How To Quit Playing Poker

Figuring out how to quit playing poker can be a difficult challenge for many poker players – both casual and serious. This is a topic that has interested me for some time. I wrote previously about when to quit playing poker but I never tackled the how…. Before we dig into how to exit the game its important to understand why we entered it :).

Why Playing Poker Full Time Is Fun!

1. Poker Is A Competitive Game: In fact, because of the money directly involved in hands it may be the most competitive game there is.
2. Poker is Fun: Yep, its a bit of a rush to be involved in a big hand…. Anyone who has played the game knows that your heart may skip a beat when you involved in a big pot!
3. Poker is a Complicated/Challenging Game. If it wasn’t hard it wouldn’t be that fun… Poker is an incredibly challenging game made all the more complicated and at times frustrating by human nature.

5 Reasons For Serious Players To Quit Playing Poker

1. You are losing too much. Gambling within your limits is important for winning players and losing players.
2. Downswings are driving you crazy! This can happen to even the best of players. Sometimes its helpful to just take a short sabbatical from the game and recalibrate.
3. Its not fun anymore! If you aren’t having a good time at it then perhaps you should stop, seems like common sense to me….
4. Opportunity cost is too high. If you could be doing something better with your time it might be best to lay off the tables.
5. Family – many people just don’t have the time with all the other commitments that come with having a family.

Why Its Hard To Quit Playing Poker

1. Giving up the dream is hard. Many players dream of someday making it big like Chris Moneymaker or Greg Raymer but very few ever will. Increasingly, in today’s poker environment there are fewer and fewer rags to riches stories. The only players who make it big have to grind and grind and grind to get there.
2. Not Having A Job Can Be Fun. Yep, if you are able to play poker and not work a 9-5 for some period of time in your life that is a pretty cool experience. It can be tough to walk away from that level of freedom with your time.
3. Taxes – many jurisdictions around the world do not tax gambling winnings creating an additional incentive to try to win at the game.
4. Addiction – some players get hooked to the game. I believe this is far less frequently encountered in poker compared with other gambling games but it is still present. If you have a particularly addictive personality poker is probably not the game for you.

Tricks On How To Quit Playing Poker

Learning how to quit playing poker is difficult at the best of times. However, there are a few tricks that can prove helpful if you decide you’ve had enough of the game.

1. Find something else in your life to take up your time. The busier you are with other activities the less time you will have to play!
2. Delete any and all poker clients from your computer – not seeing them will help to keep it off your mind.
3. Unsubscribe from emails from poker companies – not having it top of mind can make a difference for some people.
4. Travel – there is nothing like new experience in life to keep your mind active and distracted
5. Sports – not only do they help to keep you in shape and unwind they can also be a great way to keep your mind away from the felt!

Hope you enjoyed the post!

-ThePokerCapitalist

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