not really, well maybe!
How do you take poker for money seriously? Thats a dumb kind of question, but is a real problem, i have been playing online games for years and have allways treated them as a bit of fun and this is showing in my poker play.

I have deposited on ub a couple of times the first time i did well in the sitngos starting to build a little stack, then started treating it as fun, playing foolish poker and losing, then got drunk tilted and blew the lot.
The second time i did well and got confident, then started to play because it was fun, i didnt take it seriously at all, had no respect for the fact i was playing for money, which ended in me losing my deposit and a nice profit. I know i could be a winning player if i could get away from the "its a game" mentality. My overconfidence, causes me to lose sight of the real goal of winning money, at the end of the day thats the major reason to play poker for money.

I know the problem, just find it hard to resolve. Not really asking for help, just venting i guess, maybe reading it in front of me will go some to fixing it.

Cheers
Idiot

ESPN interviewed me once upon a time and asked me where my poker talent came from. I laughed at the question before explaining. I told them, "I have less talent than you could possibly imagine. If you want talent, go look in the craps pit; there you'll find at least a couple of incredibly talented poker players losing their bankroll. There's probably a couple upstairs in their hotel room as we speak with a couple of $1000/night hookers they've locked up for the last week. You'll find some more down at the bar getting drunk - but they'll be down at the tables soon enough too - plenty of poker talent around but it's not me and it's not most of us who make a good living off this game. What talent I do have is tied up in discipline and a work ethic. With those talents a person can survive and even thrive in this business - beyond even the abilities of the most talented amongst us who fail to have aquired the necessary discipline."

I work my ass off to be the very best I can be at this game - every day, every session - day in day out, year in year out. I play my A game every time I sit down to play and don't play if I don't have it that day. The toughest player you'll ever have to face is the one sitting in your seat - if you can't manage that one - the rest of the table doesn't matter.

To you I'd say this: You've recognised the downfall of most poker players in the world who have gotten beyond the basics to understand that this game isn't rocket science - self-discipline.... knowing and acknowledging that puts you ahead of the curve. If you do what it takes to discipline yourself and your play then you will have accomplished something that probably less than 1 player in a 100 can do and then the rest will come.

The thing I'd say is to read a variety of poker books and always keep thinking about your game, there are no hard rules, I try to avoid thinking of myself as a good player, just as someone who can play well if I'm being observant, calm and thoughtful and wins money when playing this way.

No matter how good a player is or thinks they are, winning should never be seen as automatic or expected.

Molina

Unknown Player, your wisdom never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks iceman, I appreciate the kind words.

I agree 100% with what TheUnkownPlayer had to say. Especially in the current poker boom, playing well enough to be a winner over time is not that difficult. It's the mental discipline to not give back your profit doing things you know are stupid that's the tough part. Knowing the right decision, and actually doing it are two different things.

Money management skills are essential to building and maintaining a bankroll. Playing poker profitably is just not as much fun as playing it recklessly. But I get more of a thrill from being a winning player, and I focus my energy on that. Winning any particular hand has to take a back seat to your long term goals.

What TheUnknownPlayer had to say is something I would think all of us need to look into deeper. Even being more of a rookie at this, what he had to say is serious stuff.