Originally Posted by smokybacon
This could be a long post but I'd be grateful if you'd hear me out and give me good, honest advice.
I am a student and I started playing poker about 1 and a half years ago. I have only played online. In that period, I've lost a little over £3100 or about $5000. You might think how I have got my hands on so much money if I am only a student. I have made money elsewhere online and I spend very little in real life so I have been able to afford this but I don't know if I want to keep investing money in something that is giving me no return and likely won't ever give me any return in the long run.
I've played most forms of the game - 6max sit and gos, 9max sit and gos, heads up sit and gos, 6max NLHE, 6max PLO, including zoom/rush/speed formats of the last 2 games. I have never played higher than NL/PLO50 and never played higher than $15 sit and gos. I've watched numerous training videos (many of them several times over), I've read many articles, I've watched every episode of poker after dark, high stakes poker, wsop videos, ept videos, lots of other poker videos.
In the long run, I have not been able to beat the rake in any form of the game (ok I could crush 2NL and 5NL but those games don't count). I don't think I'm a bad player. My stats for 6max NLHE average about 25VPIP/21PFR, 3bet about 7 or 8% mixing premium hands with bluffs, cbet percentage about 65%, WTSD 25% etc. I won't go into all the stats, you get the idea. In Omaha, my stats are similar except you don't bluff 3bet in that game. Essentially if you were playing me in a 6max game, you'd find it difficult to win money off me long term.
In sit and gos, I'd always be analysing my play with sit and go wizard. I even had a winning player who coached me for a few sessions free of charge and he couldn't find any real faults in my game. Again though I'd lose to rake in the long run in these games.
I have run well on some occasions but in the long run, I cannot win money. On a Sunday afternoon or Friday evening when there are many recreational players in the games, I can win, but that's about the only time I've ever won money long term. The games feel like they are full of tight regs most of the time who just cooler each other and trade small pots/blinds. It's so demoralising to play for hours and hours only to be up a tiny amount of money or even down money.
Poker feels like it destroys my mental health too (unless I am playing in fishy games and like I say the fish only come out at certain times of the week). It is very stressful. There have been many times when I have not washed properly, not eaten properly, not slept properly, not socialised, stopped exercising etc. because of poker. I often get asked by people in real life what I do with all my spare time and I feel ashamed to say I spend lots of my time playing online poker, especially when I lose money at it. I usually only tell them half the truth and say I play online games.
I begun poker because I thought I could make money off it and it could become a very profitable hobby or a career. But it hasn't turned out that way. Is it a good idea to keep putting money into this game? Should I give up? Is it worth continuing? I am due to graduate from university in the summer. I had hoped by now I would be a solid winning player and I could look to make this a career but sadly that hasn't happened. Even if I could turn it around and make money off this game, is the hourly wage and job satisfaction worth it? I don't know if I can just quit the game after I have invested so much emotionally into it.
