little I know about the game of poker. I immediately came to the SNG one table forum since the thought of tournaments just made me sick (the variance is so high and they take so long). After buying the recommended programs (ace hud, pokertracker, SNGPT) I began setting goals to play a lot more poker. So far for the month of June here are my stats…



Stars $6.50 Turbos: 40.64% ROI over 96 games
Stars $15 Turbos: 9.22 % ROI over 361 games

I just graduated from high school and planned on getting a part time summer job and play as much poker as I can on the side. Unfortunately, finding a job in my area is truly difficult. I have already gone to two or three job interviews and felt confident I would get the job, since the interviewers seemed to really liked me but no luck :-/. As for one of the reasons I am posting this….my parents seem to be the problem. My dad has been pressuring me to get a job like crazy and I have honestly been trying. My dad is a cardiologist that just retired from the military and is now working as a civilian. Since I can not find a summer job I do not want to sit and home play poker all summer. I decided that I would go to summer advancement classes to get rid of some of my credits early….I would be taking a nutrition class that is 2.5 hours from Mon-Fri for 26 days in June. Yet, before my dad would pay for my school he wanted to have a talk..

He said its fine since that since I am struggling to find a summer job that I go to summer school under a few conditions….
A. In college he wants me to pass this course with flying colors
- I agreed 100 percent (Always A/B’s student in my high school). (My dad has always pushed absolute perfection in college. He said having a 3.0 in college will not mean anything, you have to get all A’s.)

B. Wanted me to go to the gym and come back looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger
- I agreed I plan to go the local gym, stay healthy run a couple of miles each day and pump some iron.

C. Help advance my major
- Engineering, talk to my counselor about career goals and offer my time/services as a volunteer over summer to serve as a teachers assistant to anyone in the engineering department.

D. Here’s the big one…he wants me to delete my poker software on all my home computers. He said I am just wasting years of my life by playing online poker and that it is an addiction. He said in college he does not want me to be playing poker.
-There will always be a little bit of extra time in my day and I truly enjoy poker. Yet, from a parent stand point I can understand where he is coming from watching me play so much poker for the last 6 months of my life. I realize its time to get serious and college is no joke but he is asking a lot. I do not drink or do any sorts of drugs so poker is sort of the thing I do…

As you read my results are far from anything impressive and I am trying to improve my game. As of now I have uninstalled pokerstars and ultimate bet and now have nothing to do until summer school on June 2nd starts. (Except maybe review HH’s and read hoh3 :-D) I promised my dad I would not play for the next 8 days and I will keep my word. When school comes around on June 2, I will put my studies before poker 100 percent guaranteed. Yet, should I even play at all is the question….Quit poker? Play just a little bit in college?

Feel free to ask questions/give me advice/ call me retarded for posting something this long :-D.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am 33 years old and have been supporting myself since I was 15. I am maybe not the guy to give you advice here. However, remember this.

" This above all, to thine own self be true." - shakespeare.

When you are a teenager you dont know what the right thing to do is. Figure out what "feels right" to you, and go with it. Sorry to say, but its time to tell Dad and Mom to step off and live your own life. Poker or no poker, live life on your own terms and do the right thing.

BTW, I personally found it a great help to not take hand outs from Dad when I left home. That way he had no say over my life. Just my humble opinion.

[AMT]

your dad has issues, and grew up in a time where gambling was of utmost shame, where the only acceptable grade was "A", and where B's didnt get you anywhere in college.



reality check: gambling is fine, poker is an investment and a life skill. College is important, and the most successful people ive ever met never got above a 3.0 in college. i drink 3 nights a week in college, play poker as much as i damn well please and make the deans list every semester. i know people like your dad, and i know kids that have been raised under these circumstances, and college is the time to find yourself, not let your dad find you. dont stop playing poker if you dont want to stop. please.

[AMT]

also, my father is a business man. he was a student athlete, did well, has a 6 figure paying job, i went to private school, he advocates hard work, he grew up with my grandfather who served in the military as well.


he respects that i play poker. he respects that i drink alcohol. he knows i need to live my own life, and he is addamantly opposed to gambling in general and underage drinking, but he doesnt stop me. not only does he not stop me, but he frequently takes an interest in my drunken college antics and girls i take home from the bar. the reason? he was a kid once also, and he used to pound warm beers in college so no one would ask him for a sip [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

my point is, your dad isnt letting you find out who you are. my dad respects that he doesnt have all of the answers, and that i do well in school, go to the gym, and get out of the house, so its hard for him to tell me what to do or not to do if im living a "successful" college life with no major problems. your dad needs to find this and do the same, and if he cant, dont let him take over your life. i am very passionate about these topics, and ive talked to many people about it. good luck

[puff8]

[ QUOTE ]
The great thing about going to college is you don't have to listen to your dad's stupid rules anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]
He does if he wants his dad to keep paying for college. I would try to negotiate before I would try to deceive. Maybe there are some groundrules (limit amount and time) with a certain GPA. ...Though the fact that your dad is so concerned about you lifting weights is a bit disconcerting.

[AMT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The great thing about going to college is you don't have to listen to your dad's stupid rules anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]
He does if he wants his dad to keep paying for college. I would try to negotiate before I would try to deceive. Maybe there are some groundrules (limit amount and time) with a certain GPA. ...Though the fact that your dad is so concerned about you lifting weights is a bit disconcerting.

[/ QUOTE ]


exactly...dads a nut, and i understand it, but obviously dont agree. by the way, you can do what you want in college and your dad would never have to know. and you NEED a computer to go to college in this time, its just a fact of life. SHIP IT FISH!

[vinyard]

This is not a poker situation its a life situation. Barring changing your father's mind (highly unlikely given the double whammy of him being a military man and a doctor) you have two choices:

1) Ignore his wishes and surreptitiously play poker.
2) Respect his wishes and not play poker.

BTW, I think you should just, you know, find a job. If the only jobs you are seeking require interviews you probably have a pretty distorted notion of "work".