Stemming the Debt Flow of an Addiction
Poker is addictive. Much like alcohol, cigarettes or even some serious drugs it can totally screw with your life if you let it consume you. I’ll even admit myself one of the hardest moves you make in the game is quitting or walking away; especially when you’re winning hand after hand. But, just like the famous saying goes, “quitting while you’re ahead is not the same as quitting”.
There are hundreds upon thousands of poker junkies out there who scrape around to find enough money just to jump into their next game. It may sound ridiculously silly, but it’s unfortunately very true. They bet their lives away until they completely run out of money, and eventually they begin borrowing it or stealing it from the wrong sources. Some of these men even have families to support, and other mouths to feed, as with most of us who love the game. It is highly possible for anyone to become addicted to the game of poker; therefore it is very important that all players learn to make their poker trips a privilege and not a necessity.
The most important thing to remember is that you are no poker pro like Chris Ferguson; as much as you’d like to be, you don’t make a living off of poker. Even if you do in rare circumstances, then you need to follow this tip as well. Winning a large stack of money in a game can get your heart-racing and your adrenaline pumping; the excitement of the moment is always fulfilling. This spur of the moment ecstasy of sorts can alter your thinking and push you to bet more and more. The best decision to make especially if your luck has been terrible all night, is to grab your nice big stack and walk away while you have money. A lot of players get lost in the game and let their winnings go to their head, and eventually they throw away everything they won, plus the money they put in, and wind up leaving with nothing. Plenty of people talk about how much they hate quitters, and they may even give you nasty glances when you collect your stack but none of that should matter. Quitting with a large stack of money you just won, or collected over time is much better than being forced out with nothing left. Even if you don’t win the game, you are still considered a winner for walking away with a good amount of money; after all that is what poker is about.
Another point that needs to be established for many players, especially aggressive ones, is that everyone should set a personal limit for themselves before they even enter the casino, poker rooms, or hop online. It is very easy to run to the cashier and pump more personal money into the game when your emotions are running high. It’s this type of tendency that spawns a terrible addiction to the game. As aforementioned above it can even cloud your judgment so much that you forget you have a family back home, or even in some cases ignore the fact, and all your money winds up sinking down the drain. For those players who are already there, with very little money left to gamble, the important move you need to make requires you to understand that poker is not always as important as you think it is. Poker can always be set aside for later, and even for those who have a terrible addiction sometimes poker needs to be set aside permanently. Never endanger your own life or the lives of others just to play a game.
Beginners’ of the sport can also become easily addicted; often it happens without them knowing. For those who are first starting, to remain safe novices’ should only play low-limit tables to keep their losing streaks to a bare minimum. You never want to hop in at a table with a $1,000,000 limit and find yourself face to face with nothing but veterans and pros that squander your stack and leave you nothing.
Remember to stay focused even after losing and not let your emotions gain control of your actions. If you have lost, and you have run out of the extra money you brought with you to play with. Don’t add in more and drop yourself into debt; just walk away for the night and go home.
Poker is fun and time-consuming but there is no reason it should be life-consuming. Don’t let the game pull you in and get you addicted. Stay ahead of your emotions and desires and plan everything out before you take a trip to the casino. Really, casinos don’t care about your life they just want your money and the same holds true for online poker venues. They’ll keep taking it if you give it to them no matter what your debt ratio is. If you’re losing terribly and your money is slipping away, then pick up what you have and get the hell out of there before you dig yourself a grave.
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Poker Addiction, Poker Tips
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