blonde poker forum

1  Did you ever lose time from work/school due to gambling?

2 Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?

3 Did gambling affect your reputation?

4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?

5. Did you ever gamblle to win money to pay back debts?

6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition/efficiency?

7. After losing did you feel you must return asap to win it back?

8. After a win do you have a strong urge to return and win more?

9 Did you gamble until your last dollar was gone?

10 Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?

11 Have you ever sold anytihng to finance your gambling?

12 Were you reluctant to use gambling money for everyday purchases?

13 Did gambling make you care of your/your family's welfare?

14 Did you gamble often longer than you had planned?

15 Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?

16 Have you ever committed an illegal act to finance gambling?

17 Has gambling caused you difficulty sleeping?

18 Do arguments and disappointments create within you the urge to gamble?

19 Did you ever celebrate good fortune by gambling?

20 Has gambling ever led you to contemplate suicide?



20 is certainly a cheery note to end on!

This is the initial gamblers anonymous questionnaire. A minimum of 7 out of 20 suggests to them a problem

I scored 8. I'd better rehearse that opening line then

"Hello I'm Richard and I once called a raise and a re-raise to hit a middle pin straight draw"

2 but I am a small stakes to bankroll player.
I have lost a lot of work time playing and some of those around me think poker is not the way to go.

I can honestly say I score 3, possibly 4. Even if it means rolling in with my eyes pinned open with matchsticks after two hours sleep, I still manage to get to work the next day  ;D

7 for me if I am honest. Would have been 4 up until a month ago.  >:(

Jesus, I just scored 19!!!!!!!! And I am the card room manager!!! WTF!

HHHEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

2 for me  ;D

I'm hoping for your sake you said no to number 20!!!

I bet your real score is something goody two shoes like 1!

well i got to be honest here i think my score is zero

but i dont gamble i only play poker and then i could go forever without ever playing again if something in my life meant i couldnt afford to play again

Was it Slansky who said anyone who claims poker is not gambling is a mug. The difference is that poker is gambling with a positive expectation.

dont ask me i dont read books

I read or heard somebody say "When I play poker I don't gamble, it's those that play with me who gamble"

DENIAL!

I prefer to say "Poker isn't gambling, gambling is a style of playing poker".

8 for me nowadays,  if im being honest,

if in being dishonest 9 lol

stu

I score 10. So GA it is! i think that i answered most of my questions based on the past, im only 19 but when i was younger i used to gamble so much on anything and it used to make my life a misery. It affected my family/school/social life. But luckily i had supportive friends and family and managed to cut it out.

In a way im glad i found poker because it gave me the oppurtunity to gamble (which i couldnt ever stop if i tried!) but swung the odds more in my favour.....although on my recent form im starting to doubt this!

Tightend...I bet my mortgage that I am no goody two shoes!!!
And the one I didn't score on was 19.....I cannot celebrate cuz I've never won!!
 :-\

I scored 27.

I think need help.



adding up maybe ::)

I think there should be a question 21

Have you ever run barefoot around the garden at 4am shouting YEEHAAA?

And a 22:  Why did I do that ??? :-[

lets get this on topic

fck still 20 out of 20

18 out of 20 for me a few years ago but now i'm a good boy (5/6 now.

The two that i missed were 17, i sleep like a baby and nothing gets in the way of my favourite activity in life and 20 I wouldn't be able to play poker anymore so thats out of the question.

A nice one-liner in here said....

"...I'm 19, but when I weas younger...."

Is there such a thing as yoiunger than 19? Jeez, makes me feel old.

How about question 23

Do you gamble every day ?

can you say no to that one  ???

I think discovering poker has probably lowered most of our scores, my obsession with the game has certainly stopped me wasting money on house games, and those bloody roulette machines in the bookies. 

As for the gee gee's, I now only bet selectively and with the internet betting facilities, i dont get tempted into betting in sellers/claimers and cartoon racing, which is so easily done when you are in the bookies.

So all in all, THANK GOD FOR POKER  ;D

I noticed that the questions were past tense, i assume that if your in the GA programme(even in the initial stages) you are deemed as a non gambler?

This is why i agree with what you said, i answered yes to 19(no to the suicide) but if they were aimed at the present/last 6 months I'd be looking at around 3 or 4, this is uniquely down to me playing internet poker full time(supposedly full time, half my allocated playing time during the day is pent by me watching will and grace or wandering aimlessly round the living room).

1  Did you ever lose time from work/school due to gambling?

YES

2 Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?

YES

3 Did gambling affect your reputation?

YES

4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?

YES

5. Did you ever gamblle to win money to pay back debts?

NO

6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition/efficiency?

YES

7. After losing did you feel you must return asap to win it back?

YES

8. After a win do you have a strong urge to return and win more?

YES

9 Did you gamble until your last dollar was gone?

YES

10 Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?

YES

11 Have you ever sold anytihng to finance your gambling?

NO

12 Were you reluctant to use gambling money for everyday purchases?

NO

13 Did gambling make you care of your/your family's welfare?

NO

14 Did you gamble often longer than you had planned?

YES

15 Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?

NO

16 Have you ever committed an illegal act to finance gambling?

NO

17 Has gambling caused you difficulty sleeping?

YES

18 Do arguments and disappointments create within you the urge to gamble?

NO

19 Did you ever celebrate good fortune by gambling?

NO

20 Has gambling ever led you to contemplate suicide?

NO


11 - is that bad?

I answer yes to Q5, and no to Q8. Otherwise I'm the same as Snoopy.

So I'm close to having a whole different problem.  :o

That's if you define poker as gambling.

Which it is really, anybody who thinks differently is welcome to that opinion, but should never ask me to lend them money.

Is it possible to answer 'no' to all of them except question (20)?

Maybe if you lived in a country that forbids gambling of all kinds and were so desperate to gamble that you couldn't bare living in a world without fruit machines and placepots, but was, at the same time incredibly confused as to why you had such strong urges to gamble never having done so in your life :dontask:

(dont look at me like that! its a feasible scenario)!! ;D

at least 10 for me

but i recognise that im a poker addict.....

the funny thing is I get zero buzz from other forms of gambling......

i even play poker for fun occasionnally and haven't spent much over the years,in fact im ahead..lol

the main problem is the time i spend playing poker and neglecting other things of a more important nature

3 for me and two of them are tied in.  I'm happy with that  - they are lesser ones too.   I've taken days off before because I was up late/early playing poker but that's no biggy and I've also felt remorse and lost sleep when I lost a big lot of cash on a tennis match.   I felt bad for a while after that and it took  me a while to get over it.  Thankfully, it didn't get to number 20 :D

I feel this kind of survey can only drive lose money from the game..........I of course scored loads and loads and loads. In fact I scored so high that I am going to go and live in a casino until I die from cigarette fumes.
I think that nearly all of us have some gamble in us otherwise we would not have turned up at the table. I gamble far less on the casino games than I used to and will always be grateful to one of the Grosvenor staff who led me to the cardroom. I now gamble but make a profit at it.

I'm similar to Snatiramas...."gamble" a lot less now, and "invest" in Poker......and feel alot better for the last year :)up

Unlucky on the Monte Carlo sat. last night Snatiramas.....well done on London! ;)

3 for me  0:-)

17. Oh dear.

 Dubai....please answer Questions 18.19 and 20 as well.

I scored 5 but if you change the questions to make them about reading or buying books: -

1  Did you ever lose time from work/school due to reading or buying books?

YES

2 Has reading or buying books ever made your home life unhappy?

NO

3 Did reading or buying books affect your reputation?

YES

4. Have you ever felt remorse after reading or buying books?

NO

5. Can't think of a good equivalent.

N/A

6. Did reading or buying books cause a decrease in your ambition/efficiency?

NO

7. After reading a bad book did you feel you must return asap to read a better one?

YES

8. After reading a good book do you have a strong urge to return and read another one?

YES

9 Did you buy books until your last dollar was gone?

YES

10 Did you ever borrow to finance your book buying?

YES

11 Have you ever sold anytihng to finance your book buying?

YES

12 Were you reluctant to use book buying money for everyday purchases?

NO

13 Did buying or reading books make you care of your/your family's welfare?

NO

14 Did you read books often longer than you had planned?

YES

15 Have you ever read a book or gone book shopping to escape worry or trouble?

YES

16 Have you ever committed an illegal act to finance book buying?

NO

17 Has reading a book caused you difficulty sleeping?

YES

18 Do arguments and disappointments create within you the urge to read a book?

YES

19 Did you ever celebrate good fortune by buying or reading a book?

YES

20 Has reading or buying a book ever led you to contemplate suicide?

NO

That's 12 - so I'm fine with gambling but I'm addicted to books  :D

you need to go to BA Jon.

By the way, did anyone hear the breaking news that BA have cancelled all flights out of the UK.....  ;goodvevil;

phew 6 ;)  

Difficult subject this, and one which I don't really think should be treated flippantly.  Its worth being honest with yourself.

I scored 12, though if it was present tense it would be less.  I'm working on separating poker from gambling (or at least compulsive gambling), I've started by plugging a few 'leaks': blackjack, roulette, horses and dogs.

GA is not for everybody, some people may prefer to sort themselves out.  I can recommend some books if anyone is interested:

Understanding Problem Gamblers by Paul Bellringer
Overcoming Compulsive Gambling by Alex Blaszczynski

Change it to sex :D

Is there an org called SA

Dammit Jon - I was feeling all smug about not havinga gambling problem and you go and point out my serious book addiction!!  >:(

Mind you it should have been clear when I actually cheered when my latest Amazon delivery arrived at my desk  :D

I score pretty badly on films as well - I've just got to face it, I must have an addictive personality.  8)

Honestly I scoored 4.

But I know I am addicted to Poker - all forms off  (and not gambling)

If it wasnt for my addiction to Fruit Machines when I was a teenager, it would of been a score of 3

well I'm in the book addiction club, I've 50000 at last count, but in mitigation I do sell them as well, just seem to accumulate more than I sell. Also add in Vinyl records addiction (under control recently, selling more than I buy  :D)

Gambling score 4

Blimey!

I've got no idea how many I've actually got, my place is so tiny that every now and again I just pack boxes full of books and store them at my Mum's house. This is in the possibly deluded hope that some day I might be able to afford somewhere larger with enough shelving space for them.

But, on the other hand all my DVD's are here and I don't know how many of them I've got because I can't be bothered to count them. So I probably still wouldn't know even if they were all on shelves.  8)

I'm also addicted to reading , i'll read anything , romance , thriller , horrer  etc and at the moment i'm bookless and pulling my hair out !!  >:(

50000 books !  Wow.

7, possibly 8.  I am undecided by the causes me to lose sleep question. Since discovering poker I do lay in bed thinking about poker most nights and that is usually after 2am most days .   I certainly sleep alot less than I used to.  Internet poker is so much fun, I love sitting until 2am clicking butons. Unfortunately real life like Uni, etc gets in the way of my fun.  I need to find myself a country in the World which has more than 24 hrs in the day  :D.

Hmmm, would be difficult to answer this - if i did it honestly then i would easily be into a double digit score and to be honest would probably be not far off 20 but since i stopped drinking and got my life in order if i retook the test with my head in "screwed on correctly" mode then the results would be under the 7 mark easily.

Discovering poker has meant i not longer have the urge to gamble and whilst others sometimes tut and shake their heads when i mention the dirty "p" word - to me it isnt gambling, its a business and if you treat it as such with a level head then i shouldnt have any worries for the future.

I love books. I've read bazillions, but I have never been able to keep them afterwards. I would love to, but they are too heavy, and take up too much space if you live in a caravan.

What I do is buy them from charity shops and give them back afterwards, if I want to re-read one, I buy it again. It works out very cheap, and the money I do spend goes to a good cause.

i am also a massive reader.at the moment im reading an excellent book lent to me by blonde member philthepower.its called nine lives confessions of a master jewel thief.its an autobiography by bill mason,one of americas most notorious jewel thiefs and i can fully reccomend it charmaine.

I do that Red through the PDSA . 

oh and i scored 7 out of 20

I rent a large warehouse  8) storage problem solved. Although I've heard rumours the area is due for redevelopment soon, so I think I'll be looking for new premises.

Looking back 3 years before I started playing poker, I would have only answered yes to 6 of them.

Now I'm at 11, but I don't think I have a problem, just a sometimes stressful job.

for some reason, I half expected you to get 21 :D

I got 4

I think we should come up with 20 questions specific to poker.

We could use some of the 20 GA questions, but specialise a bit.

ie, Have you ever moved up limits during a losing session in an attempt to break even.

Have you ever loosened your calling standards because "the big cards aren't hitting"

Have you ever bought into a festival event with a credit card.

Have you ever intended to sit down in a cash game for an hour or two one evening, then caught the bus home in the morning.

Have you ever thrown something against the wall, or torn an item of clothing, while playing on the computer?

Do you play every day?

Have you ever had over 15 rebuys?



Any other ideas?

Do you feel guilty after bluffing family and friends in a home game.

err double figures for me!!

I had one of these tests at school when it was about drink as well apparently I should be joining the AA also.

do you dream about poker most nights?  I do!  either about playing or being in Las Vegas.

With the question about affecting sleep, does a sleepless night due to a really really bad beat count?

Oh hell yeah.

Welcome to the club, we've got jackets.  8)

right im going to answer these with complete honesty and just hope the do gooders amongst you dont condemn me to easily!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1  Did you ever lose time from work/school due to gambling?

yes used to bunk college to attend friday afternoon meetings at romford dogs

2 Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?

yes caused many rows during my married life and eventually it was a major contributor to my marriage ending.

3 Did gambling affect your reputation?

no didnt have one in the first place

4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?

yes many many times after a bad losing session

5. Did you ever gamblle to win money to pay back debts?

yes often gambled to try to clear debts usually unsuccessfully

6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition/efficiency?

no  have always been ambitious

7. After losing did you feel you must return asap to win it back?

no  used to spend time feeling sorry for myself trying to convince myself i had give up.

8. After a win do you have a strong urge to return and win more?

no  usually slow my gambling down after a win to enjoy the fruits of my labour.

9 Did you gamble until your last dollar was gone?

yes  many times i have gone skint and had to walk home from the dogtrack

10 Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?

yes  usually to pay off debts incurred by gambling

11 Have you ever sold anytihng to finance your gambling?

yes once sold my car to pay off a gambling debt

12 Were you reluctant to use gambling money for everyday purchases?

no my family have never gone without

13 Did gambling make you care of your/your family's welfare?

no  same answer as above

14 Did you gamble often longer than you had planned?

yes  often popped to the bookies for an hour and end up being thrown out at closing time 6 hours later

15 Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?

yes i used to use gambling as an escape from everyday troubles.at times the only enviroment i felt comfortable in

16 Have you ever committed an illegal act to finance gambling?

yes  made a mistake 20 yrs ago payed my dues.

17 Has gambling caused you difficulty sleeping?

yes plenty of times over the years

18 Do arguments and disappointments create within you the urge to gamble?

yes   again a gambler will run to the enviroment hes comfortable in

19 Did you ever celebrate good fortune by gambling?

yes   had to think here but sure i must have at some point over the years

20 Has gambling ever led you to contemplate suicide?

yes   im afraid many years ago i contemplated it a few times.



thats 14/20  :(

as i said i have been completely honest here something i can do know after many years of being in denail.


i am a compulsive gambler and have done 2 short stints at GA which i failed to get on with.it helps for some people but i found dealing with the problem myself much more successful.
GA has very religious undertones and being a non religious person i struggled to accept or feel comfortable with this.

as i say i am a compulsive gambler and like any other addiction it will always be in me.

but like others i find poker has helped me in my recovery ( actually only form of gambling ive ever shown a profit on in the long term) and i spend less time gambling in other ways.

i still enjoy a bet and a night at the dogs but gamble more for fun now and my stakes are alot lower than they were in the dark days.
im still prone to the odd tilt in the bookies as well as the poker table but thats my make up,
im an impulsive and compulsive person but i can honestly say that today im more in control than ive ever been and tomorrow il be more in control than i am today.
like all problems and addictions one day at a time.

cant believe i wrote all this down for public display to people i hardly know to read but if feels good.


thanks for reading but i gotta go my yankees just starting on tonights sky dogs at walthamstow  ;D ;)

Theres only 2 true sentences on the above post -------

1. 3 Did gambling affect your reputation?

no didnt have one in the first place

and

2. thanks for reading but i gotta go my yankees just starting on tonights sky dogs at walthamstow   


 :D