I'm just sick and tired . . .

An Gaiscíoch

I was just evaluating my poker year so far this morning. Over the past six months I have played quite a lot of poker. Mainly online but a decent amount of live as well. I was up quite alot from live games but online has really been my downfall and it has wiped out all my profit from live games and has turned it into a loss overall. To be honest I'm just gettin fed up and bored with poker. I don't know if it's just burnout or whether the online is distorting my overall view of the game. Online is great and all but there's nothing like having that deck in your hands. It culminated last night when I sat down at a cash table Holdem in Fitz. I played for about two hours and just had to leave because my head and heart just weren't in it. It's getting to the stage when I get home from work and where as I'd usually crack on the laptop and play for a few hours, now I just couldn't be bothered. It's not appealing to me as it once did . . .
Surely I haven't lost my love for Poker ???
I'm sure some of you have had something like this happen to you before. Any words of wisdom ???

BigDragon

Take a break. It happens to us all.

ollyk1

Take a break. Get out and enjoy the sunshine. Poker will still be there in September. Don't play bored or tired or unmotivated you are just handing people money if you play in that mental state.

DeVore

Been there, have the t-shirt.

I spend a lot of my time around Poker... playing, dealing, organising, writing about, travelling to tournies to report etc.

It is a HOBBY for you, not something you should feel is a drag nor something you should be doing every night of the week!

Recently I took a 400 euro holiday for about 5 days in spain. I didnt look at a computer nor went online even for boards (ok, once for an hour in a cyber cafe). I didnt play for the week before nor the week after. Not a hand.
I came back to the Fitz and stormed the cash game and left up 800 notes. I was alert, awake, involved, playing well (and hitting cards!) but more to the point.... I *cared*.

If you dont care about every chip you are putting into a pot. Get up, get out!

Honestly, the correlation between how much of a sh*t I give and my return is so strong its utterly undeniable. When you are doing it by rote, you need NEED to get out of that game.

DeV.

Iago

I've been on a semi-break for the last couple of months. I haven't played at all in the last 2 weeks. Some of it was frustration, some of it was boredom, but ulimately I couldn't justify the time I was putting into the game for the return I was getting.

In a very good month I might make $600-$800 profit, but I was playing 3-4 evenings a week for that and time at the weekends as well. Now that's alright but in a bad month I might be down $200-$300 or only breakeven and then I was wondering where my life was gone. So I withdrew the money from my online accounts and I've been watching the world cup, going out with friends, playing more football.

Haven't got back into the swing yet, or even felt the itch. I'm playing in the heads up tourney here, and I'd have a go at the Irish cup if I was asked, but I don't have that desire to go home and log on like I used to. So for now I'll continue with my break and if I start to feel like I want to play again I'll deposit some money and have a go.

It's important to take a break from anything you do a lot, if nothing else it allows you to gain a fresh perspective on why you're doing things.

Ste05

This happens to absolutely everyone, Poker is also a hobby for me, and when this happens I just take a few days off, could be upto a week or more sometimes, just give it a rest and when you get the bug again (and you will) then start playing again, don't force it or you'll just spew money...

EDIT: Iago just said it all above in much better terms....

Goodluck2me

DeVore wrote:

Honestly, the correlation between how much of a sh*t I give and my return is so strong its utterly undeniable. DeV.

Cant agree more, really takign a break really does improve your motivation and attentivness at the game and results will improve, (variance and bad beats permitting of course )

An Gaiscíoch

Yeah I think I'll give Poker a miss for a while. I suppose you know when it'll feel right to start back up. Still in the Boards HU but aside from that I'll drop it totally. Cheers guys

Glenbhoy

I used to play 2-4 hrs a night, that went on for about 8 months, then I got bored, very rarely played since - that was 6 months ago, any time I have ventured back online for a game (normally play tournaments - turbo), i am just dying for it to be over (not so much that I throw away my money), just got bored. Now it has to be said that I was never making much from it, i did'nt lose, but the winnings were'nt up to much (too many drunken friday nights would whittle away a weeks hard work).
Anyway, definitely take a break for a while, watch a movie, take a holiday, get outside.....

TacT

I was thinking about starting a new thread but I'll just add to and hijack this one if you don't mind please?

Me too, very sick and tired but a break usually sorts that out. Sadly, last month I had a woeful time in this kind of state + a few bad beats + some tilt + LAG play and a sprinkle of outside your bankroll limitations = nice 10 buyin downswing.

Have had to stop considering poker work for now because it's just too stressful at the end of the day for me personally. Time to admit I'm not cut out for it on a full-time basis or as my primary source of income. If it's going to be for anything from here on in it's pocket money and good fun

I'm just waiting for my Summer holidays on the 15th July now. I'm contemplating becoming a student again in September, could be fun!

I'll be leaving the game well up overall if I kick it in and it will have been a great experience for me. It's easy to play too much and spoil a good thing sadly. My best months were where I played the least -- 2-3 hr sessions tops, with a sitout every hour for 10mins or quick 1-2 hr bursts where I just happened to hit a run of cards and/or complete tools are at the tables.

If I try to play at the moment I know I'm just going to go on autopilot and play break even or losing poker so I'll steer clear until I'm feeling fresh and hungry again. Good luck at the tables in the meantime to the rest of you!

jbravado

If you dont care about every chip you are putting into a pot. Get up, get out!

Cant agree more.I was recently playing a tournament and got busted out early.I decided to wait around for a freind and ended up joining the cash game-as this was my third night in a row I can honestly say I had no intrest in being in the game and went busto on some farcical draw or other.
During the game I actually realised I had little or no chance of winning.In order to have any chance you need to be totally focused and sharp,thats what creates your egde.I made a promise never to play when Im not 100% again and really hope I can stick to it!
Just take a break-enjoy doing something else.Im sure youll occasionally think about poker-a previous hand etc...until you feel youself really wanting to play,then Im sure you will enjoy it again.Good luck.

jtsuited

On both my long breaks from poker, I have returned and gone on ridiculous rushes. It's simply a game which is dependent on your state of mind.

And I'm on another sabbatical again so when I return, which should be in about two months time, hopefully i'll be playing proper good..
Also if I'm not playing I spend a lot of my rare free time reading 2+2 and here, so that when I get back to the game I'm a lot more edumucated.

MrPillowTalk

DeVore wrote:

Honestly, the correlation between how much of a sh*t I give and my return is so strong its utterly undeniable. When you are doing it by rote, you need NEED to get out of that game.

DeV.

This really hits a chord for me, sometimes I just feel like playing for "fun" and basically donk off chips, but if its a tournament I have been gearing myself up for or a game I feel engaged in then I play far better poker.

Nalced_irl

I get that quite a bit. Sometimes you turn on the PC, load up the poker client, go to a table, sit in, wait for the blind and then suddenly realise that you dont even really want to play. For the last 2 weeks i have only had 1 session but done the above about 6 times at least. Id say the summer weather makes me want to do other outdoor stuff instead and so the drive isnt really there for poker. And Pillowtlk, i have never seen you donk off a chip in your life!

MrPillowTalk

Nalced_irl wrote:

I get that quite a bit. Sometimes you turn on the PC, load up the poker client, go to a table, sit in, wait for the blind and then suddenly realise that you dont even really want to play. For the last 2 weeks i have only had 1 session but done the above about 6 times at least. Id say the summer weather makes me want to do other outdoor stuff instead and so the drive isnt really there for poker. And Pillowtlk, i have never seen you donk off a chip in your life!

You should go to the tournament in the regency I give a class there every week .........

An Gaiscíoch

Cheers for all the input lads. I'm gonna take the advice and hopefully I'll come back better than ever.
Thanks