Question #1 - why do you play online poker?

[Peter Costa]

I've often wonderd why players play online. I have lived from onlione for almost six years now, and I must admit I do not enjoy it at all. So how is it that the vast majority, which are losing players; still play?

Do they find poker fun?

Why do you play? Is it simply as a way of making a profit/living?

Would you like to see a less stressful way to play online poker - a more fun way of playing poker?

Do you find poker frustrating?

Do you play because you feel you have an edge?

Would you still play if the edge was less (for example, no bluffing), but you had complete control on how much you commited to each and every hand?

Any thoughts anyone?

Cheers!

[thetank]

Why do you play? Is it simply as a way of making a profit/living?

Yeah, but I can't stand it most of the time. I like it because the hours are flexible and the money is better than other part time jobs I could have while going through Uni.

What I don't like about it is the isolation. I prefer to work with people as part of a team, I've done menial jobs in my time and they are all more enjoyable than sitting on your arse playing poker so long as the people are good. You get a nice buzz when you've all been working hard together towards a goal.

When I'm done Uni and get a real job I'd like to do something that is useful to society like becoming a teacher and maybe on my deathbed I could kid myself into thinking I might have inspired someone who is going to help solve whatever problems the world will be facing in the future.
If I played online poker for the rest of my life, the best I could hope for on my deathbed is to kid myself into thinking that the people I've been taking money offa to make rent all these years were not degenearate gamblers pissing away their children's college fund but recreational players who were only playing with their disposable income and having a good time.




Would you like to see a less stressful way to play online poker - a more fun way of playing poker?

Not really, it's all about the dollars and cents. The gimmicky PKR doesn't interest me at all, I never bothered downloading the client to take a look.
I play on Full Tilt where I leave the other players to play around with the chat box and the changing expressions on the avatars. I ignore all chat and hide the avatars.

The poker world in general doesn't interest me too much. Don't ever watch poker on the telly and haven't done for years. I keep up to date with things that might affect me such as new AHK scripts and the like by staying wired to this forum and 2+2 but I really couldn't give too much of a toss about who wins a WPT event unless I know them personally.






Do you find poker frustrating?

It can be a source of frustration although I don't usually get frustrated at the way the cards run unless I'm in a sizable downswing for more than a week or so, and even then not to a great degree.

I feel that how I handle the bad times is part of what makes me better than the other guy. Anyone can read a book or whatever and work out how to play. Mastering the mental side of things and keeping it all together during the bad times is the most important thing though, and you no-one can tell you how to do this it has to be worked out for yourself. If this was easier, too many people would be +EV players and this might bugger up the sustainability of the online poker economy.






Would you still play if the edge was less (for example, no bluffing), but you had complete control on how much you commited to each and every hand?

Anything that makes you better able to win every session is a bad bad bad idea. The fish need to win sometimes. Don't fuck with the plumbing if it isn't broken.

[DaveShoelace]

I've often wonderd why players play online. I have lived from onlione for almost six years now, and I must admit I do not enjoy it at all. So how is it that the vast majority, which are losing players; still play?


Because allthough they are losing players, it doesnt mean they dont have moments where they win. Everyone gets moments of glory in poker which they wouldn't in other competitive pursuits, we can all beat Phil Ivey if the cards fall our way, which is the appeal.


Do they find poker fun?

Yes

Why do you play? Is it simply as a way of making a profit/living?

I play live poker for fun, I play online poker for money. I also enjoy the competitive aspect and most of all, the smug feeling of making a great call/bluff/valoooo bet

Would you like to see a less stressful way to play online poker - a more fun way of playing poker?

Even though I could one day throw my PC out of the window, no. Without the pain, there is no fun. The reason why we pump our first furiously in celebration is partially because of all those times it doesnt go our way. I've had a pretty bad year as a player compared to my previous years, but it would all be worth it and then some if one day I could take down a big tournament (of course I should stop grinding online cash and sngs to do that).

Also, the pain and the tough times reveal a lot about ourselves, tilt shows us who we really are and what we really know at the tables. A bad 2009 for me poker wise has shown me that I am not as good a player as I thought I was, which has been humbling and also shown me what I need to do to get better.

Do you find poker frustrating?

Hells yeah

Do you play because you feel you have an edge?

Yes. Not because I'm a great player but because I can count, I make sure I am in soft games full of silly chuffs.

Would you still play if the edge was less (for example, no bluffing), but you had complete control on how much you commited to each and every hand?

Erm, off the top of my head, that model doesnt appeal, but I certainly am interested to see what you have in mind.


Any thoughts anyone?

Who would win a fight between a great dane and a st Bernard?

[RED-DOG]

Who would win a fight between a great dane and a st Bernard?

Me.

(The kennel club have selectively bred the other two until they are virtually useless)

[GreekStein]

I've often wonderd why players play online. I have lived from onlione for almost six years now, and I must admit I do not enjoy it at all. So how is it that the vast majority, which are losing players; still play?

Do they find poker fun?

Why do you play? Is it simply as a way of making a profit/living? Because I'm absolutely addicted to poker. It's the stone cold nuts in itself. When you enjoy a game that you know you can beat it makes you want to play.


Would you like to see a less stressful way to play online poker - a more fun way of playing poker? For me playing in itself is fun and as much fun as I wan't from playing online. I don't think a lot of gimicks etc are gonna make it more fun for me, though they would attract more fish which is a good thing. To me more fun is the more I win and I wouldn't want too much sillyness detracting from my concentration.

Do you find poker frustrating? I think this goes without saying. When you trap a guy for all his money and he's drawing to 2 outs etc and you lose you can't not get frustrated. I'm pretty sure there's not a single poker player who doesn't find it frustrating at times.

Do you play because you feel you have an edge? Yup, and like most we probably feel we have bigger edges than we do in reality.

Would you still play if the edge was less (for example, no bluffing), but you had complete control on how much you commited to each and every hand? If I was playing a game of no bluffing, i.e a nitfest I would definitely not play though I like being challenged so I would play in a game with less of an edge.

Any thoughts anyone?

Cheers!

[Pyso]

"I've often wondered why players play online. I have lived from online for almost six years now, and I must admit I do not enjoy it at all"

What a remarkable statement.

Why the hell do you do something you don't enjoy? If you are smart enough to be a winning player in today's tougher games, there must be a zillion other things you could do to make a living that you would enjoy.

I came to the same conclusion myself, that I was not enjoying it at all, so I stopped playing online. There were several other reasons - not getting rakeback, doubts about collusion and who exactly I was playing etc, but the bottom line was that I just wasn't enjoying staring at a screen all day.

So now I play exclusively live. I enjoy it immensely, the challenge is still there, but now I get social interaction, more time to make decisions, I feel the chances of being cheated are much less, and I get to decide who to play against.

Ok, my win rate per hour must be less because I'm seeing less hands but I am winning well and I'm enjoying it. I don't miss online poker at all.

[byronkincaid]

Why the hell do you do something you don't enjoy?

everyone who is clever is able to make a good living doing something they enjoy? everyone in this country? everyone in the world? why do so many people hate their jobs? why are so many people unemployed?

If you are smart enough to be a winning player in today's tougher games, there must be a zillion other things you could do to make a living that you would enjoy.

plz name 10 jobs that you can get after playing poker for a living for 6 years that are fun and earn good money

not having a go, just been thinking about this for a while now and haven't come up with much, becoming more of a live player is certainly one option as you have mentioned

[Pyso]

Why the hell do you do something you don't enjoy?

everyone who is clever is able to make a good living doing something they enjoy? everyone in this country? everyone in the world? why do so many people hate their jobs? why are so many people unemployed?

If you are smart enough to be a winning player in today's tougher games, there must be a zillion other things you could do to make a living that you would enjoy.

plz name 10 jobs that you can get after playing poker for a living for 6 years that are fun and earn good money

not having a go, just been thinking about this for a while now and haven't come up with much, becoming more of a live player is certainly one option as you have mentioned

I think my post didn't come across as intended. I wasn't having a go at any one or being overly critical.

It is difficult to find work that we enjoy, that is true. The point I was making was that why would someone do something they don't enjoy at all when there must be better options out there. I don't have the answers unfortunately.

For me the solution was to play exclusively live and it seems to be working so far.

I suppose I just recognised myself in Peter's post. I was just saying that you can do something about it if you want to.

[kinboshi]

I think it's different playing for fun, or playing for a living - either live or online.

[jakally]

Why the hell do you do something you don't enjoy?

everyone who is clever is able to make a good living doing something they enjoy? everyone in this country? everyone in the world? why do so many people hate their jobs? why are so many people unemployed?

If you are smart enough to be a winning player in today's tougher games, there must be a zillion other things you could do to make a living that you would enjoy.

plz name 10 jobs that you can get after playing poker for a living for 6 years that are fun and earn good money

not having a go, just been thinking about this for a while now and haven't come up with much, becoming more of a live player is certainly one option as you have mentioned

I think my post didn't come across as intended. I wasn't having a go at any one or being overly critical.

It is difficult to find work that we enjoy, that is true. The point I was making was that why would someone do something they don't enjoy at all when there must be better options out there. I don't have the answers unfortunately.

For me the solution was to play exclusively live and it seems to be working so far.

I suppose I just recognised myself in Peter's post. I was just saying that you can do something about it if you want to.

Poker can be a pastime or a job.
People who play it as a pastime usually do so because they enjoy it.

Same people cannot rationalise why someone would play without enjoying it particularly.
£50K - £100k + per year is a good reason IMO - given that the alternatives are not necessarily any more enjoyable (and probably financially less fruitful).

[GreekStein]

Why the hell do you do something you don't enjoy?

everyone who is clever is able to make a good living doing something they enjoy? everyone in this country? everyone in the world? why do so many people hate their jobs? why are so many people unemployed?

If you are smart enough to be a winning player in today's tougher games, there must be a zillion other things you could do to make a living that you would enjoy.

plz name 10 jobs that you can get after playing poker for a living for 6 years that are fun and earn good money

not having a go, just been thinking about this for a while now and haven't come up with much, becoming more of a live player is certainly one option as you have mentioned

I think my post didn't come across as intended. I wasn't having a go at any one or being overly critical.

It is difficult to find work that we enjoy, that is true. The point I was making was that why would someone do something they don't enjoy at all when there must be better options out there. I don't have the answers unfortunately.

For me the solution was to play exclusively live and it seems to be working so far.

I suppose I just recognised myself in Peter's post. I was just saying that you can do something about it if you want to.

Poker can be a pastime or a job.
People who play it as a pastime usually do so because they enjoy it.

Same people cannot rationalise why someone would play without enjoying it particularly.
£50K - £100k + per year is a good reason IMO - given that the alternatives are not necessarily any more enjoyable (and probably financially less fruitful).

Even a little less than £50k is ok considering poker players don't pay tax.

[byronkincaid]

pretty sure there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who would be delighted to play internet poker for a living for £20K a year

pretty subjective to come up with figures that you must earn to be worth people's while.

[Jon MW]

pretty sure there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who would be delighted to play internet poker for a living for £20K a year

pretty subjective to come up with figures that you must earn to be worth people's while.

lol - never mind the world - most people in Britain take home less than £20k a year

[GreekStein]

pretty sure there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who would be delighted to play internet poker for a living for £20K a year

pretty subjective to come up with figures that you must earn to be worth people's while.

What's wrong with being subjective?

[Jon MW]

pretty sure there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who would be delighted to play internet poker for a living for £20K a year

pretty subjective to come up with figures that you must earn to be worth people's while.

What's wrong with being subjective?

It's just wrong

imo