On Life Tilt

[The.Accountant]

It seems like I'm mediocre at everything I do in life. Recently I had a ~3K downswing at 200 and 400NL, and I just feel terrible.

I'm still overbankrolled for 200NL and nowhere near busto, but it seems like I play a very high-variance low-expectation game.

I can still make a car payment with my winnings and afford to buy much more than other kids my age, so for someone who sits in front of a computer doing nothing, I do alright I guess. But for a poker player I feel like I'm way behind where I should be in money and experience.

The problem is that I don't seem to be making much progress in poker. I find it hard to concentrate and put my opponent on hands and think on multiple levels while staying calm and making good decisions based on sound reads, etc.

It seems like I know that a bluff or semi-bluff I'm considering is terrible, but I figure that I'll do it just this one time. My errors are not only making bad loose calls, but also making tight ridiculous folds.

Somehow I need to change something in my poker career or life to turn this around and get motivated (this is also a major problem, since I don't spend nearly enough time reviewing hands in poker tracker and learning about the game in general as i should) and be able to play calmly.

I was considering joining a gym, but I don't know anyone who goes and I do find it very intimidating and boring/depressing for some reason.

Then there's also marijuana/alcohol. Carl Sagan was an avid pot smoker, so maybe it could bring some balance and relaxation to my life?

Plus my social life isn't much to fall back on, since I don't really hang out with many people outside of school.

I was thinking of trying to pick up a random girl at school tomorrow since it's the 2nd to last day of exams as an exciting change from my normal grind, but I don't think I would end up going through with it.

[SmokeyRidesAgain]

Smoke pot because Carl Sagan did, obv.

[hoyasnaxa]

Relax, poker is unimportant, as is being high, as is getting girls. Just relax, take a break, read a good book (Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time.")

[holyfield5]

i still remember you rivering a set over set on me for 800 dollars. that being said it aint that serious, either stop the FPS or be content with the +amt you win with poker chilling at home playing and watching tv with no boss.

Serious stuff now

If you need to get motivated, think about your purpose for playing poker, if its not money then just play whenever for fun it doesnt matter you dont even have to play well. If it is for money then i dont see how that cant motivate you in and of itself.

I think the gym stuff is overrated but def try too hook up with bitches, I never understood how winning poker players lacked confidence. As far as im concerned if you are winning at poker esp the SSNL+ levels you are the cream of the crop in intelligence and can bend others(even females) to your will.

plz smoke green, its great.

Get a coach if you want to make your improvements faster. How many tables do you play? if you want to get better i suggest 4 max.

bit of strat sorry

as for the bluffs/semi bluffs, at 200NL if you get raised, even if they have air or bottom pair they pretty much 90% of the time wont fold to a reraise, so stop trying to do it without a hand. I had 3 hands today with monster draws where i was called by 2nd pair or wose, really confuses me, check the cheese thread for the last hand i posted and realize this is why bluffs even good ones wont work.

[The.Accountant]

Yep, I remember that hand too. I think c/r the turn on that hand or whatever I did is just another example of some of the dumb plays that I make.

I do play poker for fun, but really what's fun is competing and winning, which means money is my primary concern.

I remember stoxtrader saying that you should pretend someone is rolling you so that you are more careful to make only +EV plays, but I haven't tried that.

Would you recommend asking a known green smoker(s) at my school for some or should I consult more reliable sources?

Also, I usually stick to 3 tables, actually my downswing happened when I jumped to 4.

I think I should get some coaching, but I looked at Taylor Caby's forum on cardrunners and he charges $700/hr with a 3 lesson commitment I believe. Granted, he's probably the most expensive coach out there, but I don't want to get a cheap coach either..lol

Maybe if I adopted a policy of never bluffing unless it's obvious that I could have the hand I'm representing based on the board and the way the hand played out, and never ever bluffing fish.

[holyfield5]

[ QUOTE ]
Yep, I remember that hand too. I think c/r the turn on that hand or whatever I did is just another example of some of the dumb plays that I make.

I do play poker for fun, but really what's fun is competing and winning, which means money is my primary concern.

I remember stoxtrader saying that you should pretend someone is rolling you so that you are more careful to make only +EV plays, but I haven't tried that.

Would you recommend asking a known green smoker(s) at my school for some or should I consult more reliable sources?

Also, I usually stick to 3 tables, actually my downswing happened when I jumped to 4.

I think I should get some coaching, but I looked at Taylor Caby's forum on cardrunners and he charges $700/hr with a 3 lesson commitment I believe. Granted, he's probably the most expensive coach out there, but I don't want to get a cheap coach either..lol

Maybe if I adopted a policy of never bluffing unless it's obvious that I could have the hand I'm representing based on the board and the way the hand played out, and never ever bluffing fish.

[/ QUOTE ]

i dont think you need taylor as a coach, there are very solid SSNL coaches for 150 an hr.

definitely ask a known green smoker at school if they know you, hang out with one and they shouldnt have any problem hooking you up later.

ive adpoted the strategy of never raise bluffing, i just find that fishy opponents push with too wide a range for it to be profitable, if i raise a weak pair or draw even if im right and they are weak for some reason they still push more than 75% of the time or they call and im completely lost. stick with 2 barrels, occasionally repping stronger hands but just in general forget about trying to push people off weak hands, value bet them.

[hasanthadon]

this is my first actual post on twoplustwo.com. i just started playing poker this year in college, both in person and on FullTilt, and ive just been trying to learn more and more about the game through online forums and books. i plan on studying it extensively this summer.

anyway, i just think its really interesting how people are encouraging someone who shows obvious signs of depression, discontentment, and low self-esteem to smoke weed. ive been smoking since freshman year of high school (just finished fresh. year of college now) and i would recommend people to experiment with it, but for someone who is posting about being "On Life Tilt" and struggling with problems in life, I wouldnt suggest smoking weed as a way of dealing with personal problems.

also, weed is very much a habit-forming drug, take it from someone who smoked every day through junior and senior year of high school. the thing is, i know a lot of people for whom marijuana significantly affects their poker game, and i dont want that happening to a player as good as you.

thats just my two cents.

[sonneti]

Good first post hasanthadon. I have to agree I get blazed all day everyday & if I really wanted to improve my game the first thing I would do would be to stop smoking.

I read about a lot of people "self medicating" themselves with grass, I really don't think that is the case. I think grass is great for escapisim & can help people relax but it's not something I would reccommend to anyone who is depressed. I do hear lots of good reports about going to the gym, havent tried it yet though :/

[llleisure]

There was a good couple of articles in the 2+2 Internet Magazine in I think March and April or something with a sort of worksheet thing to help you sort out why you play poker. Maybe go through that and it'll help you understand why you play, what your goals are etc and how that fits with the rest of your life.

I highly recommend doing the gym thing if you can make yourself do it, if for no other reason than to get out and get a little more human contact. You said you don't see other people much except for school - and school is about to end. You don't want to just hole up for months playing poker and not participating in the rest of your life or that may make you feel awful. People usually need contact with other people at least a little and going to the gym would be a very healthy way to get out and affect your overall chemistry and possibly make you feel a little better in general.

Smoking some pot is probably not a terrible thing either but don't smoke, never leave the house and only play poker/sleep/eat - smoke, play poker and get out some, to the gym or whatever.

[pfapfap]

Join a gym. It's difficult to stay motivated (I'm still off again on again after many many years), but it does wonders for everything. It can be intimidating at first, but my local YMCA has little touch-screens that track my machine settings and progress, which seems silly but helps a lot. When you go in for the first time, someone will help you get familiar with everything. I like to load up my iPod with talk radio shows I enjoy (Seven Second Delay from wfmu.org is fabulous, tho' they're having server trouble ATM) and it pretty much gets me through the entire routine. Then I load up some of the hippie noise jamband stuff I like so much for the bike and basically close my eyes and dance for half an hour. That works for me, maybe something else will work for you.

So you burn calories, build up your body, help your heart, and get all the good natural chemical boosts to improve your mood. There's nothing bad about it. Hardly anybody I know likes going to the gym, but everybody likes leaving it.

Since school is over, maybe look around for some volunteer work? I've done this here and there. Sometimes something will stick (for me it's been daycare, as kids are adorable, but too bad all the hot moms are happily married), and it's a good way to get yourself in other environments, which only helps your own world perspective and approach to life.

As a regular pot smoker, I don't recommend it. Some people can do a little here and there and be fine, but a lot of people struggle with it. I also don't think it's a good idea for someone in school to be a regular user. Your brain is still soft and mushy and developing. Wait until it's more or less fossilized (ie, mid-20s) before adding on the self-destructive chemical behaviors. Far less long-term damage that way.

I wish you well. I struggle with a lot of the motivation stuff (won't get into it here right now), so I understand how difficult it can be (and how silly it may seem to outsiders). For me, getting out there and doing things and challening my perspective have worked a lot, but it's still difficult sometimes to maintain it. Still, I logically know that when I do these things I feel and perform better, so it's just a matter of doing it.