Welp here it is, after all those bad beats and excuses Ive realized my problem, Im a compulsive gambler and I cant win in the end. Ill just keep depositing and depositing. Sure I take down pots I feel I can and check trap noobs and all that. But my problem is I can't STOP. Ive said this to myself before and never stuck with it but, this time I made a decision to quit playing poker.This is the only way I might be able to stick with it...to post it to the public where I feel like I made a promise. Yes, it will be hard as hell and Ill think about it often, but ever since I became legal of age...poker has taken over my life. Id fight with parents, ignore friends at school, keep looking at the time at work. After a good nite of profit, it was a 10 second high and thats it. The fact that there was 200 or 10000 in my bankroll didnt matter. I just wanted more and more. Dont get me wrong, I will play with occasional family and friends but the whole professional poker lifestyle, I just cant do it. One bad beat...and thats all it takes to get me fumed. And then from there...I go play high ass limits and some-how they always end up taking my money. To me, poker was entertainment..sure, but it was more in the profit...that I was intrested in. It never rung in my head that I was up over 500+.I remember when I was 16 and one of the more street smart kids around my age, I told myself poker would never hurt since I can control myself and all those out there that are getting help and losing theyre houses, wives, familys...etc were all weak idiots. But surely, I was wrong...its nearly impossible to do something millions of others cant. I just wanted to make this last post and thank all of you for keeping me busy at school and teaching me a few things. I've met some awesome people here and this is my first forum I've ever joined. So I thought its only right and say goodbye to all the fellow PFO'ers. Hope you all make fortunes, but in a patient manner. Cya

Best of luck to ya, at least you can admit you know where the problem lies and are smart enough to take some responsibility. There's alot of people who aren't able to see it, you're young.. go out and enjoy the rest of the stuff there is to do out there besides sit in front of a screen. Take care of yourself.

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If you're looking to borrow money or have someone give you money in order to play poker online please don't contact me... Click Here for help , and explain your situation.

just recently i've been a loser more often then a winner and i remember when i started playing it was so easy and i also promised myself, i'll control my bankroll, i wont' play over my head i'll listen to the leasons of the pro's and not make their mistakes, but the truth is i've made most of the mistakes the books have warned me about. After a good run of success i forgot the basics or felt i was too good to care and my ego got larger, untill one day i got my ass handed to me in a .25/.50 Nl holdem table. When i look back i realize this is were my losing started. I had 160$ from 50$ and was running good, but there was this one guy across the table(i still have his display picture burnt into my memory)who always seemed to have my number.. I wanted to bust him bad, and i'd get him down to 15$ from 50$ only to have him make a massive play against me to make it all back. It became my goal to make him lose, i felt it was personal because i have never played agianst sum1 better before. In short i lost all 160 at that table and in the end he busted and i busted. i ended the session and felt nothing, i didn't feel bad and i didn't feel good, I have never lost that much money before and i felt nothing. I haven't played the same great poker since and i have seriously tried to quit in the past 7 months, but i kept coming back. I don't want to quit and i know i can win I just gotta get it right in my head first. Its all phycological dicispline. I've read more books pertaining mostly to the mind aspect and one chapter stood out. This PHD outlined the tendecies of losing poker players, and parts of this chapter i have started to see in my game, but i was able to realize what i was doing wrong and change.. I feel in your situation quiting poker is almost as hard as quiting smoking. You'll be pounded with poker television, books, and advertisment. Being a poker perfessional isn't the life for many ppl, yet many want to persue that path. I feel this is a game and a game should be fun. I personally haven't been having much fun these past 7 months, but i know i have the compacity to change. I'm glad you posted this, there are so many young kids quiting school early to play poker and everyone of them should read this thread and know that poker takes an advanced person metally and emotionally to play successfully and any personal flaws you have will come out on the poker table..

i've learned sumthing from this thread but personally i'm going to keep grinding it out
thanks man

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stop worrying so much and just let go.

Manguy, I commend you. Not to sound cheesy but admitting you have a problem is the first step. Seriously, poker is not exactly a gambling game like blackjack or slots but it can easily become such. There are thousands of people out there with addictions/problems like you just mentioned who are lying to themselves on daily basis. It's not worth it. And it's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has weaknesses and faults, your weakness just happens to be poker and you are man enough to admit and step up to the plate. Personal responsibility....something that is greatly lacking in this day and age. I commend you. Good luck to you and all your pursuits and stick with your promise to yourself. Don't fall into the rut again. Good luck in all your pursuits.

Yeah... if I wasn't married I probably would have a problem. Hard to really have a problem though when you're wife would pull your teeth out before letting you deposit more money though

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-You may not know this, but poker is a game of incomplete information.

good post. good attitude. best of luck to you in everything you do.

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I hate to turn your thread into an "I AM ADDICTED" thread... but you made a little light turn on in my head... finally...

I am in the same boat as you man... The game has been taking over my life ever since I became of legal age. I have even gotten into serious shit where I deposited more than I actually had, this has happened twice... I have said to myself before... 'this is it... no more, I can't keep doing this' but a few weeks pass, some more paychecks come, and eventually I pop another $30 in... and lose it... and the cycle continues... I don't even want to think about the amount of $ I have spent on poker/gambling over the last 2 years cause I will vomit right here....

Thankfully, I am young like you, so my expenses are extremely limited, otherwise who knows where I would be right now...

But you are right... enough is enough. I know I am addicted to this, and it's time for me follow suit and put an end to this shit because if I don't do it now, while I still got an ounce of smarts left in me... than it may be to late.

Thank you for making me relize that I am not the only one in this position, I hope everything works out for you.

goodbye and gl

what are the tendancies of a losing player? - out of interest lol

I really hope you break this habit. Gambling is not a funny addiction to have.

Having met a few gamblers I've realised that they really approach the game in a very different way to me. I've been mocked and derided for playing low limits, only moving up when I can see a soft table, bonus whoring and focussing on work rate rather than the finesse of good cards.

One thing that is evident is that the pros usually have a lot of ability and background. My escapade in poker started off socially 20 yerars ago) but the real thrust started from a University research project. Annie Duke was doing a PhD before she flunked.. Andy Bloch was at MIT etc etc.

I'm not sure I even like the game any more - but it's money and tax free to boot. I supose the warning is that poker is not a game that can be beaten easily.. If you ask yourself why you should beat the guy next to you - and you don't have a good answer - then you shouldn't play.

What makes poker diffcult is the self discipline need to play it and emotional detachment required to be successful.

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See me playing $10/$20NL like it was play money

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Doberman: "but Sarge, isn't poker gambling and just luck?"
Sgt. Bilko:" not the way I play it"