Playing a couple of tournaments this week did not have great results. The first was the morning $25 buy in, which cost me $5. Using my $20 discount. Around 70 entries and finished no better than 25th. Moving on to the local tournament on Wednesday, $50 entry bounty. Played tight and despite a couple of setbacks managed to make final table with one $10. bounty plus my own. They then did something i have never seen before, asking everyone to cash them in. O. K. I am now only stuck $30. A couple of short stacks fall and now in the money. I get them all in blind and 2 of us are eliminated at once. I get 5th place money $55. After tip a big $20 profit.
Now, a comment on the post title, addiction. I cannot dispute my own poker addiction, too big to ignore. I have several aquaintenances from the past who are all tied together by gamblers anonymous. I worked with these guys years ago, some in management, others as employees. So, I keep running into one of them at the casino. I am not judging here, but last time I saw him got a phone number of a mutual friend. So, when I saw him yesterday he asked if I had talked with him. Yes, we had a good conversation, I said I had gotten his number from him. He then expressed that he hoped I had not mentioned where I saw him. I had not. So, he was gambling in secret evidently, probably hiding it from his family and friends. Besides the fallout from financial losses the other problems i see are taking time away from "better" activities, the need for secrecy, and neglecting other aspects of or life like excercise, work, etc. Is this addiction manageable? Can you find substitutes? For many years I was addicted to work and racquetball. I used to get up at 6 a.m. to play for a couple of hours before going to work for 10 hours, 6 days a week. While this could arguably make me healthier and wealthier, it was addiction nonetheless. Sometimes our substitutes are almost as harmful in terms of best use of our time and robbing us of other important things. My conclusion I guess is that we need to recognize our addictive personalities and make sure that we control them and perhaps channel them into beneficial activities.
Now, a comment on the post title, addiction. I cannot dispute my own poker addiction, too big to ignore. I have several aquaintenances from the past who are all tied together by gamblers anonymous. I worked with these guys years ago, some in management, others as employees. So, I keep running into one of them at the casino. I am not judging here, but last time I saw him got a phone number of a mutual friend. So, when I saw him yesterday he asked if I had talked with him. Yes, we had a good conversation, I said I had gotten his number from him. He then expressed that he hoped I had not mentioned where I saw him. I had not. So, he was gambling in secret evidently, probably hiding it from his family and friends. Besides the fallout from financial losses the other problems i see are taking time away from "better" activities, the need for secrecy, and neglecting other aspects of or life like excercise, work, etc. Is this addiction manageable? Can you find substitutes? For many years I was addicted to work and racquetball. I used to get up at 6 a.m. to play for a couple of hours before going to work for 10 hours, 6 days a week. While this could arguably make me healthier and wealthier, it was addiction nonetheless. Sometimes our substitutes are almost as harmful in terms of best use of our time and robbing us of other important things. My conclusion I guess is that we need to recognize our addictive personalities and make sure that we control them and perhaps channel them into beneficial activities.
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