5 Things I learned when I quit poker Part 1

While I’m still peripherally involved in the poker world (as a writer I no longer spend all my waking hours talking poker or playing poker online, or at a casino) at one point in time I was about as plugged-in as you get in the poker world. I used to know the tournament schedule at Foxwoods, and at several online poker sites forward and backward; I could have told you the average wait time for a particular Sit & Go to fill; filled you in on the latest rumors and gossip (I’m still pretty good with this); and all manner of things that only serious poker players know.

That said, in late 2006 I gave up on the poker life, and for nearly two years I didn’t play a single hand of poker, visit a poker forum, or even talk shop; I literally quit poker cold-turkey. Now I have plenty of friends and acquaintances in the poker world who are talking about leaving the game and trying to transition to life where poker revolves around their life and not the other way around. After talking with these people I’ve decided to throw out some advice to the ether, and hopefully help anyone else who is trying to leave the game cope with and understand precisely what they are doing.

#1 — A regular life is a lot less stressful

As much as I liked the good times when I was a poker player, the bad times were just something I never really got used to. Understand, I was a bit of a bankroll nit, but losses and losing streaks really weighed on me, and for me, quitting the game was probably the best decision I could have made at the time.

While things aren’t as rosy financially nowadays, life is a lot stressful, and after about three years I have gotten used to living without excess. It’s not an easy transition to make, and I still think about just having a few thousand dollars that’s not earmarked for anything in particular other than fun, but in the end I’m happier and a lot more calm –no more holes in walls, broken items, or profanity tirades.

#2 — It’s not easy getting back into a 9-5 schedule

One of the most difficult things to get used to was living on a schedule (or as I call it, 9-5; even if your schedule isn’t technically 9-5). As a poker player I could make decisions on a whim, and plans to play a 6-hopur session at Foxwoods could easily turn into a night out followed by a 2-hour online session.

Even though my current profession gives me a lot of leeway as to when and how much I work, there are still deadlines to be met and certain things that must be accomplished. I can no longer decide to scrap playing 50 Sit & Go’s because I feel like playing some PLO; now there are other people and responsibilities that have to be considered with my decisions.

In Part 2 of this series I will unveil my other epiphanies after leaving the game.