good friend of mine asked me this question today and had a tough time answering. reading some of the threads lately it seems like there are more and more players (including myself) frustrated with the game and the current dynamics associated with poker.

 

Originally Posted by Ozzie

it pays better than wii sports.

LOL..^^^^^^

being cussed out in the chat, bad beats, slowrollers, bounced checks, and min-cashes

I LOVE this game.

absolutely nothing

i love the way it makes me feel after i play for 7 hours and bust 20th in a MTT with KK to 58o on the river and just cover my buyins for the day

I have asked this question to myself many times, and I still can't come up with an answer. I'm in the hole about $10,000 of actual poker playing on poker sites and in real casinos in about 2 1/2 years. Not to mention the money spent on books, training sites and the countless hours reading, watching videos and studying tournament winners online as they play. All this just to be bad beat by some overaggressive ass clown who calls my allin w/ KTo when I have AKs and hits a four flush on board when he holds one of that suit and I have none. This is just 1 example, they go on and on and on. I can't keep this up, its killing my love of the game. I quess I have to quit, I'm about to buy a house and have a second child. I tried to make money at this, it just wasn't meant to be. Thanks for reading, later and GL!

Depends on how I am running at the time.

 

Originally Posted by James Wilson

I have asked this question to myself many times, and I still can't come up with an answer. I'm in the hole about $10,000 of actual poker playing on poker sites and in real casinos in about 2 1/2 years. Not to mention the money spent on books, training sites and the countless hours reading, watching videos and studying tournament winners online as they play. All this just to be bad beat by some overaggressive ass clown who calls my allin w/ KTo when I have AKs and hits a four flush on board when he holds one of that suit and I have none. This is just 1 example, they go on and on and on. I can't keep this up, its killing my love of the game. I quess I have to quit, I'm about to buy a house and have a second child. I tried to make money at this, it just wasn't meant to be. Thanks for reading, later and GL!

If you're down that much after that long, quitting is a good idea. If you're still blaming bad beats for why you are down 10k, it's a GREAT idea.

I like the fact that I can play whenever I want, at home or on the laptop or in my bathrobe or nood or dressed however the hell I want, and still get paid for it. Yeah there are stressful times, but I can't even remember the last time I heard an alarm clock aside from my senile old neighbor's.

 

Originally Posted by Wein

I honestly hate everything about it.

I hate the variance, hate when I make mistakes, and hate all struggles associated with it.

Winning a tournament is definitely more of a relief than anything. I haven't felt happy or excited about poker in probably a year+

so glad that after 5 + years of playing professionally i still rarely have days where i feel like this...i mean dont get me wrong i dont enjoy or love poker as much as i did when i first started but i still look forward to grinding MTT everyday when i wake up...maybe im just sick tho who knows...

 

Originally Posted by soggyvag2

so glad that after 5 + years of playing professionally i still rarely have days where i feel like this...i mean dont get me wrong i dont enjoy or love poker as much as i did when i first started but i still look forward to grinding MTT everyday when i wake up...maybe im just sick tho who knows...

I'm just happy to hear from somebody else who plays for a living that they still enjoy it. I do to. Ya, some days/weeks are frustrating to no end, but it's still the greatest job I've ever had. So many killjoys around here complaining about how they don't enjoy poker anymore. If you don't like it, then quit, or at least take a break. But quit spreading this woe is me attitude around here, it sucks.

 

Originally Posted by Crazyhorse76

I'm just happy to hear from somebody else who plays for a living that they still enjoy it. I do to. Ya, some days/weeks are frustrating to no end, but it's still the greatest job I've ever had. So many killjoys around here complaining about how they don't enjoy poker anymore. If you don't like it, then quit, or at least take a break. But quit spreading this woe is me attitude around here, it sucks.

I'm being honest. It's not a woe is me attitude. I've run pretty good the last few years and obviously have done well for myself.

There are certainly plenty of people in the world that dislike what they do for a living. There is not one day that I wake up and want to play poker. I force myself to play on Sundays and Wednesday nights. People that are aspiring to be pros should know that it sucks the enjoyment out of the game in most cases.

Phil Hellmuth always says "Let's see where you're at in ten years, kid" to the newest, young sensation. For the most part, he's right. Most people that play this game for a living can't sustain the lifestyle and mentality and get out after a few years.

EDIT: And before you give me the "If you don't like it, then quit" shit, you should realize that certain situations force people into things they don't necessarily enjoy the most. You can't simplify things as cut and dry. I have a masters degree in something I truly enjoy, but due to situations beyond my control I have stayed home the last few years to play. Luckily, things have gotten better here and I will certainly get a "real job" next year.

i love this game for the competition

i used to be big on video games and it like switched over. so im pretty much playing a game i love with a positive side effect of money. I just wanna get better and better at it.

it can be stressful sometimes but 9 times outta 10 if im stressed with school or something im like "man i wish i could just grind some tournys right now"

i still get excited before every session to grind.

 

Originally Posted by Wein

Phil Hellmuth always says "Let's see where you're at in ten years, kid" to the newest, young sensation. For the most part, he's right. Most people that play this game for a living can't sustain the lifestyle and mentality and get out after a few years.

good point - this is one instance where I actually agree with Helmuth's thought process. I thought about this question the rest of the day and here is what I came up with personally:

Pros - money/autonomy/strategic element/community/competitive nature

...but for context, also wrote down the cons

Cons - gambling hobby/unhealthy balance/berating/negative nature (attitude & variance factors)

In retrospect, and after reading a few responses - it really is about balance. too much of anything will burn you out. after reading shaundeeb's 2+2 post it made me realize how unhappy a successful/top 10 ranked player in the world can truly be at times (most of us want to be at this level). the mental strain of the game seems to increase the more volume, or subsequently the higher buy ins you chose to play. Believer82 made a post few months back in regards to the same type of 'frustration,' yet he doesn't put in near the amount of volume, etc. but similar attitude.

thx for the responses - I suppose I am just re-evaluating whether my time invested to this game and esp tournaments is worth it at this stage even playing only part time.

I still love it and I havent won a tournament in over 6 months

 

Originally Posted by TheGfactor

I still love it and I havent won a tournament in over 6 months

never won one. a few FT's. Tonight must be the night!

/degen :D