I liken my deep love of playing poker online to my deep love of drinking beer and wine.(3/4 each night at least..) yes I like them all a lot but can I put them down and leave them alone without constantly thinking about 'wanting/needing to'..
Without question I've done 'dryjanuary' for the last 20 years, haven't had a drink, won't drink alcohol till I go to SPT Manc and can honestly say I'm not constantly thinking I want/need a drink
Can I say the same about poker?....hmmmm
Can I put down and not play online for a month? probably but ..I like playing(possibly losing), I want to play BUT do I need to constantly play..no
Sure there are sites and organisations that will help you come to the conclusion of whether you are a gambling addict ..but it's definitely not rocket science to rule out being profitable as a rule of thumb ! Be a bit like someone saying they eat 10 macdonalds cheeseburgers a day , but they haven't got a problem , because they are working the calories off
I like the analogy from madprof around beer and poker. I don't get a hangover from poker though
I just love the game, however having said that would I be playing it if there wasn't money involved? No chance, so I guess that means I have a gambling addiction to poker. It doesn't get in the way of anything else though so family and work come first so don't really see it as a problem. I don't often bet on anything else, I did a check the other week on skybets new tool and it said I had gambled about £100 last year and had a £9 loss, think I can live with that.
Addiction is the repeated involvement with a substance or activity, despite the substantial harm it now causes, because that involvement was (and may continue to be) pleasurable and/or valuable.
...... so I would say that as you're making a profit from Poker, and it's doing you (or your family) no harm to continue playing, that it's actually a profitable pastime that you can class as a career...... and we ALL want that
Love that new tool on SKYBET showing Profit and Loss graphs over different lengths of time.
Probably helps that I'm in Profit over the last year with a nice ROI
There are 3 elements here, that have been lumped together and discussed as "gambling addiction"
Gambling. Addiction. Poker.
The pertinent parts of the definition Misty provided (IMHO) are: repeated involvement, despite substantial harm. This sums up the addiction part perfectly and can be applied to poker or gambling or anything in general life really. If you love what you are doing, even if it means losing money. As long as the conditions are right and you can afford it..... why not!
Once you cross the line and it is causing "substantial harm" to you or others in your life, then it's time to re-evaluate.
How many times have you heard the tales of top level, professional online poker players, who make millions per year, that need to make sure they have structure to their lives? Eating right, daily exercise, frequent breaks from the game. Nothing to do with the money involved, they're raking it in...… But they realise if they just sit eating pot noodles in their dressing gowns all day, not seeing friends and family, it doesn't matter how much money they're making, they are causing "substantial harm" to themselves.
benc's post sums it up perfectly. I'm confident I've never been addicted to poker/gambling and I know this because I've been addicted to other things that have negatively affected my life - most recently I was addicted to a game called Hearthstone for about a year and a half. I quit playing poker, quit doing my usual hobbies and it was largely to blame for losing my relationship. It was the only thing I got some sort of enjoyment from but I was using it to escape reality.
I feel a lot better in myself when I'm playing poker because I'm doing something worthwhile with my time and I can easily not play on any given day.
There are 3 elements here, that have been lumped together and discussed as "gambling addiction"
Gambling. Addiction. Poker.
The pertinent parts of the definition Misty provided (IMHO) are: repeated involvement, despite substantial harm. This sums up the addiction part perfectly and can be applied to poker or gambling or anything in general life really. If you love what you are doing, even if it means losing money. As long as the conditions are right and you can afford it..... why not!
Once you cross the line and it is causing "substantial harm" to you or others in your life, then it's time to re-evaluate.
How many times have you heard the tales of top level, professional online poker players, who make millions per year, that need to make sure they have structure to their lives? Eating right, daily exercise, frequent breaks from the game. Nothing to do with the money involved, they're raking it in...… But they realise if they just sit eating pot noodles in their dressing gowns all day, not seeing friends and family, it doesn't matter how much money they're making, they are causing "substantial harm" to themselves.
Comments
Without question I've done 'dryjanuary' for the last 20 years, haven't had a drink, won't drink alcohol till I go to SPT Manc and can honestly say I'm not constantly thinking I want/need a drink
Can I say the same about poker?....hmmmm
Can I put down and not play online for a month? probably but ..I like playing(possibly losing), I want to play BUT do I need to constantly play..no
Hi my name's Danny, I'm not an addict.....
I like the analogy from madprof around beer and poker. I don't get a hangover from poker though
I just love the game, however having said that would I be playing it if there wasn't money involved? No chance, so I guess that means I have a gambling addiction to poker. It doesn't get in the way of anything else though so family and work come first so don't really see it as a problem. I don't often bet on anything else, I did a check the other week on skybets new tool and it said I had gambled about £100 last year and had a £9 loss, think I can live with that.
Addiction is the repeated involvement with a substance or activity, despite the substantial harm it now causes, because that involvement was (and may continue to be) pleasurable and/or valuable.
...... so I would say that as you're making a profit from Poker, and it's doing you (or your family) no harm to continue playing, that it's actually a profitable pastime that you can class as a career...... and we ALL want that
Love that new tool on SKYBET showing Profit and Loss graphs over different lengths of time.
Probably helps that I'm in Profit over the last year with a nice ROI
Gambling. Addiction. Poker.
The pertinent parts of the definition Misty provided (IMHO) are: repeated involvement, despite substantial harm. This sums up the addiction part perfectly and can be applied to poker or gambling or anything in general life really. If you love what you are doing, even if it means losing money. As long as the conditions are right and you can afford it..... why not!
Once you cross the line and it is causing "substantial harm" to you or others in your life, then it's time to re-evaluate.
How many times have you heard the tales of top level, professional online poker players, who make millions per year, that need to make sure they have structure to their lives? Eating right, daily exercise, frequent breaks from the game. Nothing to do with the money involved, they're raking it in...… But they realise if they just sit eating pot noodles in their dressing gowns all day, not seeing friends and family, it doesn't matter how much money they're making, they are causing "substantial harm" to themselves.
I feel a lot better in myself when I'm playing poker because I'm doing something worthwhile with my time and I can easily not play on any given day.
https://goo.gl/images/K79VYg
Haven't posted yet because I've been busy with other stuff, but defo one of the more interesting threads on here of late.