<title>Enter text here.</title>*added to Strategy Archives* Balancing Life and Poker

Decided to post this, mainly to hear your thoughts and advice on my situation/goals/choices.

first off, its late and im delirious from actually studying recently so sorry ifthis post is bad/sad/lame whatever, i might edit some in the morning orsomething, plus i failed writing so dont expect it to be a masterpiece

So obv i hit a few big scores and got 2nd in the milly to pretty much rocket boost my poker career. When i hit the score and a few more after that i said 100% i was completing school and going to try out being a pro after that.

things change though. recently i had lost 95% of my motivation to do well in school. mainly i think because i have the option of trying out going pro (where others don't), my major (would have changed my whole class schedule last year if i could go back), and my personality. lately ive just been questioning everything like the value of a degree, and it just takes chunks out of my motivation.

because of that i was thinking long and hard about taking a leave of absence or a quarter off to try out being a pro. i went to everyone about it, friends, poker friends, and family. they all had mixed views but most importantly my parents shared the same views i did. school is expensive, and if im not putting my heart and soul in it, and getting terrible grades, and have the option of going pro, why the hell not? They saw this point of view, but ALSO really would like to me stay in school and tough it out and get a degree. So pretty much i had 3 options, stay in school, change my major, or go pro

a few days ago i decided to go with option 1 for now. since then i have had a small 2nd wind of motivation (hopefully enough to keep me from failing), but i continue to question what im going to do with poker

im on a pretty sigh downswing and its got me questioning a lot about what im going to do. im currently playing 1-2 days a week, and always on sunday. playing that little volume makes variance seem really brutal to me and because of the downswing im starting to tilt more and more, even though at the beginning of the session im all reared up and ready to go. pretty much on sunday my upper limits were 100r, and the 500. i dropped down to 50r and the 215 majors, for a few reasons. bankroll is kind of an issue, but not really. im just confused at to what my life roll and poker roll should be. right now my life roll is sitting in my crappy savings account gaining .00001% interest. i could def deposit some and play higher again, even without depositing i really could play that high, but its cutting it close.

im pretty much thinking though, do i want to play that high? i feel like i can beat the games, but its def a lot more stressful. im debating a few things, between going back to 100rs (the huge sunday one only prolly), dropping down to 20rs and 109s (skipping 162s but playing the 215 majors), staying where im at, or just cutting out all together. i was wondering today, has any succesfull player decided to "cut his winnings", and just quit while hes ahead? right now my only goals are supernova on stars, and a decent profit in 2010, but should i have different goals, or even any goals at all?

another option is getting backed, which does a few things for me. it would relieve stress and i could theoretically play anything i wanted. this doesnt really appeal to me cuz i do like playing on my own. another thing i kinda wanna get into is backing, i have one horse and its been a fun/exciting/new/interesting experience, but i can also see where it could get very stressful. (sorry not looking for horses atm)

currently im trying to channel my motivation from poker to school, and its working a bit. kinda hard to, especially when i dont really WANT to, because honestly poker > school at the moment, but prolly not in the long run.

anyways, dont really know WHY i posted this, mainly just to hear what people think about my situation (btw "my situation" is not a negative term, im very happy to be where im at, and thankful for whats happened for me)

so yea thanks for reading, or tl;dr

for the tl;dr people heres some cliffs

binked a score, hated college

stayed in college, debating what stakes i play after downswing

wondering about poker in general and where its going for me

posting for unknown reason to hear your thoughts and opinions

edit: thanks for all the advice everyone. Just to let everyone know I have at least 2.5 years (prolly more like 3.5 as I'm looking at a 5 year plan). Also chances are I'm going to say in school, and my plan is to see what it's like this summer. Thanks again

Deoxy you are def not alone here, there are countless amounts of people who are 18-25 and unsure of what they want to do with their life. If you're hating school, take a break for a semester then reevaluate.

Downswings are part of poker, just keep playing your game and you will snap out of it. Keep your confidence high, that's of utmost importance.

You're too young to stress out over life and where it's going imo. I have no idea where I'll be in 5, 10 years w/e but I do know that I'm happy with my life and that's all that matters to me right now. Do what makes you happy and follow your heart. GL.

bro... My advice to you is to take your shot..grind your roll, play the stakes you feeling comfortable, enjoy life and when you have binked another score or 2 (i know you will, i have seen you play and it's inevitable for you to bink again) you need to grab a few friends, go to EPT, LAPT, or many other side events BWO, WSOPC or rent house in vegas this summer for a month or two(pretty cheap, almost a steal,bring your girl, friends who don't play poker, etc) and take your shot at VSE, Ceaser's, and obviously WSOP. These are things we all dream about, traveling the world going to places to hang with friends and playing the game we have grown to love is something we shouldn't pass up when we have the roll, opportunity, youthfulness, etc.

i hope this made sense...think i was babbling alittle but all im saying is have fun, live life, use that money you have right now to travel the world and go do things average joe's and blue collar worker's only dream about. Figure out if you wanna be a pro, go back to school, or go down a other road, later in life

The question is, do you want to have a guaranteed future by going to school, doing good, and having a career which brings you a lot of long-term money - or would you rather be a gambler by rather sitting on your butt everyday, get fat, have mood swings, and hope that you win?

Whether we like it or not, being a poker professional is a huge gamble the same way that card counting is still a gamble. We always hear about the people who drop out of college to play poker, and now they drive nice cars, live in mansions with their friends, and live a dream life by just playing a game. We never hear about the 95% of people that failed.

The point is - go to school (get a good major), stick to your sunday games and get backed to save money, and make sure you finish your homework! This is coming from somebody that obviously hasn't won as much as you online (probably because of a lot less volume from me and a focus in school hehe), but I did have a score which was big to me and I ended up getting addicted, had some big downswings BUT nothing is better during a downswing than KNOWING that you have a strong alternative because you went to school!

everybody talk bad about school and all, that it sux and bla bla bla...

its true in a way or another...

but when u realize, and u are working your ass off with 30years old, ull find yourself remembering again and again about all the fun u had "those times"...

school is really really good to grow your circle of friends, girls, parties...

if u can manage to handle both things, school + poker (must be fkin hard i agree), would be the best..

if not, i wouldnt leave school behind... after all, maybe u are becoming a successfull player just because u are balancing your time between poker tables and other stuff, such as, school, parties, girls, etc

anyways, gl whatever is your choice! hope u do well!

man most the time when people are contemplating this i would say without a doubt get your degree. theres really no price you can put on getting a degree while you're young, and once its finished you'll never regret getting it, however there will most likely be a time in your life when u regret not getting it. with that being said it doesnt really sound like you like the path your taking in school anyways, and your situation is different cause you hit a nice 6 figure score. i dont think anyone would blame you for taking some time off and trying to enjoy life doin what you want. if it gets boring or you start doubting your poker ability, then by all means get back into school. if you're debt free, have enough stashed away to go back and get your degree, then i cant really see a reason why you shouldnt focus on poker for the time being. only way i would finish up if i were you would be if i was in school for something i was really passionate about, or if i only had a quarter or two left. then ur best off just to tough it out, but nobody wants to work their ass off in school for a degree they might not ever have to use.

My opinion is to do what you need to do to get the degree. Maybe you need to change your major to help with the motivation, but there isn't a time limit on it either. Obviously school is expensive, but I cannot tell you how many of my friends didn't finish school for a variety of different reasons, and every one of them, for one reason or another, wishes they had just sucked it up and finished. Nobody says you have to get straight A's, but get it done. I graduated a little over 2 years ago and played poker all through college, and didn't particularly enjoy the "class" portion of college, but I got it done, and wasn't nearly as successful as you are at the poker table.

The real questions is this: What happens in 2,5, or 10 years when your motivation for POKER runs out? Who knows if it will, but it can. If that happens, what's your fall-back? As someone who runs a business and does interviews and hires people, I never ask to see their college transcripts, but I do like to see a degree, and although I won't tell you that you're totally screwed without one, it will be an uphill battle.
GL with whatever you decide.

I do agree with a previous response about using some of your cash to travel and enjoy life while you can, maybe travel Europe for the summer or something, because once you get out of college, that shit is GONE!

 

Originally Posted by Anywayz_

When does summer break start for you Americans? Maybe you could hold out at school till then? and spend the majority of summer trying out as a pro?

^^^^^Not a bad idea.

If poker doesn't pan out then you are going to wish you had a degree. Judging from your age you have like 1.5 years left or something. I know it seems like a long time but it is really not. You quit school and start grinding out the life of a poker pro and a few different things can happen. I don't have to list them for you.

One thing that will for sure happen is 5 years from now you will look back and say holy shit that was quick.... If you ever do decide you want a "real" job you will wish you stuck it out and got the degree when you were young.

You got the world by the balls right now dude you are just too young to realize it. Get a degree imo. You have the rest of your life to do whatever you want.

Oh to be 20 at a nice college with a pocket full of money... Fuhgeddabout it!

 

Originally Posted by Wein

It sounds like you need something you enjoy to balance poker. I loved what I got my degree in, and i think that helped me stay in school despite success. I'm not sure how far along you are, but if youre more than halfway done, I would tell you to tough it out. Find a graduate degree you love later on down the road.

The last two weeks I've been subbing at the local school just because I miss teaching and I find it enjoyable and a nice way to get off the grind. Sounds like you just need to find something that fulfills you.

This is pretty key imo. If you were to drop out over half way through then your basically throwing that much of your life away.

I'd stay in school for the simple fact that it makes you smarter, regardless if you ever use your degree or not. Can't tell you how much college has expanded my mind and the things I think about. but also you always here about "the college experience" that you'd be missing out on as well. IMO you don't want to sit in front of a computer for the next few years and lose a lot of friends in the process (make some new ones too, mainly through poker though).

You might make a lot of money congrats, but to miss out on parties, girls and friends cus you wanted to play poker full time when you were 20 years old seems like the pitts. You're way to young to be thinking about "professional". It's kinda the same as a 20yr old who wants to start a life long career.

Hey bro - a few thoughts for you:

1. I debated finishing school long before I had any desires of playing poker, going into business, etc (all the things that are +income but not related to a job/career), because I knew I started situationally and that I wasn't going to go further in that field, just give me a few options and to say that I did it. Halfway through, I felt it would be a waste if I didn't go ahead and stick out the other 1.5 yrs. At the end of it, I have my degree, don't use it, still paying it off, but glad that I had that tiny accomplishment.

2. Do what you enjoy: if it's poker, fit poker into your lifestyle rather than your lifestyle around your poker. If you develop your game to the point that it expands your lifestyle and gives you options, then I'd say definitely push further with it. As far as your degree / career path, if you dont' enjoy what you're doing / pursuing, that isn't the answer anyways. I only finished out of very light interest and sheer wanting to finish.

3. There are lots of ways to make money, jobs, businesses of all kinds, investments, specialized skill sets (poker, sports, etc)... chase down what you truly in your heart enjoy doing. If you can make money doing something you would be happy to do for free, I'd say that's the thing you should be fired up about.

4. I make more in sales than most 4 yr college graduates. I'm a little biased against college personally, but only because of the pedestal it gets put on. If a particular study/degree helps get you where you want to go, professionally or otherwise, then go for it. If it does not and it's just something that "sounds good", IMO it's useless and you should only pursue the important things, things that really matter.

5. Very mature of you to evaluate your options, take a step back, seek multiple counsel to make a good decision. Hit me up if you'd like to grab a little phone time and talk through some things, may be able to help you deduce and clarify what you want so you can hit it full-speed.

hi d, a few things

1. school: im a pretty risk averse person, so in my opinion you tough it out and get the degree by any means necessary. parts of this is the whole 'finish what you start' mentality, in which you sometimes just have to tough life out when it gets hard. also poker may not be what you want to do forever, in which case having a degree (even if its in something youre not interested in) will help in the long run. long story short, you want to have your degree if you ever are trying to get a real job.

2. redepositing: i understand the 'shame' in having to redeposit but you really shouldnt be disinclined to doing so if you have to. if your full poker roll isnt online, then get it out of your head that you prefer to drop down in stakes so you dont have to redeposit if you go busto online.

3. stakes: make sure you know you can beat whatever the highest stakes you play at. but more importantly, if youre not comfortable playing the 500s and the weekday 100rs depite the fact that you might be a winner in them, then dont play them. you have to strike a comfort zone with playing, and you dont want to go into a 100r thinking zomg i really really dont want to drop 700 right now because sometimes its inevitable. comfort is everything, you shouldnt force yourself to play the highest stakes just because you can afford it, but i think youre definitely losing value if you dont play something like the sunday 50/100r, every 215 major, and the weekday 30rs

4. getting backed: getting backed is a completely personal decision so its not something many of us can help you make. in essence getting out of makeup is the same thing as getting back to even when youre not backed. mentally its easier to take when you go on a bad run since its "not my money" but in reality it sorta is, its just future profits. nonetheless the thought of not having to lose your own money again is a nice one, and finding the right backer might be beneficial if he helps you on your game or puts you in touch with more solid horses

5. backing: completely up to you if you want to add more horses. i know youve had a good experience so far but its definitely stressful if your horse gets like 10k in makeup and youre already having issues with not wanting to redeposit and having to drop down in stakes.

6: finding money in other forms of poker: look into coaching or maybe getting a deal with a training site that will let you record videos of your mtts

7: i think thats really it, just be aware that if youre cool with cutting some profits by taking out the higher stakes games that youre +ev at but are inevitably swingier, i think its fine for your sanity, since the mental game is by far the most important aspect of playing

8: <3

Life changes so much over the length of a lifetime....you are always in the best position if you give yourself as many options as possible. Sounds like finishing school gives you the most options....of course you don't have to keep going fulltime. Take online classes, or go part time...or even 1 class a semester. Always look to give yourself more options in life.

you have the most reasonable and logical parents of anyone I have ever read about on p5s.

school sucks on every important level if you don't want to be there, gl with whatever you decide to do.