Does any long-time MTT grinder still enjoy it?

[khanrava]

Originally Posted by YouCantEscape

it took me only 8 or 9 months to get sick of that daily grind. and quitting mtts was probably one of the better decisions i have made in my life so far. my sleeping schedule was just so messed up that i was basically awake when everybody else was sleeping. and that sucked a ton.

+infinity

[Damon Rutherford]

Originally Posted by Steve Williams

If I understand ET, I think he's saying there's no such thing as a streak, its just how the brain tries to attach a pattern to a random series of events. Its a damaging thought process. Even if you claim it doesn't affect your play immediately, just sitting to play & thinking, "I'm on a big downswing," will make your session less fun & contribute to burnout in the longrun.

So yeah there's no running bad/running good its all just random events. I can't see much harm in telling yourself you run good though, it makes the game more fun & makes the variance go by faster.

This is a good post. More of us should remember this.

[f3nix35]

Read the whole thread and there is a ton of good advice in here. I played pretty much solidly over several sites for 3 months 12ish hour days and it was fun. But as so many people have highlighted above it is all about balance.

Take breaks and for gods sake have people to talk to and do stuff non-poker related. For a euro grinder it can be so depressing staying up to 7-8am when the sun is coming up then sleeping through to 4-5pm and not seeing sunlight at all or interacting with other people outside of the poker world.

I do think getting a good girlfriend and not necessarily putting in long sessions every time you play is the way forward. This game is great despite the swings, it's just how you approach it can depend on your long-term happiness.

[Mingdu]

Originally Posted by THAY3R

Do I regret it?

[Bonified]

For a euro grinder it can be so depressing staying up to 7-8am

I'd probably recommend cutting the hours down a bit and playing something like 7pm-3am. There are still plenty of tournaments to play. I get by 8-2 myself.

[f3nix35]

Yeh, when I get back into grinding again after this semester I think I'll only register from 7pm-11pm so as to fit into some type of "normal lifestyle" schedule.

[NicholasJ]

I have been grinding 8+ tables for a living since 2006. I started with SNGs, went to cash, then started mixing in MTTs, then switched to HU cash exclusively. For the past two months, I have played almost strictly MTTs, 40-50 hours/week, up to 24 tables.

My two cents: Having "ground" the three main forms of poker for a living for years, I can say with total certainty that MTTs are the most miserable grind out there. They also provide the most excitement, fun, and glory. I think the best thing to do for longevity is to pick a cash/sng grind and supplement it with a couple daily tournaments and a full sunday schedule (as I think has been said). This was what I was doing when I most enjoyed poker. I played better on sundays as well, and played really well in whatever MTT was on the side.

In my experience the main drawbacks to a MTT grind are inflexibility of schedule, grueling hours to achieve any bit of volume, and swongaments. I also never found them any more profitable than cash games, though I am better at MTTs than cash games. The only benefits to a MTT grind are the glory associated with big wins and leader boards, and that they are the easiest to beat. Sundays are fun, but I don't see myself grinding MTTs much longer.

[xglolli2]

Originally Posted by Bakes

i like poker iyam

u guys should get a gf it makes it way more manageable

arent you dating maridu mayrinck or whatever...lol

[Plunged]

if u pokerstoved her ranges you might find that is -ev

[Schmohawk]

Curious, does anyone think that certain days/times (excluding weekends) are more profitable than others for MTT's?

[bef99hwk]

Originally Posted by Schmohawk

Curious, does anyone think that certain days/times (excluding weekends) are more profitable than others for MTT's?

Uhhh yessssss.....early am mtts, with a ton of dumb euros/hardly any regs/people who never fold and suck you out a ton, as well as late nights after 10pm CST lets say, with small fields, dumb euros again, etc. Oh and Saturdays/Sundays very profitable as well.

[Mikey T]

Just wanted to add, great insight and great thread!

[MaverickUSC]

I've been full time since Aug 03, and I still love it. I hate grinding online, but realize that there's parts of every job that suck. I love playing live, and even if the circuit/high stakes world doesn't work out for me long term I will live a long and happy life propping in some Colorado casino at 10k feet. There's no other profession like the ones we are in that offer the freedom and flexibility to live life.

The problem is most people I know don't take advantage of it, and poker is only fun by itself for a short time. Thus they end up miserable when the downswongs come along.

I just finished up a quarter mil downswing over a year but had one of the best years of my life because of the things that I let poker let me do.