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Well I don't want to minimize it, but growing up I knew many guys who bet on football every Sunday, college basketball and college football too. I used to bet along with them when I was with my first boyfriend. However, we were all in our late teens -early 20's. I'm not sure if they still do it today or not.
I guess if it were me, I would want to know if he needs to have his money riding on something all the time, even when his life is full of other activities and how much does he actually bet (is he responsible).
I answered the first post before I'd read through all the posts.
When I met my ex, I was young and dumb, and as I read what you had to say, I didn't think you were in any danger of being taken for a ride by this guy, lol.
But it's still good that this information is out there--might be someone else who needs to read it. The gambling addiction isn't as widely discussed as alcohol or drug problems.
I think that's pretty alarmist. There is a huge difference between someone who bets on sporting events and really knows what they're doing, or who plays Texas Hold 'Em (not gambling), versus someone who goes to Vegas often and spends money they absolutely cannot afford to lose on games of pure chance.
A very good, expert sports gambler is going to make money long term, no doubt about it. I'm not saying Vegas isn't amazing at setting the lines on these games, but if you had someone who follows every team, follows the injury reports, understands the matchups and the ebbs and flows of the game, and bets on games he thinks the line is off on, he will make money over the course of the year, every year, guaranteed. And if he's betting small amounts, which depends on what he can afford, then it shouldn't be an issue, just a hobby like any other. For me, let's say every Sunday I was going to put down $100 on one game where I thought Vegas missed the line, or I had very good reasons to believe that I was going to be right and their line was slightly off, I could afford to lose $100/week every week and still not be too concerned about it. And odds are, if I was actually good, I'd be making money most months and by the end of the year, I'd be up.
It's the same with Texas Hold 'Em, only you actually control the outcome a lot more than just watching and researching football. I have made money playing Hold Em, not a lot because I don't risk a lot, but I have played online off-and-on since I was 19 or so, and when I first started I put in a meager $20, which anyone could afford to lose, and I did lose it. Then I put in another $20, and I took that $20 up to $200. I withdrew about $100, which covered my $40 investment and more. I then turned that $100 into $400, and when I switched sites (after PokerRoom stopped allowing U.S. players), I withdrew another $200 as profit, then I turned the remaining $200 into $500 on FullTilt, where it sits at around $450 today. So bottom line, if you're a good player, you're going to win money over the long run. I've had bad, bad weeks, been down like $125 in a bad time before, but I've had great weeks where I was up the same amount, and most weeks I'd grind out a modest $20 to $40 profit and keep the line moving.
The key to it is your personality. I would never let something like that interfere with my business, my personal life, etc. I could lose all of the $450 that I have in that account and it's no big deal because it's pure profit, that's all money I won playing the game, and I already took out my initial investments long ago. Now, I only play with safe amounts so it'd be pretty much impossible to lose it all. I play $5 and $10 tournaments, so even if I lost 20 in a row I'd still have a bankroll left. It's called managing your bankroll, probably just as important as playing the actual game.
If he's just a really interested sports fan and understands the game well, he could be making money doing what he's doing. Who knows, but to dump him over that seems odd. If he was going to Vegas and risking $10,000 each time playing blackjack, and he clearly didn't have that kind of money to lose, be worried! I have known people like that, who just love to gamble and they can't seem to stop themselves. I have a low tolerance for losing money. I may risk like $200 when I go to Vegas but if I lose it, I'm already ticked off enough and have no desire to gamble any more.
People do talk about betting on sporting events, and I think many people know who is playing, and in the game. But you make yourself look less than appealing and maybe one of those women that likes to date a guy as long as he spends money or her. Why would you worry that someday he may cost you some money? Do you think he could possibly have the same worries, that some day, you will cost him money? Dump him now, you don't deserve each other.
I earn three times his salary. The most he has spent on me is a $40 dinner for two...I spend more than that on dinner alone.
I think that's pretty alarmist. There is a huge difference between someone who bets on sporting events and really knows what they're doing, or who plays Texas Hold 'Em (not gambling), versus someone who goes to Vegas often and spends money they absolutely cannot afford to lose on games of pure chance.
A very good, expert sports gambler is going to make money long term, no doubt about it. I'm not saying Vegas isn't amazing at setting the lines on these games, but if you had someone who follows every team, follows the injury reports, understands the matchups and the ebbs and flows of the game, and bets on games he thinks the line is off on, he will make money over the course of the year, every year, guaranteed. And if he's betting small amounts, which depends on what he can afford, then it shouldn't be an issue, just a hobby like any other. For me, let's say every Sunday I was going to put down $100 on one game where I thought Vegas missed the line, or I had very good reasons to believe that I was going to be right and their line was slightly off, I could afford to lose $100/week every week and still not be too concerned about it. And odds are, if I was actually good, I'd be making money most months and by the end of the year, I'd be up.
It's the same with Texas Hold 'Em, only you actually control the outcome a lot more than just watching and researching football. I have made money playing Hold Em, not a lot because I don't risk a lot, but I have played online off-and-on since I was 19 or so, and when I first started I put in a meager $20, which anyone could afford to lose, and I did lose it. Then I put in another $20, and I took that $20 up to $200. I withdrew about $100, which covered my $40 investment and more. I then turned that $100 into $400, and when I switched sites (after PokerRoom stopped allowing U.S. players), I withdrew another $200 as profit, then I turned the remaining $200 into $500 on FullTilt, where it sits at around $450 today. So bottom line, if you're a good player, you're going to win money over the long run. I've had bad, bad weeks, been down like $125 in a bad time before, but I've had great weeks where I was up the same amount, and most weeks I'd grind out a modest $20 to $40 profit and keep the line moving.
The key to it is your personality. I would never let something like that interfere with my business, my personal life, etc. I could lose all of the $450 that I have in that account and it's no big deal because it's pure profit, that's all money I won playing the game, and I already took out my initial investments long ago. Now, I only play with safe amounts so it'd be pretty much impossible to lose it all. I play $5 and $10 tournaments, so even if I lost 20 in a row I'd still have a bankroll left. It's called managing your bankroll, probably just as important as playing the actual game.
If he's just a really interested sports fan and understands the game well, he could be making money doing what he's doing. Who knows, but to dump him over that seems odd. If he was going to Vegas and risking $10,000 each time playing blackjack, and he clearly didn't have that kind of money to lose, be worried! I have known people like that, who just love to gamble and they can't seem to stop themselves. I have a low tolerance for losing money. I may risk like $200 when I go to Vegas but if I lose it, I'm already ticked off enough and have no desire to gamble any more.
Gamblers are gambling with their money , risking it on the lineno matter WHAT kind of gambler they call themselves :
Whether you be : professional , compulsive , recreational , or tourist .
You are taking money you earned and handing it over to a bookie , an on-line gambling institution ( which are illegal in the US ), a sports book , a betting lounge , a guy on the street playing cards in the alley .
You kid yourself and call yourself a professional or a great player but unless you are home playing Monopoly *( no real money exchanged ) you are RISKING your money. No sugar coating here , okay.
And the TIDE TURNS , if it takes a week or a month , it turns and you go down . Thats why so many guys who come to vegas to be professional poker players, BOMB .
Play for free , play for plastic tokens , play for dinner and don't use money and I won't think you have a problem.
The Buy In on some of these games range from $ 200 to $ 10,000 depending on the game.
If you are regularly betting you have the fever and are getting high off the win.
Do you tell you buddies " Hey Joe, I lost $ 350 this week , wow ! "
No, you don't . You only tell your friends what you WON.
Had a friend . Poker player. If he was quiet you knew he LOST.
If he yakked for an hour straight about the poker game , he would tell you he won the Pot for $ 200 .
Play occasionally but to play thinking you can support yourself then if that is TRUE : Why would vegas have Poker Rooms if ALL players WON ?
Poker is a little different than sports gambling. There are a finite number of option available in play. The best poker players are successful because they can instantly assess pot odds and get their money in at the right time.
Vegas has poker rooms because they take a percentage of all winnings. it makes no difference to vegas if it is a table full of pros or amateurs, they simply take their a cut.
Poker is a skill game where the best player will ALWAYS beat the bad player over the long run. An amateur may win once or even several times in a row but eventually the better player is going to come out ahead. It's simple mathamatics.
Poker has been a pretty serious hobby of mine for the past 6 years or so. One of the most important lessons I learned early on is to always play within your bankroll. That means that I don't play with any more than 5% of my poker money at any given time. Currently, I'm even more conservative with my bankroll since I have a few hundred buyins for the $4 Tournies I like to play. I will never go broke and likely will never be a pro but I make money and enjoy myself. I am a winning player because I worked on my game by reviewing my play and watching what better players were doing. Short term I may get lucky and have a great day but over the long term my winnings are largely due to the skill difference between myself and my opponent.
I understand that poker and gambling in general can be a hot button issue with people, especially women and I've quit even mentioning that I play becasue I can show people my track record of consistant winnning (I keep detailed records) and they will still call it gambling yet I'll get no flack for being a golfer, a hobby that has cost me thousands over the years and I'm still terrible at it!
Poker is a skill game where the best player will ALWAYS beat the bad player over the long run. An amateur may win once or even several times in a row but eventually the better player is going to come out ahead. It's simple mathamatics.
Poker has been a pretty serious hobby of mine for the past 6 years or so. One of the most important lessons I learned early on is to always play within your bankroll. That means that I don't play with any more than 5% of my poker money at any given time. Currently, I'm even more conservative with my bankroll since I have a few hundred buyins for the $4 Tournies I like to play. I will never go broke and likely will never be a pro but I make money and enjoy myself. I am a winning player because I worked on my game by reviewing my play and watching what better players were doing. Short term I may get lucky and have a great day but over the long term my winnings are largely due to the skill difference between myself and my opponent.
I understand that poker and gambling in general can be a hot button issue with people, especially women and I've quit even mentioning that I play becasue I can show people my track record of consistant winnning (I keep detailed records) and they will still call it gambling yet I'll get no flack for being a golfer, a hobby that has cost me thousands over the years and I'm still terrible at it!
Okay, Poker Players: answer these questions honestly :
Do you play for stakes that you know are too high?
Do you sometimes feel you can’t quit because you are behind?
Do you sometimes feel you can’t quit because you are ahead?
When you lose, is it often because of bad beats rather than your own bad play?
Do you often get angry at other players at the table, for such things as slowing down the game?
Have you gone on tilt more than once?
When you are losing, do you increase your bets to try to get even?
Do you often stay in too many hands?
Do you drink a lot, sometimes going on binges?
Do you sometimes forget important social obligations, because you are playing?
Have you misled or lied to your family, friends or at work about how much poker you play?
Are you increasingly using the ATM?
Have you lied to get money to play poker?
Do you feel bad about things you have done because of poker?
Okay, Poker Players: answer these questions honestly :
Do you play for stakes that you know are too high?
Do you sometimes feel you can’t quit because you are behind?
Do you sometimes feel you can’t quit because you are ahead?
When you lose, is it often because of bad beats rather than your own bad play?
Do you often get angry at other players at the table, for such things as slowing down the game?
Have you gone on tilt more than once?
When you are losing, do you increase your bets to try to get even?
Do you often stay in too many hands?
Do you drink a lot, sometimes going on binges?
Do you sometimes forget important social obligations, because you are playing?
Have you misled or lied to your family, friends or at work about how much poker you play?
Are you increasingly using the ATM?
Have you lied to get money to play poker?
Do you feel bad about things you have done because of poker?
Are you more interested in poker than sex?
Wheres the score explanation?
You know if you answered yes:
0-1 questions - You do not know a flush from a toilet.
2-4 You tend to draw to an inside straight.
5-8 You are on first name basis with the dealers in Vegas.
9-12 You are a regular tournament player.
13-14 You have won a few Tournaments
15 You are a World class poker fiend.
If your answers change between drunk and sober, you should avoid drinking when playing. Deal.
Okay, Poker Players: answer these questions honestly :
Do you play for stakes that you know are too high? nope. i follow strict bankroll management. I look at poker like it's my own small business. poker bankroll is kept separate from other money. My bankroll is what funds my "business" and I must manage it properly.
Do you sometimes feel you can’t quit because you are behind? sure, but knowing when it's just not your day for whatever reason (game is too tough, you are tired, sick, bad mood, etc...) and quitting is what separates good players from bad.
Do you sometimes feel you can’t quit because you are ahead? somewhat. if I find a game that I can crush because the other players are terrible I'm going to play as long as I can.
When you lose, is it often because of bad beats rather than your own bad play? yes, this is true. my style can usually be described as "TAG" or a tight, agressive player. this is usually the best style to play in the low limit games I usually play where most players are very loose and will play any hand. You make money by betting your strong hands aggresively and punishing the chasers. inevitably though they will hit some hands against you. More often than not, if I lose a BIG hand, the money went in when I was WAY ahead. The key is to not be results oriented. It's also important to review your play periodically determine whether a loss (or a win) was caused by luck or by bad play.
Do you often get angry at other players at the table, for such things as slowing down the game? yes, I'm impatient by nature. I don't have much patience for people taking 5 minutes for every minor decision although I usually keep it to myself.
Have you gone on tilt more than once? Sure, everyone does. The key is learning to control it. This ties into my answer for #4.
When you are losing, do you increase your bets to try to get even? No. If I'm playing like garbage or just feel like "today ain't the day" I quit.
Do you often stay in too many hands? lol, no. the opposite
Do you drink a lot, sometimes going on binges? In my late teens and twenties I was a partier but I rarely drink these days
Do you sometimes forget important social obligations, because you are playing? no, although if given the choice between hitting the bars with friends or going to the cardroom to play in a tourney I'd rather play.
Have you misled or lied to your family, friends or at work about how much poker you play? I just don't really discuss it.
Are you increasingly using the ATM? no
Have you lied to get money to play poker? no
Do you feel bad about things you have done because of poker? not really. I've said some mean things in the chat box online after a particularly horrid play by an opponent cost me a pot but thats it.
Are you more interested in poker than sex? lol probably at this point in my life. I've done nearly everything that I've wanted to do in that regard during my wild and crazy twenties and one night stands don't interest me much these days. I'd gladly give up a good chunk of my free time that goes to poker if I met someone that I thought I could have a relationship with in a heartbeat though.
I love golf but it costs me well over $1,000 per year to play
I love working out but going to the gym, the extra food and cloths costs me money.
I love playing guitar and in my twenties was in a very active band that played out every weekend and recorded a CD. Don't even ask me how much I spent on that hobby.
I feel very, very lucky to have a hobby at which I can make extra money at and enjoy. With today's economy I could be laid off tomorrow. I like knowing that if I had to, poker could help keep me afloat financially until I found another job.
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