I posted this in BBV but just got a bunch of haters, I was told I could get real advice in this section.

Basically a year 1/2 ago I discovered poker. I was 15 at the time. My mom was having her monthly poker party and I decided I wanted to learn the game of poker so I could play at her partys. I looked the rules up online and played on zynga for a couple hours until the party started. I bought in and ended up coming second for 200 bucks. I was super happy and thought I was a total natural. I started researching poker online and found pokerstars and full tilt. I started off on the freerolls and eventually bought a $25 vanilla mastercard and deposited. I ran this deposit up to $200 very quickly until I wen't busto. I tried again, and again, and again. Losing all the money I had made working as a dishwasher (maybe $300).

I was hungry to play more so I decided to take my step dads credit card and deposit $25 knowing I could pay him back when I get payed later in the week. I ended up spending around $120 on his credit card, all of which was payed back with interest. My parents thought it was kind of cute how I was paying him back by slipping money into his coin jar so I wasnt in trouble just yet. But then I deposited another 25 and was playing all night and had to work at 8 the next morning. I fell asleep at work (which my parents own) and got fired. They then forbid me from playing online poker for money. But I continued to do so saying it was just play money.

A couple months later I was desperate to play and ran my real dads credit card up to 100 bucks and he snapped. I was 100% forbidden from ever playing poker again anywhere! I ofcourse said I wouldnt but kept doing it behind their backs. I then met mtt pro DWF1029 who took me under his wing. He staked me $215 which I ran up to 800 one night playing $1/$2 and $2/$4. Absoloutely crushing the tables and feeling better then ever. I even beat Simon Watt ftp pro out of 2 buy ins! And ofcourse like every other time I tilted it all away. This run from $215 to $800 is what keeps me coming back

Fast forward to now: I got a job at a grocery store working 20-24 hours a week starting this summer. I was making good money and for awhile poker wasnt a part of my life, I played a bit in the summer with my buddy for fun and just partying and getting drunk and playing some poker. But then the urge came back, last week I was determined to start winning. I deposited $600!!! Lost it all in the span of 2 hours and then kept depositing a couple hundred for the last week and a bit. My bank account has gone from $1700 to $0. I know im not a donk but I have terrible BRM and am not mature enough to play online for money. I have achieve some success that keeps me coming back for more. I came 4th in a $15 180 man today but donked of my $170 score pretty quick and finally said enough is enough. I talked to a gambling help line tonight and emailed stars telling them im underaged and to ban me for life. I am going to confront my parents after christmas and get help. I keep thinking if I just get that one big cash I can stop forever and buy a car but instead I keep losing. However I am afraid the urge will come back and ill find ways to play. If anyone has any advice or insight please help me out.

Cliffs:

-Started playing at 15
-Stole money from parents to play
-Lost all my money (around 5k)
-Deposited around 1.5k the last 2 weeks all of which I lost
- Finally said enough is enough and self banned from stars

Honest advice would be for you to probably to learn BRM as much as possible, and if you dont follow your set up BRM, put temp bans on your account to punish yourself

I don't think that learning BRM is the answer for you. I think that not playing is the answer for you. Stealing from people, lying about/hiding your playing, and spending more than you know you can afford to lose are all bad signs for you. I don't think that hitting a big win will allow you to buy a car and quit -- it will fuel more playing and more tilting. The good thing is that you recognize that this is a problem, you took the proper steps to control it for now, and you're seeking help. Well done.

You do also have the advantage that you're only 16. At this age, you lack the impulse control you will (hopefully) later develop. I think you should plan on not playing until you are of the legal age (or 21, I don't know where you live). By then, you will likely have matured some, made some expendable income, and won't have to break the TOS to play.

When you do play again, you will need to start by setting limits on your account so you can't deposit more than some small, yet reasonable amount. You should set aside money for this so you are sure you won't cause yourself financial ruin and really screw with your life. You should also consider that you probably aren't as good as you think you are. You seem to have set your expectations too high, so you tilt more easily because you don't reach those impossible goals.

I would also suggest finding someone you can really trust in this time. Someone that will know that you're playing with safeguards in place, but will also know that you could try to get around them. I don't know if this really works, but I imagine that having someone that can catch you if things start to get crazy out of hand would be nice. It might be too much of a burden on them, but playing secretly is bad for you.

I appreciate your insightful response. I will come clean with my dad, tell him I have a problem and need help. I will tell him of the secret laptop I have, the money i've lost, everything. I will also ask him to install gambling blocking software on our computers and will get the same thing done at my moms. Howver I know I can't give up poker forever. It is a passion of mine and I want to become a good player. I cant wait a couple years but I know when I turn 18 I try again with hopefully more discipline and more knowledge of the game.

It's really responsible of you to try and deal with a gambling problem at your age, it takes some people a life time before they tell anyone about it let alone sort it out. I agree with Gangstaman that you're still young and can gain that impulse control as you get older and it's quite likely you will, since you seem mature enough at present to deal with it in the way that you are.

can** wait a couple years

I think you're a donk, because good players don't go busto. You may be a decent player who only lacks BRM, but a donk is a donk is a donk.

Your probably right. I have had some time to think about it and I cant give it up. I am looking for someone to stake to help me win my money back. Anyone with winnings stats PM me if interested.

Your first problem is the fact that your spending the money you dont have, not only are your spending your parents money, but your also spending your winnings (in your head). First you should be happy with things you have (even owning a car comes with down-sides). That problem leads to bad BRM.
I see BRM as a game, in order to get to next level I need to collect this and that much points (money). So its like a video game to me. Dont forget to move down in levels.

I am spending my money not my parents. I have a job and work hard for my money

I don't see this going well, though it is better than when I read it as you looking for a stake and not a stakee.

I have a good horse who knows im a total degen and I will be playing on my account and he will tell me what to do via team viewer. He has over 260k cashes. I will be investing 600 in him

Taking loan is already "spending money, you dont have". I didnt say that you dont work hard or anything. I said that spending money you dont possess is bad - not only in poker, but in life generally.

You're the actual one playing? What happened to before when you recognized that you had a problem and were willing and motivated to fix it? If you're that incapable of not playing, then you have an addiction and need real help. I'm sure you'll say that you could quit if you wanted to, but you wanted to quit and now you're playing, so I just don't believe you.

No justification for playing that you come back with will change my view, but you can say it for yourself if you still need to convince yourself that playing will be ok.

Don't worry, though -- we'll still be here for you the next time you crash.

I don't understand, why is he playing on your account while being staked by you? Whatever the reason, it's pretty stupid, if they ask for your under age ID when it comes time to withdraw then the money is going byebye. It's a shame you wont stick to your original plan, it was a much better one...