lol just wait until you're married....

in the poker game of life women are the rake, they are the fucking rake

I got an idea. Get copies of half a dozen of her favorite movies. Then tell her you just need a little bit, watch a movie, and you'll finish watching it with her when you're done. Now of course if you're an MTT expert, that's likely to not work and I'd have to think of something else....

just tell her to gtfo

I think probably 60-70% of males that play poker, except those who make 75-100k plus a year, and have a partner probably have the same problems. One of the best things to do is make a time schedule of when you plan on playing. This may also just help your play in general as you eliminate some common downfalls of online poker such as: OMH syndrome, getting stuck and "playing until I get back to even" syndrome, playing too long without a break, and a few others.
This serves as like a do not disturb sign. If you play in the evenings after school, set aside time from 2:00-5:00 for poker, 5:00-7:00 for dinner, girlfriend etc., and then hit the tables again from 7:00 until 11:00 or whenever you go to sleep. If you follow that schedule or a similiar one, 6-7 hours is plenty of poker time for most people. This way your partner knows when you will be playing and when they should not bother you. It seems fair to most I believe.
Again, you may just have a woman who doesn't like it any way you do except don't play. And they will talk to you purposely while you are playing so that they can use that as an example of how you like poker more than them, etc. There are people like that, male and female, unfortunately. But, sooner or later you will have to either compromise or let her go.

EDIT: Or live with the bitching.

I had a very similar experience during my last two years of college. I played a lot of poker instead of getting a real job and also had a g/f that absolutely hated poker.

I basically had to not play a lot of the time, or know that it would cause problems and/or distractions. Anyways we broke up right before the summer of 2006 and it seemed like this lifted a lot of weight of my shoulders and I really started concentrating on poker. I dont totally blame having a g/f for not playing my best/ winning at poker but it seemed to be a rather large distraction.

LOLOL I FEEL YOU ON THIS ONE......HERES MY SOLUTION THAT HAS WORKED FOR ME.

PICK YOUR POKER NIGHTS...ONE,TWO,THREE NIGHTS A WEEK. LET HER KNOW THOSE ARE <span>YOUR</span> NIGHTS. DONT PLAY THE OTHER NIGHTS, AND SHE WILL RESPECT YOUR POKER DAYS TOO. MY GF NOW ASKS ME AHEAD OF TIME IF IM PLAYING POKER THOSE NIGHTS AND IS COOL WITH IT.

ALSO, DONT SNAP IF SHE DISRUPTS YOU, JUST TRY TO LET HER UNDERSTAND YOUR BUSY IN A POLITE WAY, AND ACKNOWLEDGE HER.

GL

My girlfriend and I have decided that playing while she's around is just a bad idea altogether. She's not opposed to me playing, but she doesn't like when I get upset after taking a beat or when I'm playing bad. I think it's important to separate your poker life from the real world, because it's not realistic to hold any sort of conversation while pulling a sesh. You are not being fair to them by not listening or responding to what they're saying, and they are not being fair to you by not letting you concentrate during the critical moments that make or break a sesh. If your girlfriend comes over, either decide before you start playing that you will have uninterrupted playing time, or don't play.

HI
I was reading this post over my boyfriends shoulder (wubanga) and I was laughing b/c I really appreciate your problem. I don't know how often you play or how long you have been with your girl. My bf and I have been together for many years (9, I think) and needless to say I was around long before poker was a part of his life. From the perspctive of a significant other I would like you to know that I know the demands of your work and I do see it as a real job. Seeing it as a real job and understanding the game is the first step to understanding the time demands. This is the first and most important step for your girl to take in order for your relationship to work. But I suggest to you to place yourself in her shoes. She may be feeling ignored or like you are not there for her, and the best way to fix this problem is with small, and random acts of kindness. Take an evening off, or take her out to dinner when you win. Also, let her know how much you need her support in order to make this work. You have chosen a life that makes having a personal life very hard. You need to strike a balance and work on it together. Thats All!

i didnt read anything about buying a ring in the bankroll management article... and im starving

Instead of agruing/fighting/talking even with her...why don't you teach her to play....and not just teach her what beats what and how the game is played out...but actually teach her how to take peoples money and show her how to think above your opponents game. Once she understands whats going on, it should be easier to have her relate to it. Worked for me at least.

I think it's important to find a balance.

The first couple years that i played poker seriously I can admit that I ignored my girlfriend. I would say I'd come over at 4, and then I'd be deep in a tournament and not come over til like six. I was a real douchebag, and I've openly admitted that to her. I played every day, ignored my family and friends and just focused on poker.

This summer however, I probably played 20 days out of the 100 and I must say, it made both my girlfriend and I much happier. I would tell her "Big tournament on sunday, can't play" and because i told her in advance I'd be playing she'd read a book or spend time with a friend. I also bought her an ipod and we went on a trip to montreal with poker money, so I think that also lessenened her hatred of poker. The time off also made me a much better and focused player and I gurantee you I made much more by playing less than more.

Of course now she's in Spain and we're not together, but our relationship wasn't affected at all by poker... in fact, the money that it gave me allowed us to have memories and fun that we wouldn't have had if I was grinding it out at the local pool lifeguarding...

Like some hae said -- set a schedule and let her know this is your job. It'll take a while, but they'll understand.

My wife usually plays at the same time that I do or around the same time. I hear her berate the other players from time to time and randomly curse at the computer screen. Outside of that though, that's about the extent of our interaction goes while playing. She's been known to get annoyed at me if I talk in the middle of a hand, lol.

It's really about finding a happy medium. This is no dig on the OP or anyone else, but majority of the time, if your gf/wife says poker seems more important, than yalls aren't finding that medium and essentially probably not spending enough "quality" time together. I had the same problem in a previous relationship 6-7 years ago (but it wasn't poker).

My wife and me both workout together, set aside time to watch a movie at least 3x's a week at home, found a TV show we both like to watch weekly together, and go fishing together. Basically we found what we can do together.

Because we have other activities, doing something on our own time, even when we're around each other isn't such a hassle. Obviously it's different if you don't live with someone, but OP says she practically lives at his place, so pretty much I think this advice can somewhat apply to the situation.

But, if all else fails.......if you have wireless, tell her you're going to study at the library. Go to the library and get some hands in undisturbed.

Teach her poker?

Isn't it weird how they like it when you win $5,200 in a day and buy them a $500 purse or take them out to a nice dinner, but the rest of the time, they don't like how much time you spend playing or ask, 'when are you gonna win $5,200 again ? :)