It's been ~6 weeks now, how's your life?

I average maybe 1000 hrs live poker yearly while working part time and have always looked forward to playing. If I'm honest with myself tho I'd say the quality of my life has improved now that I don't play.

My relationships with wife, children, friends, family members have all improved. Alot less superficial. My existence seems to have taken on a deeper meaning, like it seemed to be long ago when I was growing up. My life has slowed down and I have a lot more time to reflect and enjoy it.

Is this just me or is this more universal?

What is your take on this?

As pathetic as it may sound, the only thing I do outside my home for entertainment and socializing is to go play poker a couple nights a week. I do miss it. So, no, my life is not better.

It was my sole source of income. I've had to take a crappy part time job earning less money with more effort.

No, not better

For me right now, no worse, no better. The payoff will be less nitty "regs" and "pros" once this is over though... That will make my poker life more fun and profitable when I do play.

What's your reasoning for there being less regs?

they will be broke.

Seems unlikely.

I know a bunch of people that are doing venmo backed play money tourney's on stars, a bunch more people that are now trying random US available sites because that's the only thing available. I kind of doubt your biggest wish 2 months ago was that the live games would stop and everyone would go train online for 3 months.

Even if we assume nobody learns anything, there are a bunch of negatives. The oldest and poorest players tended to be the worst, and are now much more likely to not have the opportunity to come back. In general I'd expect the more profitable the player then the faster they'd come back to the games, because money is a big motivator (esp. true for semi-pros. that have blown through their savings during the quarantine). New people joining the games seems much less likely, at least until it's completely gone (although then there might be a surge, which would be a positive).

clearly this guy doesnt understand how poker works. once the casinos reopen their poker rooms, the only people wanting to play will be the ones who were in the habit of playing all the time anyway, (but with less money now to make loose calls) and pretty much the only other players will be those who need the money to live on. so more pros at any given table. all of the casual tourists wont be around.

Well, not a "guy" but I wouldn't expect much else from the guy arrested for online threats...

Trust me I understand poker. The "regs" like yourself who haven't become professional in the sense of having savings and a life roll able to withstand the economic downturn will come back to short handed games and less tourists/bad recs, thus they will be even more broke in short order.

Unless they luck into a non poker score like Trooper did last year, they will be bye bye.

are u refering to trooper finding a woman to financially support him that he lives with?

we all know i made no threats, just spoke about how emotionally hurt and angry i was, and how i felt like these people deserved. if we lived in a world where people felt compassion towards those with neurological disabilities and people believed God should be in charge of peoples lives, everyone wouldve understood. the city prosecutor did, and thats why he refused to file charges.

I'm in a similar boat, so you're not alone with this sentiment.

Not better. I like playing poker but I'm not good at it so I can make more playing live than I ever can online. My best ever hand was ~$1475, good luck making that playing 5NL online.

Overall though this is a trivial complaint. I'm healthy and can work from home and have kept my job. Life is pretty easy for me compared to a lot of people with all this going on.

About the same for me. I have been practicing online and actually have gained a lot from really hammering down the fundamentals online. I work full time and play quite a bit of live on the side and do turn a profit and poker is a lucrative side gig. Took a shot the past year at larger games and had a pretty large upswing and downswing. Learned a lot there as well.

With a wife and kid to take care of I decided it was too risky to try and play in those large games which could decimate my bankroll just due to sheer variance.. I have since decided to put some of the money to good use.... Like build a detached garage we need on our property. Also added more money to our retirement savings. I think this will serve me better long term.

Also we started to get some more physical activity in as well so that always a good thing.

I think this answer will totally depend on the person. I have thought about the many crusty regulars at my nearby poker room who are there 350 days a year. What are they doing with their lives now? I wonder if it is freeing, I wonder if some will choose not to return to that lifestyle rhythm they got into of waking up, getting ready, going to the poker room all day.

For casual/fun players I think the answer is totally different. For the regs and even some dealers, I feel they may find themselves better off doing something else with their energies.

the regulars there all day everyday? of course they will be back. most of them were probably earning their living from playing if they were seriously there 50 hours or more per week, because they wouldnt have any spare time to earn a living doing anything else 50 hours a week too.

i stopped getting cigarette headaches, coincidentally when i stopped playing cards at MOTOR CITY CASINO.

most of them are older men who either are retired or have some business(es) they barely manage anymore. there are a few younger grinders though that must have found something else to do or are sitting on savings.

It's my only socialization other than going to the store, but my wife usually does that. Also more than half of our joint income was from poker. I'm not better off.

Poker is pretty much the only social interaction I have other than going to my regular job. It's also my main hobby, and has been my supplemental income for many years. I've joined the home game scene the last few weeks and that's been a plus for me personally. From what 5-6 weeks without poker has done for me socially and financially, I can say unequivocally that my life has been worse off without poker.

No.

Most of us are playing for fun or for money (or both). Not playing is definitely a negative.

I was never there on varied enough days to find out who never left the joint but I could point out twenty regular all-day Saturday players, mostly older gentlemen, who were definitely not winners.

It's just that if you retire on decent money, you can afford to lose at ~$10 per hour 50 hours a week forever.

It's probably not even a terrible lifestyle choice for a 75-year old who doesn't get dangerously frustrated about losing at poker - they're actively thinking and problem solving (albeit not terribly well) and socialising with a bunch of their peers.

Yes .. I've seen it plenty of times. If/when you choose to step out of your 'regular' career, please do so with a plan (or three) to keep active. Lots of folks get the RV/travel/golf itch and that can only go for so long.

From Day 1 of our lives we are put into routines and IMO it's very important to keep something outside of your residence going to look forward to each week involving both physical and mental challenges. GL

I'm not sure I would say my life is better, but it's different, and probably not worse.

* I am a roughly breakeven rec player, and am still employed, so not playing hasn't affected my finances at all

* I enjoy playing poker, and miss it, but I've taken up other hobbies to fill the time, all of which I also really enjoy, and at least some of which are better for me (exercising more, reading more, watching perhaps slightly more TV, playing online games with other friends).

* Previously my life was pretty scheduled. I always had something to do on weeknights and weekends that was planned out in advance. Now I feel a lot more free to do whatever I want most nights.

* I don't have a family, but if I did I would be spending more quality time with them. (And probably also having a harder time being productive during work hours.)

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So I get what the OP is getting at, and speaking only for myself, I rather agree.

But for some (though I can't believe it's that many, given how poker works), it was their livelihood. I would usually say that I wouldn't wish professional poker on my worst enemy, since it eventually becomes soulcrushing, contributes little to society, and generally leaves you with an employment history hole, but with no other minimum wage jobs available as a better alternative either, it is clear that no poker is a net negative for these folks financially.

And certainly the whole death and lockdown and no travel situation is probably a net negative for most people, though that wasn't the OP's question.

I had a nice thing going with working part times and supplementing the rest of my income with poker. I was planning on retiring in a couple years. That will be pushed back now. I am also a bit nervous about live poker coming back. It will for sure but will they still have poker at my old card room? Will they still spread my game? Will the cost go up? Will the games be tougher?

If I knew the game would come back for sure I wouldn't mind not playing for a few months while this passes. I don't want to play online.

With no poker to play or sports to watch, Ive become a much more effective trader..My focus has drastically improved and my bankroll is up 53% for 2020