GL man, have a break and come back when your head is clear.

I'm hoping that English isn't your major at teh uni

Everyone is advocating a break here, but I'm reading this and see something different.

1) He feels horrible when he loses (who doesn't).
2) Bad enough that he lost his girlfriend because of it
3) He has lost rediculous sums
4) He has no respect for money
5) He quickly tries to build a bankroll back and loses all the time (sounds like chasing to me)
6) He has lost any form of fun with the game.

It really sounds like your addicted here. I'm not sure you can come back with a clear head after a month and right this. You have a lot of serious issues that you need to fix.

I think you may need a shrink here. If not, you may want to find the UK version of Gamblers Annonymous and go to a few meetings, just hear other people's stories.

I'm not saying you should never play again, but if you do, you need to start small and be in a very structured environment. Right now, your just gambling, and it's highly unhelathy the path your down.

Get right in the head, and then see if poker is right for you. There is a chance that it really isn't, and that's ok.

Good luck to you, I think your in for the fight of your life in front of you.

he isn't addicted... he just sucks at cards and he sucks at managing his money

I think you have all the classic symptoms of a full blown gambling addict, and I also think you KNOW you are an addict. You need to completely stop playing online poker forever and fill your life with other activities and people. If you relapse and start playing again, you will inevitably go on the same roller coaster ride to ruin all over again....

"What they said."
Quit any form of gambling whatsoever. Focus on studies, tell the girl you quit the game and now have a clear head to focus on your relationship. Enjoy your old life and never gamble again.

You sound like a compulsive gambler, not a poker player.

2 things:

1- Clown welcome to the community. I see this is your second post, with so little to offer why not make it your last.

2- Andrew, poker is a very tough game in many respects. You have to figure out why you are playing, and then learn and practice the discipline necessary to succeed (how ever you define success) in the long run.

No one is playing poker to lose money and be frustrated to the point it damages their quality of life away from poker.

If lost money and increased frustration are the main things you get from the playing, you need to stop, if you can't stop, you need to get help.

Too many guys are missing the boat here. We are talking "online" bankrolls versus money saved in the bank. We are talking about how pros go broke and how that is part of the game.

Did you read the post? You have to read a bit in between the lines here. He has been losing huge lately. His girlfriend left him because of poker. School seems messed up because of poker.

This guy has tons of LIFE problems, and they all seem to be rooted to POKER. Sure, a break is good, a break is needed. A very long break.

Come on, this guy is an addict. Maybe some of us here are having a little bit of trouble since we have a couple of these things happen to us, and we obviously aren't addicts, so neither is he.

You might not have fallen off the cliff yet, he has. Poker has made him miserable. Do you wake up dreading the game? I doubt it (I know I don't), but it sounds like he does. That doesn't seem normal to me (why dread it, just don't play it).

OP, please get some help. Figure out your life.

I'm not a big "12 steps" fan that says you have to avoid it completely. At one point in the distant future, maybe you can give poker a try (when you are in a different place mentally, it seems like you have a talent for the game). But, right now, it's not even worth thinking about that.

Poker is nice, but a LIFE is so much better. At this point you have to choose, and I think (hope/pray) that it's an obvious decision for you.

For those also thinking a quick break and bankroll management might help, you might do good to watch an episode or 2 of Intervention (I think it's on A&E). Watch how drugs just destroy a normal human being and watch it destroy the family around them. Then, read this guy's story, it's a little too similar.

Without knowing you, and just offering my non-professional opinion:

I think you are addicted to gambling and you probably need help. Compulsive behaviour is very dangerous and gambling addiction is very serious--it leads to death in about 5% of cases (I read that stat at a GA meeting).
You probably need some serious help. What kind of person do you want to be? Are you the kind of person you want to be? it does not sound like it! Try to become the kind of person you want to be (a good boyfriend... a good university student, etc)

Seek help! Otherwise, you might simply become another statsitic and that would be horrible.

Take care,

--tc

Can someone who's name is not Suicydal please ask the admins to remove this post and discipline Cowy for his insensitive remark. I imagine with my screenname I'm not the best person to address this, but I wouldn't dream of making such a sick suggestion to someone who seems to be in a tough spot.

p.s. My name is a remnant of my past career. I thought it was a cool name for a hip hop and techno producer. Probably a poor choice in retrospect, but youth makes a lot of things seem cool.

Listen magic its obvious your spreading yourself too thin. You obviously should block out all distractions that are hamstringing your poker game such as higher learninin and your ungrateful sow.

focus on this and nothin il stop ya magic