Remember when people told you how crazy and cool it was that you played poker for a living? Behind your back, they may have questioned the nature of gambling for a living, or if it was really all that cool, but their fascination was something you fed off. It’s empowering to feel unique and be your own boss in a world of people who have a habit of complaining about what they do for a living.

The new world of online poker altered the notion of the long, hard grind that a live poker career (or almost any career) entailed and romanticized it into a myth about a self-made businessman with piles of cash with no one to answer to.

That vision is no longer a reality for the vast majority of the professional poker playing community. At the highest levels of online poker today, there is a lot of discussion about the death of the game. It would be foolish to suggest that poker as we knew it in the boom days and before Black Friday was going to remain unchanged.

As is the case in almost any field of study, it changes and evolves. A game never really dies. Success isn’t based on what you’ve previously accomplished. Such a statement is more of a comment on people’s perception and approach to the game than it is on the nature of the game itself.

The inability to reconcile and adapt to these new changing worlds has become the struggle of the modern poker player. It is that same inability of a generation of regs to adapt to these new realities that will result in the death of the first generation of online players. Whereas T.J. Cloutier was once the most winning live tournament player on the planet, he’s now the punch line at the end of a good table gaming joke.

Most players struggle to adjust to the new strategies that are developed by younger, more open-minded players. In a lot of ways, the failure of players to adjust bred a culture of resentment and a denial of the poker reality. Players have become the friends we once listened to, disillusioned by our jobs and looking for ways out while reminiscing about the better times of the past.

Many people have written about the overwhelming number of tools at people’s disposal for improvement. Poker is now inundated with various bot programs, whether based on Game Theory Optimal through programs like Snowie; statistical analysis through Holdem Manager, PokerStove, SNG Power Tools, and ICMizer; or the further development that coaching, videos, and seminars provide.

One of my favorite poker writers, Assassinato (pictured), is a champion of adaptation and using the tools you have at your disposal to become a better player. I highly suggest reading his work if you want to figure out precise ways to improve your game. Simply put, there are no excuses for falling behind, only the ones you choose to make for yourself.

It can be a tough pill to swallow. Even I feel like some aspects of the game are passing me by, which in it of itself is a fairly telling statement of my own willingness to use these tools and resources to improve. But, being honest with yourself in poker is probably one of the biggest skills you can have.

Everything I speak about in this article comes back to managing yourself and being your own boss. Psychologically, emotionally, and financially, you are constantly managing all of these areas of your life on a day-to-day basis. When you couple the constant strategic development with the managing skills that are required to get the best out of your grind, you realize that your hourly is probably a lot smaller than other forms of employment. It’s actually the exact opposite of how poker is framed; it’s more work for less money.

However, success in such an endeavor can prove to be much more rewarding. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue a career in poker, nor is it meant to be negative. This is more of a reality check. It should feel empowering to know that if you go about your grind properly, you can succeed at a very unique set of challenges.

The future world of poker will be a lot different. It won’t be a bunch of degens flicking in backers’ money for tournaments and cash games they aren’t really worthy of playing to begin with. The backing and staking market is already shrinking and people are less likely to throw money around like they were even one year earlier.

The Bank of Timex Twitter account is a perfect example of people being called out for unfair and unreasonable investment markups. People will have to be more astute with their finances. Financial carelessness leads to financial ruin and while there seems to be a romanticized notion of the need to go broke at least once in your poker career, the reality is these people have a gambling problem.

Gambling, drugs, and alcohol problems are just some of the crutches that people will use to prop themselves up and further the delusion they suffer from. That topic deserves its own article and so I won’t delve into that here. Don’t buy into people’s illogical gambling mythologies. Their experience won’t dictate yours.

Stop seeking the instant gratification that winning thousands of dollars in an unconventional sense provides. Forget about that big score and all of the imaginary glamour that exists in the culture. Poker is not glamorous. The amount of time you spend under the bright lights of a live final table or online major is 1% of your overall experience.

Instead, seek the gratification of being a winning player long-term. Stop blaming variance, PokerStars’ RNG, doom switches, and whatever other ridiculous excuses you use to make yourself feel better. In tough times, don’t turn to weed, Adderall, or alcohol. They won’t solve your problems, only provide a temporary escape that allows you to rationalize your behavior and continue down.

Poker can and will take over your life if you don’t force yourself to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. The tone of this article may feel overly negative, but that simply isn’t the case. This is a call to action. Everything you need is readily available.

Don’t walk down the wrong road; there are plenty of signs along the way to help guide you down the right path. The question remains: will you take them or turn a blind eye?

Cheers and thanks for reading.

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