Hey guys,
I'm 22 and live in the UK and currently play low-midstakes MTTs on Pokerstars. I've been playing poker for probably 6 years now. Been through phases of playing obsessively and then leaving the game for a while. I have a full time job so the only times I can really play are Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
It has become a trend that right before I take a break it's because I question the time I invest in playing and getting better. Is it worth it? Can I be doing something better with my time? Is playing poker all weekend +life EV?
However, when I'm in play mode, poker is everything. It dominates my life. You could say I become quite unbalanced in favour of poker. My physical health, time seeing family and friends, the amount of sleep I get, the background thinking in my mind.. it all becomes sacrificed for/orientated around poker. I haven't ever struck that 'healthy' balance. I don't know if this has ever been the route to success for any player, but I don't think it will ever work for me. Hopefully over the course of this thread I will find the steadiness that allows me to play, be successful and be +life EV.
I'm going to be honest. So far, I think poker has been -life EV for me. I don't think I'm alone with this. The number of people who probably grind online for years and get nowhere will always outweigh the people who break through.
This is my quest to change what has been. So every day I play, I'll record which tournaments I played in and how I fared, put some hands on through boom player, but 'thread' the thread with talk on life and balance.
I'm also going to set a target for myself: to make £50,000 by the end of the year. I don't mind if you think this is unrealistic given the tournaments you'll see me play. This is a target that motivates me and that's all it's for. If I achieve it, which is certainly in the realms of possibility then happy days.
My poker history:
Giraffe
Overview
My best results
I hope you all enjoy the read, I'm in it for the long haul and will try and make it as interesting as possible. Thanks everyone.