I've been sitting in Entrepreneurship class for the last 2 hours. I was paying attention for the first half hour but soon after the only thing I could think about was if we would be let out early so I could get home in time for the $150 tournaments tonight. I honestly didn't listen to a word the professor said from then on. I was thinking about the hands I misplayed from the midnight $100 on party last night where I bubbled the final table. I was thinking about where I went wrong deep in the $22 rebuy. What I should do with all the money on neteller. Which games I want to play tonight.

Even when I'm not playing cards, more often than not I am thinking about it and am starting to have some guilt issues. I feel like I used to be a much more well-rounded person before poker became such a big part of my everyday life.

Does anybody else feel as if they've been totally consumed by the game?

Ummmm... yes!

school = -EV obv

I think it takes being consumed to be great.

I think at least a third of the players who pot on this site regularly are consumed by poker. Your in good company.

Did you know that while you were writing this post 3 tournaments started that you werent signed up for? Now you have to think about how much money you just lost by not playing in all of them!!!! ;)

I had to drop out after my 2nd year of Robotics. Although I was passing the course with flying colors, I just couldnt focus on the course. And I had no desire to do homework or projects. I found myself getting notes from friends and copying their homework more and more. Until I finally said screw it... I can always fall back on school. But for now, I'm going to milk poker for every dime I can. If it doesn't work out, I can always go back to school.... it's never too late.

I suck at school, im failing EVERYTHING, but just the same I CAN'T quit, because I don't have the funds to live on my own yet, and it reaaalllly sucks!

Apparently your guys' college is nothing like mine. I'd give up nearly anything to be back at UC Santa Barbara. F graduating. "School will always be there" but will the friends, girls, partying, countless stories, and the thousands of other things you learn, still be there?

Spud, you dont have to attend classes to hang out in a university atmosphere. I dropped out a few years ago and I have all those things as well as a budding poker career. Plus I have 2 years of credits under my belt.

I totally understand. I'm pretty consumed by poker and I haven't enjoyed anywhere near the same success as a lot of you guys. It's just that when I hear people complainin about school, when college is something I miss so much, I don't quite understand. Obviously if I had made a ton of money through poker at a young age, my views might be different.

LOL ape. When my roomate is playing a $10sng I can just tell he wants me to stay the fuck outta his room caues im just gonna lay on all this philosophical bullshit on him and he just wants to play a $10 tournament for the fuck of it.

Do you all not/did not have wireless internet at your school? Problem solved, play online while in class, the ultimate resolution to this question. You just have to time it right, if youre in a normal one hour to hour and a half class just sign up for some SnGs, if youre in a block class play ring games, clearly you cant sign up for MTTs. Its the only way to go if youre still in college.

I guess I'm not as addicted as you guys. I've been doing ok in school, and just using poker as a way to avoid 5-12ing it after classes to pay rent. I really hate working, poker is the only thing that I feel like I could do for a living, and not end up hating my life in 20 years. I guess Gank said it best, "I can't work for 'The Man'".

oh man I missed this thread. I am really starting to question all this too. Like two nights ago I was trying to multi-task studying at my desk for a mid-term and railing for mantis as he took down a PS touney at the same time. Same thing last night, I was making a formula sheet while watching the charity tourney. It took me like 3 facking hours to write out a page and a half b/c I just had to see who won the charity tourney. WTF?!?!?!?... And wow look, it's 3:25 am and im on an internet message board talking about how I am consumed with poker. WOOOOOOOOOOT ??? LOL......

Im more like:
%90 women
%10 poker

But i admit that even 10 could be worrying.

I'm in the same boat as a lot of you, but a year or so past... I was making good money playing poker in Raleigh, NC while I went to NCSU. I was never a great student, but I generally got the job done. However, my senior "year" of CSC was EXTREMELY hard to pass. Although I knew I was going to pursue poker professionally by the start of 2005 (I was making more than enough at it to do it already, and I was only playing really low stakes), I still had to finish school. I only had one class left for the Spring semester in 2005, and I ended up dropping that just before the drop deadline (poker play isn't what hurt me there - the class was just way too difficult for me). My plan to move to Vegas early in the summer of 2005 was already in place, and I wasn't going to let not finishing school stop me. I knew I had to move to pursue my dream... or whatever. I had a plan in place of course to finish here in Vegas at UNLV. I got all the necessary paperwork to be able to take that last class at UNLV in the fall of 2005.

However, after I moved out here... and started making more money than I expected to pretty much immediately, it become much more difficult to make myself take the class in the fall. I eventually told myself I'd take it in the spring. Well, Nov - Dec, and then especially early January became my most profitable months yet, and now I'm playing some major events, and continuing to play higher stakes and consistently win. This of course led to me not signing up for the class at UNLV this semester, so I STILL have 1 class to finish to graduate (and another problem is that it is going to be an extremely difficult one to pass, even if it wasn't for poker).

Of course, I plan to eventually graduate, as I do want the degree (although it will never be of use to me - I'll never work in a job in the CSC field). But since the start of the year, I've averaged $1900/day playing online. How can I convince myself to take the time and effort to take that last class when I'm making money like this?? It's very, very difficult. In fact, it's difficult to spend time with friends and all when I have to pass up a day online to do so!

It's good to hear from others who have the same issue (obviously, I'm not complaining, as I'm thrilled to be doing as well as I am... but it does take away a lot of other areas of your life). If I was only 2 years into school or so, and making money like I am now online (and I know a lot of you are too), I don't know how I could possibly convince myself to put any effort into school. I'm in awe of you who are able to do it.