Dear Mods: Move/Delete this post if you mustBut since STTF is my Home and since I don't know many posters on other forums, I choose to make this entry here.

I am encouraged by Raptor's "change of direction" toward a more conventional lifestyle...I think that his realization that there must be "more" to life than sitting in a darkened room in front of an inanimate object for most of his waking hours can't possibly be a healthy choice; either from a physical or mental aspect. I endorse his efforts to make a change.

One of the things that makes the aging process a little more endurable is my collection of fond memories...I am frequently sustained and entertained by being able to remember the various thrills, chills and spills of those many gone years....Family/Friends/significant others = all good

I worry that some of you are not collecting those memories

That type of concern is the reason I'm trying to get a for real job, even if it's going to cut my monthly income by 40-50%.


It's worth it for me to feel like I'm doing something productive with my life (not to imply that you can't do worthwhile things while playing online pokah).

Agree Bob. I actually like that I got into poker later in life than most people. It allowed me to see and do so many things beforehand, not to mention I'll be able to retire in ~5 yrs and play all the poker I want without having to depend on it for income. My only concern is that the games may be completely dried up by then or that there may be legislation that actually does make it very difficult or impossible/illegal to play online altogether. Time will tell.

ur right , I am worried for myself and others too. All my friends are getting old and married with kids and never want to get drunk or loud except the occasional party or whatever. Grinding 40 hours a week cant really be healthy when the only social interaction is on aim or 2+2. Gotta get out more and interact.

Unfortunately much of this brought on by money issues. With the economy in its state and my wife currently not working a full time job, it is what it is. I think planing trips with your friends and family is very important. Also just getting out in public in your own town is important, joining a gym and staying in shape, etc.

I think you can easily get into a few bad habits if you grind sngs for a living. Just be careful and aware imo



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XAf8...ext=1&index=31

point well taken. some type of reasonable balance is important.

but i also worry about those who put in 60+ hours a week in the office (including drive time) and have very little tiime for family/friends. i'd much rather play 30-35 hours of on-line poker on my own schedule...

it would be pretty hard for me to imagine going back to my old life style of leaving the house in the morning of before my kids wake up, getting home at 6pm, and then just traveling a lot and not being home at all...

Completely agree with you here. This is the reason that I intend to give poker a go next year. Only if it doesn't work out shall I don the tie again :-(

I have a $10/hr job waiting for me if I want it, I miss the people I used to work with but I don't miss being able to set my own schedule, although if I have a ****ty february I might have to consider going back anyway

oh and I should add, if you're my age you can't really get a M-F fulltime job, you have to work fri/sat/sun nights every single week, and getting off of work at 10-11pm on a fri/sat night sucksssss

Just out of curiosity, do you think the general demographics of a SNG grinder differ vastly from that of a cash game player? Im specifically talking about online in this case, because in my opinion SNG players typically seem to be older. Im only 22 myself and I notice that most of my buddies tend to sway towards cash games.

It would be interesting to see how the lifestyles of the two differ and compare. From my experience, playing sng's for a living is easier because I am able to easily quantify my sessions( #of sng's, target ROI, etc). Whereas it is more difficult to do so in a cash game and for me at least it is very tough to get on a consistent schedule. Opinions?

Realize all the benefits of playing poker can aid you. You can work the hours you choose, allowing you to take of time during the day, holidays when you wish, and "weekends" when it's convenient. This means you can take your free time whenever it best suits you, to see family and friends on a more flexible schedule. You can play poker in most countries in the world, at nearly all times of the day. And if you are solid winning player, it means you have a control over exactly how you want to split your leasure/money earnings to suit your needs: you can grind like hell for 3 months to take a 1 month holiday; you can grind like hell for a year to travel for 6 months; you can work just 3 hours a day 7 days a week, if that suits you. You can work evenings whilst doing other activities during the day (such as a seperate business venture, studying at university, whatever). these luxuries are what drew me to poker in the first place, and why i continue to pursue it.

Exactly.

Recent raptor blog that is quite a trip down memory lane.

So he's finally come out of the closet??? Or is he going back in?

Just kidding. I've often worried about some of the younger guys who seemingly have no real-life life because of poker. We don't have as much time above the dirt as most people think, so we need to make the best of every day. Especially while young.

I spent 30 years in Recreation Management. That meant working nights, weekends, holidays. Always. It was good for raising my son since I could be home during the day when he needed me most as a youngster, all Summer when he was out of school, etc. Wouldn't change a thing.

That's why I like poker now that I'm semi-unemployed. Make my own hours, have a weekend with my family here and there. Nice, but swingy in terms of "pay" at times.

Grind if you like, but all things in moderation young-uns. Get out, put yourself in interesting situations and make life as fun as it should be.

GuLuck! Slacker

Agree with this for a lot of people but, semi brag coming I guess...

For me I've got to live in Vegas for three summers and meet some of my now best friends, traveled to Barcelona, Mallorca, London, Paris (indirectly), Amsterdam (indirectly), Monte Calro, Aruba, Bahamas, Dortmund and probably some other places I'm not thinking of plus late this year/early next year I plan on going to SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. I have free time to do whatever I want in my spare time which has recently included working out and or playing basketball 4-5 times a week which is awesome since I played high level sports for all of high school and 2 years of University and have been pretty lazy since I stopped. I also have plans to make trips to see awesome sporting events in the next few years that I wouldn't have been able to without poker, i.e Duke/UNC basketball, Superbowl if the Colts ever make it again, Florida/FL State Football.

So ya I guess all that stuff is an awesome brag but I think it's also a good reminder that poker just a game but if also lets you have the time to do whatever you want in your spare time.

poker is just like any other job, it is what you make of it. if you decide to grind for 40 hours a week and then sit around in your underwear the rest of the day eating crappy food and watching TV, well then it is what it is. if you try to enhance your life by setting a strict poker schedule, exercise regiment, balanced diet and make a point to maintain social interaction then i don't see how you can't lead a fulfilling life as long as you come to terms with the zero-sum nature of the profession

the grass is always greener on the other side. i graduated college in 2002, got a "great" job working for a bank in NYC and spent almost 6 years there until i was laid off in March. haven't gotten a job yet. giving poker a go and I would commit full-time if I could only make $50k/yr. would settle for a lot less if I wasn't engaged and could slum it up for a year as I learned more. thing is, even though I was making good money in that job, I wasn't really happy there. worked long hours, decent # of weekends. did have a ton of great memories, but I don't credit my job with that. imo, i'd have even more if i was playing poker b/c my schedule would be flexible enough that i could spend much more time with friends and family, which is really where the great memories come from. point is, i think poker is fine if you enjoy it. like other people have said, just make sure you get outside and live your life also. $ is worth nothing when your dead. click is not a good movie, but it does a good job of getting this point across.

+1

Getting paid to leave my ****ty job was the best thing ever. I have three kids under 5yo who spend alot of time with me now, plus my wife is less stressed.

everyone is different but as long as you enjoy whatever your doing and make the most of the free time you get with your mates/family then thats all what matters.

I don't have an issue with so much as a single letter of the foregoing statement = ABSOLUTELY TRUE

Also, please recognize that I was not making any attempt to "preach" about the quality of life in the poker world vs. the real world....I was only trying to reach out to the young man (or woman) who is spending their precious youth isolated from others and rotting their teeth on a diet of Ho-Ho's/CheezeWhiz/PessiCola

i see where your coming from skipper and agree totally with what your saying, what i meant when i said "everyone is different" is some people have family's to support, some people make more money than a real job etc,etc. i think if a youngster is stuck on his computer for hours on end with hardly any social life then its just not healthy and he/she would be missing out on may things in life so i'm not in any way dissagreaing with you. i only play about 3 hours a week and work for 4 hours a day, the rest of my time is spent with my mates, girlfrend+daughter, and my family. I make a good living working 20 hours a week but even if i could make just as much money playing poker i still wouldn't do it as i'm just to outgoing and like to be with mates/family in the days/nights to much. jamie

I work a pretty hectic full time job in Construction with a fair bit of stress and travel. I get paid well for it, and get a nice car, pension and benefits, but I'd love to be able to work from home and work the schedule I want to work. I sit in front of a PC most of the day at work anyway, so that wouldn't bother me, and the social interaction is mostly with people you would rather not socially interact with!

I think it's just a case of the grass is always greener on the other side. Personally I'd love to quit work and play poker full time, but I wouldn't be able to cover my salary at present. At the moment the $1000 a month I earn from poker pays for a few of lifes treats whilst my salary goes on the house, car, bills and holidays. However, I have no real concept of what it must be to grind 30+ hours a week at online poker (I play about 10 at most at the moment). I'm pretty sure it would get quite monotonous after a while, and then thoughts about the future would pretty much drive me insane I think. At least in a full time real life job, you never quite know what is around the corner year on year with promotions, new challenges etc. 40 years of poker wouldn't hold too many surprises I don't think.......if it lasts that long, and I very much doubt it will!

is your field hiring? seriously

neil your situation is different from mine as your on a pc all day and work with people you would rather not socially interact with. I employ my mates to come work with me and even though we have a great laugh we get the job done, thats all i need, lol.

as i said in my earlier statement "everyone is different".

I was also concerned. I was getting worried you'd never start making OT posts again.