Job satisfaction in poker

[Epple]

How many people derive any job satisfaction out of being a professional poker player?

If you were rich, would you still play the game?

The reason I ask this is everytime i play poker, I always have a feeling at the back of my mind that i'm wasting my time and could spend it doing other things.

[Poker Plan]

[ QUOTE ]
The reason I ask this is everytime i play poker, I always have a feeling at the back of my mind that i'm wasting my time and could spend it doing other things.

[/ QUOTE ]

Serious question: Why don't you do something else then?

[trickyAAA]

Funny. When I am doing other things I always have the feeling that I am waisting my time and should be playing poker. If I were rich, I would still play. In fact, I would play more.

[Erik Blazynski]

Frank Wallace writes.....

Poker is merciless.

Poker is a game of money and deception. The consequences are always deserved. The penalties go to the weak--the rewards go to the strong. The loser dissipates his time and money. The winner earns satisfaction and money. But what is the net result of poker? Is it merely time consumed and money exchanged with nothing positive produced? Is the net result a negative activity?

Poker exposes character ... poker is a character catalyst that forces players to reality. Those who evade thinking and act on whims cannot escape the penalties. Those who use their minds and act on logic are rewarded. The results are clear and true: The lazy evader loses--he can never fake success. The thinking performer wins--he is always rewarded.

The good poker player functions rationally. He views all situations realistically. With objective thinking, he directs his actions toward winning maximum money. He pits the full use of his mind against the unwillingness of his opponents to think. Thus, the good player cannot lose.

In poker, a person is on his own. He must act as an individual. No one will help him. Success depends on the rational use of his mind. Success depends on exercising his positive qualities and overcoming his negative qualities. Success depends on him alone. In poker, a person can function entirely for his own sake. The results are his own. The loser makes himself a loser. The winner makes himself a winner.

Poker is sheer justice.

[svelte]

Good question. I've been wondering about the poker community and their "job satisfaction" levels. I think there is a percentage of the community that plays it only to make money, and then there are those that play it for the love of the game. For a while, I considered being a novelist. I thought because I loved books so much, that I would be a great writer. But I kept reading authors that said that you don't write to be successful or to make tons of money. You have to write because you love it. I found it to be pure drudgery. I wasn't nearly as passionate about writing as I was about reading.

With poker, I would play even if there was no $$$$ reward. Don't know what it is, but I am fascinated by each hand. There are frustrations involved, but I definitely love the game.

Having said that, there needs to be a balance. My playing poker doesn't enhance the world in any way, so I wouldn't necessarily give it the attribute of "satisfying" in that sense. So, for me, there has to be other things in my life that "contributes".

I'm curious how many play for the love of the game. I see some players and there is just no joy there.

I'm rambling...

[SplawnDarts]

[ QUOTE ]
Good question. I've been wondering about the poker community and their "job satisfaction" levels. I think there is a percentage of the community that plays it only to make money, and then there are those that play it for the love of the game. For a while, I considered being a novelist. I thought because I loved books so much, that I would be a great writer. But I kept reading authors that said that you don't write to be successful or to make tons of money. You have to write because you love it. I found it to be pure drudgery. I wasn't nearly as passionate about writing as I was about reading.

With poker, I would play even if there was no $$$$ reward. Don't know what it is, but I am fascinated by each hand. There are frustrations involved, but I definitely love the game.

Having said that, there needs to be a balance. My playing poker doesn't enhance the world in any way, so I wouldn't necessarily give it the attribute of "satisfying" in that sense. So, for me, there has to be other things in my life that "contributes".

I'm curious how many play for the love of the game. I see some players and there is just no joy there.

I'm rambling...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good point - I play equally for the love of the game and for the money. I really enjoyed being a pro for two years, and might someday do it again. However, my love of the game as a game did diminish somewhat about 10 hours into a session.

An interesting note is that one of my two home games is play-money, and it's probably the highlight of my week. All the players love the game and take it seriously, and it's where I get to learn new games and try out new tactics for free.

[Poker Plan]

[ QUOTE ]
Frank Wallace writes.....

Poker is merciless.

Poker is a game of money and deception. The consequences are always deserved. The penalties go to the weak--the rewards go to the strong. The loser dissipates his time and money. The winner earns satisfaction and money. But what is the net result of poker? Is it merely time consumed and money exchanged with nothing positive produced? Is the net result a negative activity?

Poker exposes character ... poker is a character catalyst that forces players to reality. Those who evade thinking and act on whims cannot escape the penalties. Those who use their minds and act on logic are rewarded. The results are clear and true: The lazy evader loses--he can never fake success. The thinking performer wins--he is always rewarded.

The good poker player functions rationally. He views all situations realistically. With objective thinking, he directs his actions toward winning maximum money. He pits the full use of his mind against the unwillingness of his opponents to think. Thus, the good player cannot lose.

In poker, a person is on his own. He must act as an individual. No one will help him. Success depends on the rational use of his mind. Success depends on exercising his positive qualities and overcoming his negative qualities. Success depends on him alone. In poker, a person can function entirely for his own sake. The results are his own. The loser makes himself a loser. The winner makes himself a winner.

Poker is sheer justice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thanks you Sir, for posting this. This is probably THE single best thing I have read regarding poker, in the year and a half I have been playing.

It sums up EVERYTHING that got me fascinated with poker on Day one and EVERYTHING that makes me more fascinated with the game with every day that passes. I love the way that it explains how poker is really the ultimate reality check.

I think a lot of people really miss the main point (as I see it) of poker: To do well externally, you must make a very diffcult journey internally. On that journey you're going to find a lot of things that stand in your way- baggage that you've carried for years, that you've created. Are you willing or even capable to erradicate it?

Sorry to rant. I was just so enthused when I read the quoted paragraph.


Ian

[ottsville]

I think its easy to be satisfied with playing poker for a certain type of person especially when you are winning. It is much harder to be satisfied during a downsing, and even though as a pro you know that is part of the game, it takes a very strong person to maintain any level of satisfaction at that point.

I love to play the game and would still play if I were rich, although I would not play the game just for fun(play money) because most players can not take the game seriously when there is nothing at stake.

Poker may be a difficult way to earn a living. The solitude for online players, the late hours and smoky rooms for live players, the lifestyle that usually goes along with it... but how many people with "real jobs" do you know that get lots of satisfaction from their jobs?

Some things I've found for me is to not let being a *insert job title here* define who I am and to strive for some sort of balance in your life.

[ottsville]

[ QUOTE ]
I think a lot of people really miss the main point (as I see it) of poker: To do well externally, you must make a very diffcult journey internally. On that journey you're going to find a lot of things that stand in your way- baggage that you've carried for years, that you've created. Are you willing or even capable to erradicate it?


[/ QUOTE ]

Brilliant!

[Ben K]

[ QUOTE ]
Frank Wallace writes.....

Poker is merciless.

Poker is a game of money and deception. The consequences are always deserved. The penalties go to the weak--the rewards go to the strong. The loser dissipates his time and money. The winner earns satisfaction and money. But what is the net result of poker? Is it merely time consumed and money exchanged with nothing positive produced? Is the net result a negative activity?

Poker exposes character ... poker is a character catalyst that forces players to reality. Those who evade thinking and act on whims cannot escape the penalties. Those who use their minds and act on logic are rewarded. The results are clear and true: The lazy evader loses--he can never fake success. The thinking performer wins--he is always rewarded.

The good poker player functions rationally. He views all situations realistically. With objective thinking, he directs his actions toward winning maximum money. He pits the full use of his mind against the unwillingness of his opponents to think. Thus, the good player cannot lose.

In poker, a person is on his own. He must act as an individual. No one will help him. Success depends on the rational use of his mind. Success depends on exercising his positive qualities and overcoming his negative qualities. Success depends on him alone. In poker, a person can function entirely for his own sake. The results are his own. The loser makes himself a loser. The winner makes himself a winner.

Poker is sheer justice.

[/ QUOTE ]

This one post is so awesome, I think I'm going to make it into a poster and stick it on my wall.