Is Poker worth learning?

GodOfRadio

Is the hype around Poker justified. I have some friends that can do nothing with their lives but play Poker. I don't get it.

I get addicted to crap easily, so is it something that's addictive?

I think most people who play Poker for big money are gambling addicts and need to do something else with their lives.

Word?

gwhiz

GodOfRadio wrote: »

Is the hype around Poker justified. I have some friends that can do nothing with their lives but play Poker. I don't get it.

I get addicted to crap easily, so is it something that's addictive?

I think most people who play Poker for big money are gambling addicts and need to do something else with their lives.

Word?

My ex's life was poker poker poker which is he REASON he is now my EX..
Of course he didn't admit it was the poker that split us up, he just had no time for a relationship anymore (bull s*it)... sure why the fcuk would he when he spent every waking moment on the fcuking laptop... sometimes still on it when I got up in the morning... never went out socialising cause there was an important "tournament" on... and I am not a control freak or anything but he just took the piss and was losing a lot of money.... and now that he is back with his mammy now, he can continue his love affair with his poxy laptop and may they have many happy years together waiting for his BIG WIN sorry about that rant, had to get it off my chest...:D

So GodOfRadio, in answer to your question. Is poker addictive? I suppose it depends on the type of person you are like could you take it or leave it? ie. play for an hour or two in your spare time or would it become a 12 hour marathon?? And another thing, if you are single, go for it... sure you are harming no one except your bank balance!

5starpool

I suppose I better move this thread to poker.

Grafter

I so wish you'd left it where it was and just blessed us with a link.

gwhiz

5starpool wrote: »

I suppose I better move this thread to poker.

Don't you dare :mad:

zuutroy

gwhiz wrote: »

Don't you dare :mad:

huh?

MrStuffins

Poker is awesome!

And not only if you're single! I love poker and so does my girlfriend. Its so much fun going and playing together, we have regular games and she's quite good. We enjoy playing together!

EDIT:

Also, it's really easy to learn but really hard to master. And the better you get at the game the more you want to play!

LEARN TODAY!

gwhiz

zuutroy wrote: »

huh?

Zuutroy.... was only joking

mdwexford

Was this put here for us to berate this guy or what?

gwhiz

MrStuffins wrote: »

Poker is awesome!

And not only if you're single! I love poker and so does my girlfriend. Its so much fun going and playing together, we have regular games and she's quite good. We enjoy playing together!

EDIT:

Also, it's really easy to learn but really hard to master. And the better you get at the game the more you want to play!

LEARN TODAY!

and the more you want to BET... dont get me wrong, if its a tournament in a pub or wherever I have no problem with that. Sitting in front of a laptop for twelve or more hours at a time playing poker is madness... thats not an "interest" its an "addiction"

siobhan.murphy

ya ya ya!learn!
call me when u on facebook!
facebook poker is great and free!

Grafter

I'd still have preferred to read more non-player's responses than have it moved here, but I think gwhiz sums it up eloquently.

Poker (and gambling generally) is extremely addictive and can be terribly destructive, both financially and in terms of families and relationships.

Fortunately, everyone on this board is a winner, so it isn't a problem :cool:

5starpool

mdwexford wrote: »

Was this put here for us to berate this guy or what?

No, although it would be nice if it didn't turn out that way for a change.

gwhiz

mdwexford wrote: »

Was this put here for us to berate this guy or what?

The OP asked a question, and I answered it honestly. And judging by the posts that followed, its not what people wanted to hear.

Grafter

gwhiz wrote: »

Sitting in front of a laptop for twelve or more hours at a time playing poker is madness... thats not an "interest" its an "addiction"

It's a fair point you make, but (with all due respect) you are influenced by your experience.

My wife (who plays online poker and bingo, a bit) is just as bemused by how much time I spend playing online poker as she was when I was an avid ebayer and before that a video gamer.

I'm equally bemused by how much time she spends texting, beboing, facebooking and watching soaps and reality TV.

(married more than 20 years)

bops

r4ad was riding gwhiz??

mdwexford

GodOfRadio wrote: »

I think most people who play Poker for big money are gambling addicts and need to do something else with their lives.

Word?

gwhiz wrote: »

The OP asked a question, and I answered it honestly. And judging by the posts that followed, its not what people wanted to hear.

This is not a question, its an ignorant and offensive comment.

Grafter

gwhiz wrote: »

The OP asked a question, and I answered it honestly. And judging by the posts that followed, its not what people wanted to hear.

You did, and you shouldn't feel any need to defend a grand heartfelt response.

It's just that it's on the poker board now, and smart arse replies from the biased are standard.

5starpool

As with anything, of course poker can be addictive, but the dangerous part of poker is that some people cannot control what they spend and lose, and unless you invest the time correctly into learning how to win, you will lose in >99% of cases over the long term.

If someone ruins their life due to playing poker exclusively then I would imagine that they would have found some other way to do it if they never found poker. I know some people who are quite possibly winners at poker but who are always broke because they lose all their money in casinos playing table games, where they are guaranteed to lose eventually.

If people cannot recognise when something is a destructive force in their lives rather than a positive one, then they should be made to realise it by friends and family before it is too late.

Some people ruin their lives through drink, some through drugs, some through gambling, some through only poker. However, the majority of people that partake in any of these activities find a balance, but it is the ones that do not that people hear about. Addiction is a serious thing and should be treated when recognised.

Then again, what do I know.

Grafter

5starpool wrote: »

If people cannot recognise when supporting a losing team is a destructive force in their lives rather than a positive one, then they should be made to realise it by boardsies before it is too late.

+1

ArmaniJeanss

gwhiz wrote: »

never went out socialising cause there was an important "tournament" on...

I think this is a key point for anyone on this board - If you find yourself not going out with your mates/partner because 'the games are always soft on a Friday night' or thinking of turning down a holiday because it clashes with a tournament you want to play, then its maybe time to get a bit of perspective re your priorities.

(This is from an amateur part-time viewpoint, the professional players are probably obliged to make the best poker decision a lot of the time.)

gwhiz

mdwexford wrote: »

This is not a question, its an ignorant and offensive comment.

"I get addicted to crap easily, so is it something that's addictive?"

I think this is a question !

Whyno

This thread is tilting....Goin to beat up d girlfriend now...i`ll give the laptop a break

Grafter

gwhiz wrote: »

"I get addicted to crap easily, so is it something that's addictive?"

I think this is a question !

Unfortunately, you forgot to check if the original poster was a troll

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/search.php?searchid=6733449

Chucky the tree

5starpool wrote: »

Some people have great lives through drink, drugs, gambling and poker.

.

RedJoker

GodOfRadio wrote: »

I think most people who play Poker for big money are gambling addicts and need to do something else with their lives.

Word?

Some of them are, others have made a lot of money from poker and have a far better quality of life then they could ever have had doing something else. Some of them fall in both categories.

For me, poker has been an overall positive influence on my life I'd say.

Lurker1977

RedJoker wrote: »

For me, poker has been an overall positive influence on my life I'd say.

Thats what all you addicts say! :pac:

CHD

Poker is great, but if you know nothing about and want to learn it, do yourself a favour and don't. Run.

FeetMagic

Whenever my mates ask me a question like this I can honestly say the answer is no. Do most people here really think poker has benefited their lives? Certainly not imo, stay away!

BuChan

FeetMagic wrote: »

Whenever my mates ask me a question like this I can honestly say the answer is no. Do most people here really think poker has benefited their lives? Certainly not imo, stay away!

wow, really?! i've yoyoed the **** out of my finances since i got involved with poker but i would still recommend it to anyone i thought was smart enough to beat the game. it's pretty great to win money using your mind and pitting yourself against any stranger from around the world. even if you don't win much or break even you still get to be involved in one of the greatest "games" there is.

FeetMagic

No way. You get involved in poker in any way seriously and it is of no advantage to to you imo. Ive won a good bit of money from poker but have lost valuable time with family/friends by spending way too much time online/in casinoes. Anytime Im in a casino also the "regulars" there are for the most part badly affected by the game. Obv its fine if you have a very healthy balance between health/work/poker/family/friends but this is usually not the case, from what Ive seen anyway. Poker has thought me nothing in life except the lack of value money can have to people and how easily a person can fall from reality.

BuChan

FeetMagic wrote: »

No way. You get involved in poker in any way seriously and it is of no advantage to to you imo. Ive won a good bit of money from poker but have lost valuable time with family/friends by spending way too much time online/in casinoes. Anytime Im in a casino also the "regulars" there are for the most part badly affected by the game. Obv its fine if you have a very healthy balance between health/work/poker/family/friends but this is usually not the case, from what Ive seen anyway. Poker has thought me nothing in life except the lack of value money can have to people and how easily a person can fall from reality.

this balance exists basically nowhere regardless if your a degen gambler, a winning player, a stock market mogul or a ****ing saint.

BuChan

imo

FeetMagic

ok, a sort of balance so. more than most who play poker have in comparison to people who dont IMO.

BuChan

maybe, but as was pointed out before if you were the type to take something too far you'd end up there anyway with booze or drugs. i really believe that poker can be considered as positively as any form of business. my mom and stepdad were buisness types. they were working 10+ a day, often 6 days a week. this type of behavior is commonplace, necessary and respected in todays world. it's only different from poker because of societies norms. n reality it's the same buzz.

phantom_lord

Grafter wrote: »

Poker is extremely addictive and can be terribly destructive, both financially and in terms of families and relationships.

you're doing it wrong imo

fatguy

It's scary how similiar this conversation is to ones I've seen about World of Warcraft...

gwhiz

http://www.compatiblepoker.com/Addiction.cms.htm

gwhiz

FeetMagic wrote: »

No way. You get involved in poker in any way seriously and it is of no advantage to to you imo. Ive won a good bit of money from poker but have lost valuable time with family/friends by spending way too much time online/in casinoes. Anytime Im in a casino also the "regulars" there are for the most part badly affected by the game. Obv its fine if you have a very healthy balance between health/work/poker/family/friends but this is usually not the case, from what Ive seen anyway. Poker has thought me nothing in life except the lack of value money can have to people and how easily a person can fall from reality.

I totally agree.. I watched my ex-bf fall apart before my very eyes and according to him he had no problem... he was just playing "for fun". Granted, when he started playing about six months ago, it was only an hour or two and slowly built up to him playing every waking moment of the day... social life together went out the window and so did conversation. Did you ever try and speak to someone who is engrossed in a poker game?Well dont try cause you will be talking to yourself. He was always in a zombie like sake from lack of sleep and swollen eyes from 11 - 15 hours (sometimes more) of poker playing. Wrecked to point that he was falling asleep in work. He lost interest in everything and constantly irritable and moody.... probably from worry due to the credit card he had maxed out to the limit. He constantly lost money striving to build up his "bankroll". If there are any online poker players out there who have found a healthy balance between health/work/poker/family/friends well fair play to you. From my personal experience there is NONE.

RedJoker

gwhiz wrote: »

http://www.compatiblepoker.com/Addiction.cms.htm

This article would be o.k. if it changed every reference of "poker player" to "gambling addict" (or any other type of addict). Otherwise it's just highly inaccurate.

Look at the characteristics of most poker players and you can similarly compare them to cocaine addicts. Their appearance tends to be underweight, jittery, incapability of thinking of other things besides their addiction, twitches, and many other side effects.

I don't think I've ever met a poker player who fits this physical description. A lot of them tend to be overweight.

Having a full meaningful conversation with someone after or right before a poker session is inconceivable. You might as well forget trying to ever talk to an online poker player while during a session. You could be talking directly to them and they probably don’t even know you exist. It’s not that they don’t care its just that they’re addicted.

Or maybe they're concentrating. The same thing can happen when a person's watching TV for example.

Let me ask you this. Have you ever noticed that time just disappears when you play poker? You can sit down at a table and not ever realize or care that you spent 12 hours playing poker. In fact you could probably go another 12 hours if you didn’t have to go to work or your body didn’t shut down on you. I have never in my life found one thing that makes time go by faster.

Man, I wish I could play that long. None of my sessions ever last longer than an hour and a half, two hours at most. It would be incredible to have that sort of work ethic.

One thing that poker players are cursed with is they remember all the bad hands as opposed to the good ones. How many times have you replayed a good winning hand? Probably not as many times as you’ve rewound those numerous bad beats in your head. It’s a cycle, a drug, and an addiction that can only be fueled by bigger wins and bigger losses.

This is just selective memory and happens with many other things in life. In fact, some players are delusional about their poker abilities and only remember the times they made the correct plays or when they had winning streaks. So they have selective memory in the opposite direction.

The aftermath of a long poker night can feel worse than a real drunken hangover. Staying up until 3am playing online poker will take its toll and can make you really sick. That combined with slouching over, not eating, and not stretching will cause you to become a real ugly figure.

That's true with anything.

gwhiz

gwhiz wrote: »

From my personal experience there is NONE.

Your personal experience being one person? Too small a sample to draw that conclusion to be fair.

Although, if you check back over many of the "should I start?" or "what advice have you for a beginner?" threads you'll notice a lot of people, myself included, tell people to get out before they start.

That said; some of your points about the social detriments are a bit off as generalisations. I have made a few good friends from poker, we have had a few football matches organised through this forum and when I needed help with raising money for a great cause the players here banded together to help me out without me even knowing.

There are negatives to be sure, and positives too, but like anything in life it is the person who determines what they gain or lose from it. If your ex let himself become immersed in it then so be it. That is not an indicator of the nature of the game, it is an indicator of the nature of the man.

gwhiz

RedJoker wrote: »

This article would be o.k. if it changed every reference of "poker player" to "gambling addict" (or any other type of addict). Otherwise it's just highly inaccurate.

Disagree... I can relate to at least 90% of this article.

I don't think I've ever met a poker player who fits this physical description. A lot of them tend to be overweight.

Dont know any poker players other than by ex and he got fatter and fatter from lack of physical excercise.... didn't have any strange twitches either so I agree, this is not accurate.

Or maybe they're concentrating. The same thing can happen when a person's watching TV for example.

I disagree. I dont sit in front of the TV for 12-15 hours. They are not concentrating, they have just removed themselves from the real world and are floating in poker cyberspace.

Man, I wish I could play that long. None of my sessions ever last longer than an hour and a half, two hours at most. It would be incredible to have that sort of work ethic.

Ha ha... Obviously you are not a serious poker if thats all the time you spend playing.


This is just selective memory and happens with many other things in life. In fact, some players are delusional about their poker abilities and only remember the times they made the correct plays or when they had winning streaks. So they have selective memory in the opposite direction.

True... I only every heard about the big "wins" he had.

gwhiz

gwhiz wrote: »

Ha ha... Obviously you are not a serious poker if thats all the time you spend playing.

LOL.

northwestguy27

Grafter wrote: »

(married more than 20 years)

Sorry to hear that Grafter

Still on my Honeymoon period in comparison (3 years).

My wife awoke this morning to tell me that she had a dream, something about horses and red shoes. So, at this moment, I'm flicking through todays ABC guide looking for said horse to bet on!

RedJoker

gwhiz wrote: »

RedJoker wrote: »

This article would be o.k. if it changed every reference of "poker player" to "gambling addict" (or any other type of addict). Otherwise it's just highly inaccurate.

Disagree... I can relate to at least 90% of this article.

Yes but your boyfriend was a gambling addict so it's natural that you'd relate to the article.

gwhiz wrote: »

RedJoker wrote: »

Or maybe they're concentrating. The same thing can happen when a person's watching TV for example.

I disagree. I dont sit in front of the TV for 12-15 hours. They are not concentrating, they have just removed themselves from the real world and are floating in poker cyberspace.

I was referring to the part about being able to get their attention and hold a conversation. If I'm concentrating on something I have a tendency to block out other things, whether that's poker or watching TV.

gwhiz wrote: »

RedJoker wrote: »

Man, I wish I could play that long. None of my sessions ever last longer than an hour and a half, two hours at most. It would be incredible to have that sort of work ethic.

Ha ha... Obviously you are not a serious poker if thats all the time you spend playing.

.

I usually play two sessions a day, typically with a break of a couple hours in between. So generally around 3 hours a day. Although during college I confined my play to the weekends only.

Also, like nearly all successful players, a significant amount of my time is spent learning and improving my game. If your boyfriend spent that much time playing then he likely had little time for studying. That doesn't make him serious about poker, that makes him serious about gambling.

jimbling

gwhiz, think you need to realise that your bf was a degenerate gambler first, poker player second.

gwhiz

Ok so I had one BAD experience with someone addicted to online poker but the point I was trying to make was how it had affected MY LIFE....
I might have gone off the rails a bit at time but never meant to make ANY generalisations. Judging from some of the posts, I obviously offended SOME of the "poker players" on the thread but this was not my intention. So I have voiced my opinion on this and im off now.
BYE BYE........ :P

gwhiz

jimbling wrote: »

gwhiz, think you need to realise that your bf was a degenerate gambler first, poker player second.

Maybe you are right........... Good riddance to him anyways.:D

RedJoker

gwhiz wrote: »

Ok so I had one BAD experience with someone addicted to online poker but the point I was trying to make was how it had affected MY LIFE....
I might have gone off the rails a bit at time but never meant to make ANY generalisations. Judging from some of the posts, I obviously offended SOME of the "poker players" on the thread but this was not my intention. So I have voiced my opinion on this and im off now.
BYE BYE........ :P

I wasn't offended and I'm sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with poker.

While it's obviously fine to voice your opinion on this, it's to be expected that people who have had positive experiences with poker will voice their's as well.

dougee19

gwhiz..... fiona??? im sorry sweetie

gwhiz

RedJoker wrote: »

I wasn't offended and I'm sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with poker.

While it's obviously fine to voice your opinion on this, it's to be expected that people who have had positive experiences with poker will voice there's as well.

I know I said BYE BYE but im back again... ha ha..
Thanks for that Redjoker.. I think I might have been venting my anger just a little bit on this thread..... "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and all that...... :mad: