Responsibility and Balance

In this thread, which was suggested by a fellow forum member, I will address two important questions for anyone starting out in poker, something that applies to many areas of life.

I consider poker to be a fun and very interesting game. Any type of game like this can also be considered “addictive”. Other examples are Magic, video games, RPGs, etc.

All these games, if approached the wrong way, can cause problems.

The difference in relation to poker is that there is more money involved, so in addition to the addiction inherent to games, it is sometimes associated with greed.

The first message I want to convey is about RESPONSIBILITY. Don't stop fulfilling your obligations in life because of a game, whatever it may be.

Keep in mind that 99% of players who start out in poker will not become professionals, will not become millionaires, will not win big tournaments. But I would say that over 50% of players who start out in poker believe that they will be the best in the world, believe that they have “talent”, or that it is an easy way to make money.

Want an easy way to make money? Go to college and go to work. Or study and pass a public exam. You will have a period of effort, and then you will have a stable life. If your intention is to make a living from poker, you will have to study a lot, practice a lot, “work” a lot, your whole life. And there are no guarantees. If you have a bad run, you will have to take money out of your bankroll to pay for your household expenses.

In my opinion, the best way to view poker, or any type of game, is as a complement. I have my profession, my stable salary. Poker is an additional activity, more of a hobby than a profession. This allows me to play poker without external pressures, without worrying about paying the bills.

Another important issue is BALANCE. You know that saying that too much of anything is bad? It's true, even water can kill you if you drink too much! Sometimes I see people who get attached to something in a completely unbalanced way, whether it's a hobby, a relationship, or a game like poker.

Imbalance tends to isolate. We know that poker is frowned upon in society, and it is even normal for someone in your family to turn up their nose if you say that you play poker regularly. But if this is too frequent, if you are losing friendships, relationships or people's affection because of poker, stop and think.

I know that people often think: “Let me win a big tournament on TV and I’ll get revenge on everyone who badmouths my poker.” The truth is that you’ll probably never win this big tournament! If you do win, know that it was a “bad beat” (let’s put it that way), because the vast majority of players never win! You’ll probably never even appear on TV! Get real before it’s too late!

Ultimately, let poker be your backup plan, not your main plan.

You know that story so common in Brazil about the promising soccer player who leaves school and the city where he lives to pursue the dream of earning millions, and a few years later returns home with nothing? Don't be that kid.

Don’t risk “all your chips” on poker. If one day you start to be successful in this game, gradually migrate your source of income to it, but with RESPONSIBILITY AND BALANCE.

If I'm wrong, and you're among the 1% who will become successful professionals, great! You can curse me if you want, saying that I was just another one who "discredited" you. But the number one rule of poker is to always make the most profitable and correct decisions, right? If you stop studying and living your life because of poker, it's like risking your entire bankroll on a "1 out draw".

SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR THOSE UNDER EIGHTEEN

This topic applies to anyone, as immaturity is not age-dependent, but it is mainly focused on those under eighteen.

I can say that I wish I had known about poker when I was under 18! Today I would know a lot! You must think like this: “I'm under 18, so I still have a lot of time to learn, and when my time comes to play for money I will be one step ahead!”

First of all, if you are a “minor,” you don’t have any money. The money isn’t even legally yours unless you are emancipated. And if you play for money in a poker room that doesn’t allow it, you are illegal. Why take the risk? Why rush?

And to conclude, let's do a little illustrative exercise. Think about who you know from the forum who has achieved some success in poker, the people who come here and give poker lessons. Everyone I know who is at this level has a profession outside of poker, most of them are married and over 25 years old. None of them talk about giving up the profession for now. Use this image of them as an example and guide.

HOW TO KNOW IF I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH POKER

There is an easy test to find out if poker has been a problem for you. Answer the following questions: Is poker negatively affecting: your social life? your love life? your work life? your studies? your relationship with your family? your sleep/rest? Are you changing your life plans because of poker?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a problem.

On behalf of Poker Dicas, I put myself and the forum moderators at your disposal to help, to talk and to reflect. Send an email through the contact form or private message to one of us. We will be happy to help you get through this phase, even if it means you will be away from the forum for a while.

Comments:

TSawyer: Great perfect Marcelo...congratulations!!!! I think this message should be sent to all new forum members along with a visa.

Raiser: congratulations Marcelo, excellent post!

GremistaEterno: Excellent post, very good indeed. And the ideas that emerged here are also very good, this topic should be read by everyone.

ClaudioSP: Very good post indeed, congratulations Marcelo. Just one observation, people who read this cannot forget about COMMITMENT, it is not enough to just read and forget this advice, which if not followed can leave you at rock bottom, I myself have a tendency to become addicted to games, I know what it is like... and now that I am playing online poker I will try harder so that this game is no longer a setback in life.

Onion: Epic Topic perfect Marcelo, this topic is perfect and will help a lot of people, including me.

cachacina: Marcelo, you said it all! I don't think you're discrediting anyone, you're just exposing the truth.

Glaccos: Congratulations on the post Marcelo!!!!! For those who read it and didn't listen, here's a testimony...

Marcelo: I appreciate your testimony Glaccos, and your willingness to help.

prof_anselmo: I have a very cool conversation that I had with a member and I'm going to post it because everyone follows everything that was said, without knowing that you would write it...jj