I've been playing poker as my main source of income for 4+ years now... I remember when I first started, I couldn't get enough. Loved playing poker every free second I had. Lately, I find myself not even really enjoying playing poker, and playing basically just to make money. I'm sure a part of it is just playing too much throughout the years, but I also think listening to morons who run there mouth during everygame, and things like that, that have diminished my love for the game. Don't get me wrong, I still like it to an extent, just not half as much as I did 3 years ago..... I just was wondering if some other people who a large chunk of there income comes from poker are starting to feel the same way.... or if it's just me. It kinda bothers me that I feel like this, and wondering if its just a phase, or if this could be a perminant thing lol

I count myself very much in with you two. I have played now for a little over 4 years and only really play now for the money. I have become addicted to the money (and because I do need the $ since teaching does not pay all that well). So I sit and grind out money when I have time, which is a lot over the summer. It is very rare that I actualyl get excited about poker. In fact the past year or so I can only remember two times that I was excited, first when I one a WSOP last year and then at a final table of the $200 FT this year. And that is about it. I win tournies, I don't get excited, its just another ho hum day.

This is an issue for me because I continue to make more and more every year I keep on playing, but yet become more and more bored with poker. And I know some say to take breaks, well with teaching and coaching I usually only play maybe 10 hours during the school year and even then it is not really thrilling.

I guess my message to you uncanney is if you can afford to, then quit. If you can't, then you can see why the pros say "it is a tough way to make an easy living" and "poker is a grind".

I play almost every day and still love it. Guess I'm lucky. When I get bored of playing NL cash, i'll play tourneys, HU, or Omaha. Would really like to improve my omaha game.

in the beginning poker was a new and exciting challenge, if you've had any success, and have played long enough, then you start to see the same old patterns over and over. It really is boring sitting there fold, fold, fold, raise, everyone folds.... fold fold fold fold fold fold raise, everyone folds, fold fold fold, raise, get a call, bet the flop, they raise, you fold.... fold fold fold fold fold. etc.

try to find new challenges in life, there's other ways to make mad money besides poker

like for instance, business

why not take up a new skill and pay for it with poker?

or maybe go travelling and just play poker a little here and there, or try the tournament circuit... tournaments are still pretty thrilling to me anyway... but tha's cuz my biggest score is only 14k, I'm still after those big scores...and not to mention I want to get on the live circuit sometime

plus there's always the wsop, I don't think anyone can seriously never play that again for the rest of their life...... if you've been to one, you know how fun it is

When a hobby forcefully turns in to a way of living and you can't enjoy it, then quit.

You may also just be getting bored of it and need to take a break.

With all due respect Early Bird....I agree with OP all the way. Ive been doing this for about 4 years now. I started playing when i was 17 and i couldnt get enough...played everyday for about 3 years straight. Well lately i just cant stand playing...I force myself to get on a few times a week and play some tournaments or grind cash games, but the fire isnt there anymore.
Im not the best player in the world, but im by no means a losing play. Ive never had a 9-5 since my Soph year in high school. Ive bought Cars, Nice Watches, Cowboy Tickets anywhere in the country and supported myself strickly from poker....And i hate to say i hate it now. Its just like any other job ive ever had, except i cant make even close to this kinda money anywhere else. I also lately....cant stand the lifestyle of an online pro. I put on 40 pounds since high school...stayed up till 5 am every night, and realy just lived like a complete piece of shit..I guess it took me awhile to realize this and ive recently taken a pretty long break from poker, I go to the Gym everyday and go out every weekend, live a normal life and i couldnt be happier.
Just so happens im on a pretty big downswing as well. In the Past losing 5k or having just a terrible month in tournaments used to drive me insaine...I wouldnt go out or do anything for that matter untill i recovered some loses or whatever. Nowadays if i win a tournament or i have a nice sit down at the cash games great...but if i lose its not the end of the world and im not going to let it affect me outside of poker.
Guess what im trying to say is ive learned a pretty important lesson regarding poker and life the past few years. No matter how much money you make, that shouldnt determine how successful/unsucessful you are. Its about just enjoying life and finding that balance between Poker and whatever else you do. Dont let poker take over your life..In the End its still a love hate relationship, because i know if i apply myself i can make alot of money, but like i said its just all about finding that balance.......

ALL THE PEOPLE THAT R 19/20 YEARS OLD THAT WANT TO DROP OUT OF COLLEGE TO PLAY POKER FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES DAY IN DAY OUT SHOULD IMMEDIATELY READ THIS POST.

I've been playing for 2 full years, and have made more in '06 and '07 than i have from my job, i get about 10$ an hour as a college student. I still love it, and hopefully always will. I'm sure everyone goes through phases though like the one your experiencing. Pokers a great game, and i imagine i will always be playing it.

There;s a classic study where kids paint for fun. Half the kids start to receive money for paiting while the others just keep painting for free. The one;s who got the money eventually had less fun while the other kids still enjoyed it.

Don;t worry you are normal, althogh I'm not sure if thats comforting given that;s its likely your feelings will not change unlees you switch something up

I think my desire to play definately ebbs and flows. Without going into great detail about myself, I've been through a few cycles where I'm just itching to play every day for weeks then for weeks I hardly have the desire to play and I'm lucky if I get 1 or 2 sessions in a day.

One 'trick' I've learned is when I'm just not feeling like playing something, dont play. If I really don't want to play NL cash games, I'll either just go play video games or something, or play a different type of poker. Instead of playing 1 or 2 tables of $100 NL, maybe I'll play 5 tables of $25 NL. Or play some SNGs, or play triple draw, or omaha. Sometimes I'll make the switch to limit games for a little bit. I actually moved from NL holdem to PLO and found out that I'm a much better PLO player than I had realized and I've been crushing the games.

Just mix it up. My friends sometimes look me up online and say WTF are you doing playing 2/4 limit?? Why? Because I felt like it.... just do what seems fun at the time and it will make it much less of a grind.

Good luck to you!

I hate poker but I hate school even more.

I could never imagine sitting in cash games day after day trying to grind out a living.That sounds like a miserable existance to me.That would definately take the fun out of poker.I`m not insulting anyone, it just does`nt sound like fun.The term"grind out a living"should give it away.

I do suck at grammar, I will admit that. That is why I teach Social Studies. To prove my point I was writing a paper in college and the paper had the word socks in it. Well to a sports guy there is only one way to spell socks and that is SOX. Well luckily my friend who edited my papers caught it (except she is not a sports fan and had no clue what SOX was).

Anyways, good thing I don't write much on my board, do alot of discussions in my classroom and debates. I make the kids do the writing.

85% of Americans don't like their jobs. Several million Americans get up at 6AM every day and spend 10 hours in the hot sun on the end of a shovel. Anyone making a living playing internet poker should wake up singing EVERY day and be thankful they can pay their bills and put food on the table by clicking a mouse while sitting in their underwear smoking reefer and eating twinkies.....

All this whining about poker being so 'boring and not fun' is crap. Anyone thinking this way should go over to the Manpower Temporary Employment Agency and sign up for a general construction laborer job for two weeks....you would soon realize how GREAT a job internet poker is and you would come running back to your mouse with a new attitude.....

I've been playing online poker professionally over three years now and I still love it! The combination of fun, money, and freedom enjoyed by a poker player is simply not to be had in almost any other career. The only thing I find frustrating is running bad. But I think that is a small annoyance compared to dealing with stupid bosses/other frustrations of the "real" workplace.