I had written out a whole long message about my previous experiences with gambling and poker, then accidently pressed the "back" button and lost it all.

So, with no effort to write it all back out, I want to know what you lot think about the following;

Could someone with a gambling problem ever put their pasts behind them, and learn to play poker properly, with proper BRM, and successfully win without the urge to go for an even bigger win?


Quick edit: I wanted to add an edit as the OP didn't come across how my original post did.

I feel I am an above avrg./good poker player. I have had good runs, and obviously bad runs. I have turned $50 into over $1000 on poker sites before, but never maintained the self-control to play sensible so I end up losing it all due to playing too high.

I am 18 and I have had bad experiences in my local casino when out with friends too due to chasing losses at roulette.

Basically I want to know if it's possible for someone with a (slight)? gambling problem, or someone who chases losses, to turn into a consistent winning poker player.

No.

Yes.

I lol'd

Seriously i think its possible. im currently working at it but kinda failing but im a bit of a degen.

Could someone with a drinking problem ever put their pasts behind them, and learn to drink properly, with moderation, and be successful without to the urge to drink more?

99% No. You are not the 1%.

FYP

Yes, you can, and realising that you've been chasing losses/spewing away winnings is a good start. If you want to, you can, but if you're used to playing at certain stakes with a certain high % of your BR, it'll be hard for you to move down and only play with a little of your money at one time.

Yeah Ray Gun is right. YOU CAN DO IT!

Many successfull poker players start out as degen gamblers. Look at mike the mouth. If someone as ****ed up as him can get their **** together and beat poker for millions then i am convinced that anyone can.

edit: i'm talking about dealing with degen gambling issues here - i'm not talking about innate ability. If you not got it baby u not got it

Agree with the last few posts. You need to have the right attitude though, if you just think 'i'm destined to be a degen for life' then you'll never get it done.

It really is amazing what people can do if they put their minds to it, it's not a cliche saying for no reason. So yeah, you can do it.

If you've decided that you can, you might know if you've contained the monster if you can stick to the rules Chris Ferguson made for himself, listed as follows, if you're not familiar with them:

* He never bought into a cash game or a Sit & Go for more than 5 percent of his total bankroll; the only exception was at the lowest limits where he was allowed to buy into any game with a buy-in of $2.50 or less

* He didn’t buy into any multi-table tournaments for more than 2 percent of his total bankroll; the only exception was $1 MTTs

* If at any time during a No-Limit or Pot-Limit cash-game session the money on the table represented more than 10 percent of his total bankroll, he had to leave the game when the blinds reached him


These seem like pretty strict rules, but if you find yourself not being able to adhere to them, I'd re-think whether I've indeed overcome a gambling problem. When you're running bad, the best thing is probably to take a break from the game for however long is needed to get back to playing when you're at your best.

If you can't stop throwing your money in when you know you shouldn't, well, it's time to start from square one.

All the best to you, whatever path you take.

And just to note, the $2.50 buy-in minimum for cash games and $1 dollar minimum for MTT's were put in place because at the time Ferguson instituted these rules, Full Tilt (where he plays) didn't have micro-stakes, and these were the smallest buy-ins then. So really these minimum amounts should probably actually be a lot smaller if he made the rules now.

Where Im living there are a lot of examples like you .Myself was there in some moment , but not too adicted.
The fact you realize that are chasing losses , is a good start , the fact you are talking about BR , is a good thing.
Here we made the thing you want to do , the key is not lie yourself.
If you start understanding poker , the odds and to have "the best of it" in every game you get involved , you will be leaving the games that you cant beat.
You dont need to make too much effort , study poker and the other games , soon , will be uninteresting.

Believe , you can do it.

Yes and no.

If they can address the problems that caused their addiction in the first place (depression, drug abuse, mommy/daddy issues, etc.) then yes, there's hope.

If they think they can will themselves away from addictive behavior, then no.

You have to change yourself in a fundamental way to address these types of issues, and for nearly 99% of people, that's impossible.

You need something VERY structured to overcome this for awhile. Something like having a friend monitor your play. If you're a winning player and in college I'm sure you could find someone happy to make $10/hr or something to be your personal discipline watchmen. Come up with specific quiting and bankroll rules while completely sober and him the power to make you quit. I'd even tell you to only let him log you in to play so it will be impossible for you to do anything stupid without him watching. Obviously you have to trust this person 100% to give away control of your password. If you are truly a winning player and can set something up like this you will succeed. You will have built in discipline that will actually be better than the very best players because it will be impossible for you to ever break your bankroll rules.

Good luck

I think you'll get it if you can play but it will take you a couple of years and you'll go busto a good few times. Just avoid table games and try not to gamble money you can't afford.
Try taking a set amount of money to the casino and leave your bankcard at home, this worked for me although i have walked home in the rain to get it before..

Breaking habitual patterns is very difficult once they are established, but there are many reports of problem gamblers reastablishing controlled gambling. Often this requires untangling the web of distortions and illusions that often accompany gambling problems. Poker players are particularly at risk from distortions relating to their chances of success because there is such a large element of skill.

People who suffer from gambling problems, face a wide range of difficulties and are motivated by many emotional and psychological variants. However research has shown that there are certain characteristics and influences that are common to the development of all gambling problems. It is also clear that some people are biologically and psychologically predisposed to develop pathological or problem gambling habits. A useful framework has proposed three distinct pathways from gambling to problem or pathological gambling representing three primary motivating forces that drive different problem gamblers to gamble.
Pathway 1 BEHAVIOURALLY CONDITIONED PROBLEM GAMBLERS
The first group consist of behaviourally conditioned problem gamblers, where habitual levels of involvement and associated features of; preoccupation with gambling, chasing, depression, anxiety, and loss of control are seen as the consequence and not the cause of their excessive gambling. These problem gamblers are not pathologically disturbed but gamble excessively as a result of poor decision-making abilities and bad judgements. Gamblers within this group often seek treatment and return to a controlled level of gambling post treatment.
Pathway 2 EMOTIONALLY VULNERABLE PROBLEM GAMBLERS
The second group are behaviourally conditioned through the same learning process as pathway 1, but are also characterized by emotional and biological vulnerabilities, including depression, anxiety, stress, and substance abuse. They primarily gamble to modify their mood state. Pathway 2 gamblers, due to their psychological dysfunction are more resistant to treatment and not suitable to permit controlled gambling. Although this group may get some helpful information from this site, they will also need professional help to deal with the underlying vulnerabilities aside from gambling.
Pathway 3 ANTISOCIAL IMPULSIVIST PROBLEM GAMBLERS
The third group share the same interactions of behavioural conditioning and emotional susceptibility but are also characterized by biological dysfunctions, and antisocial personality disorder and impulsivity (Steel & Blaszczynski 1996). Ti is argued that these gamblers seek out rewarding activities in order to receive stimulation. These gamblers tend to be clinically impulsive and display a wide range of problems independent from gambling and generally respond poorly to treatments and interventions.

If you recognise any of these characteristics in yourselves I would be very interested in speaking to you about your experiences. I had a very serious problem myself and have been able to regain controlled play albeit at a level far below where I thought my skill lay. I am hoping that this research will help all players who suffer from loses of control so any contributions would be warmly received.

Thanks,

Dan

Thanks for this, very encouraging.

Yes and No.

I discuss this in the below thread, some of what i've been through and my success (knock on wood)

The quick answer is I believe it is possible but it takes ALOT OF WORK.

And I believe that most degens are unwilling to put the work in. Too many of us equating 'wanting' something with work. Wanting doesn't mean a goddamm thing. I mean, I want Angelina Jolie and Mariah Carey as my sex slaves, but don't bank on that happening anytime soon.

The only thing that matters is the amount of work it will take to overcome your demons. Are you willing to read the books, do the journalling, do the exercises, the self evaluations, etc. etc. on a Monthly, weekly, Daily, hourly, basis?

Do you have the strength to be honest and see the truth within yourself, or are you still lying to yourself.

there are other questions, but the end result is the same. Can you do the work required?

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/26...r-game-608503/

again, see the thread, read it. If you can't do that, then you've answered many of the above questions.

Yes, but poker is not so easy this days. And yes you will loose a good ammounts of your winnings with other games.

search the video poker bustouts its funny

"Could someone with a gambling problem ever put their pasts behind them, and learn to play poker properly, with proper BRM, and successfully win without the urge to go for an even bigger win?"

Of course. I've got another question. Can you put your past behind you, take your experiences from the game that are applicable to business, and successfully win in a different endeavor?

The reason I ask, is because your chances of winning are higher with the ladder...

You don't have a 'gambling problem.' You are not managing your RISK properly.

Don't let society give you a derragatory label.

Consider that, since you are questioning whether you can be an excellent poker player, maybe you really don't want to play for a living...deep down inside...

it is possible, I was in the same situation you're in when i was 19, immature and I thought i was a good poker player because i could run 50$ into a few ks in a day (and obv lose it all back to 'bad luck" afterwards).
I basically became sick of it, I knew I wasn't a ****ing ****** and I could win at this game but I basically told myself "OK you suck at this game, now work to get better". Which is basically what I did, I read a lot of articles, watched a ton of training videos, and stopped trying to win big quickly. When you realize it's all about the long run and that you don't have to tilt everytime someone binks a 2-outer on you for a 400bb pot, you're good to go.
I am now a midstakes winner (have made way more money that I could dream of when I was gambling), I never tilt anymore, never chase losses,etc. It took me a year and a half to get where I am from where I was.

So first thing that you need to realize is that you suck, big time. You're not a good/above avg poker player like you think you are, you're just a random fish. If you can't do that, you'll never win at poker.

Yes - but you have to beat your gambling problem first. Catch 22 situation. Life's like that. It sucks.

There you go.

Yes, it's possible!

I work with alocholics, drug and gamblers everyday. If you have what it takes inside, you can change. A few will make it through and 90% won't!

Do you want to learn and apply the small single steps way?

You're 18! You'll be better at 28. You'll be probably ready at 38.

Until then keep your head above the water and enjoy your life. Luck bless you.