Poker leading to social isolation

[pureklas]

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I think this poker addiction is just nonsense. A normal job is at least 8 hours....if you are at the microlimits making moeny like me 8 hours is what i play daily to make hte money i need. And the day conists of 24 hours, so 8 u sleep, 8 u work and u have 8 free to get laid, do bungee jumping and so on....Every human being for the most part has 8 hours in working AT LEAST.....8 hours of sleeping and 8 hours of oding whatever they want. So whats the difference? The onyl difference i see is that in your job you dont interact with much people but it compensates beacue if u becaume a consistent winner then you can get laid with more hot chicks, tavel the globe, becaume a balla

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It's hard to get carried away at micro limits. The money affects us so much more the higher you go up. Add to playing time the time spent thinking about the game, constantly striving to improve to move up and it eats well into your free time. Also, I dont see how becoming a consistent winner gets you laid more with hot chicks if you have zero social skills.

[Albert Moulton]

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Play live.

I know more about the lives of the regulars I play cards with than I do about the guys I work with every day. No matter that we try to take each others' money, most of the regulars kind of get a feel and respect for each other while mostly trying to take stacks from weaker, non-regulars.

Mix up on-line play with live play. Live play can be pretty profitable, too, at the mid-stakes level like 5/5 and 10/10 NL. So, you make "friends," make money, and have a pseudo social life. Plus all the dealers and chip runners are nice to you and call you by your first name.

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This actually is a nice solution to the social isolation aspect to online poker, but it then brings up some of the negative aspects of live poker; namely the higher costs of rake, travel expenses, tipping, slower pace.

I guess its all about making choices though, right?

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I live 15 minutes from a card room, and I can play NL 2/3, 5/5, or 10/10 - all of which can be pretty profitable even factoring in gas, rake, and tips.

I think OP should play some live games on a regular basis in addition to his on-line time, not instead of his on-line time.

If he lives far from a B&M cardroom, or if he's under 21, then B&M isn't a good alternative. But if he's close and of age, then he should get out and play more live.

[spino1i]

Currently I do not play the stakes I should be playing. I should be playing 20/40 NL live and instead for the most part recently I have been playing 5/10 NL live. This is mostly because this way I can play with my buddies and I have emotional support and someone to talk to. I have a hard time dealing with the emotional swings and seriousness of 10/20+ NL and need someone to play with (thats a buddy) for me to feel good. This has cost me a lot of money im sure, I know I can beat way higher stakes than im playing (and im bankrolled for them as well), I just wish i had better emotional health so I could do it.

[SellingtheDrama]

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Currently I do not play the stakes I should be playing. I should be playing 20/40 NL live and instead for the most part recently I have been playing 5/10 NL live. This is mostly because this way I can play with my buddies and I have emotional support and someone to talk to. I have a hard time dealing with the emotional swings and seriousness of 10/20+ NL and need someone to play with (thats a buddy) for me to feel good. This has cost me a lot of money im sure, I know I can beat way higher stakes than im playing (and im bankrolled for them as well), I just wish i had better emotional health so I could do it.

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Try balancing your sessions - spend some time with your friends at the smaller games, and spend a couple hours at a time playing the bigger games. Also, if you are both playing at the same time, you can always go over and talk to your buddy for a few minutes to get the psychological benefits while not passing up the higher EV game.

[galahad_187]

i didn't read all the posts because i'm playing poker. but my story briefly:

I was the life of every party. I could make anyone laugh, and i was extremely quick witted. I began playing poker, dropped out of school and became extremely anxious in all social settings. I can't even find words to say to my wife often times. I began drinking /very/ heavily, almost always alone. I wish i never found poker. Atleast, i wish i never starting drinking/lost my drive for college. I'm now getting a job just sothat i can be around people again, and because i'm not making money in poker i guess. My wife is two years younger than me and has her degree. We were both winners at one point, now she's married a loser.

I only hope i can fix what i've broken. What have i broken? myself

[OnYourBike]

You chose to sit at a computer all day long.

[galahad_187]

i know i chose to sit here 8-10 hours a day, i know i chose to drink heavily. I know i chose to get high. thats what igets to me, i made all of these mistakes. now i'm severely [censored] up as a result of my mistakes. I should probably get on an anti-anxiety medication instead of an ADD medication. That coupled with a job around people will hopefully fix me with some diligent effort on my behalf. by effort i mean looking at things positivly again, regaining self confidence.

no [censored] it was my choice. i just hope i didn't cause irriversable damage

[OnYourBike]

So you drink, take drugs, have mental health problems anyway, so what's this got to do with poker? Seems like these bad habits are the root of your problems.