Alex my problem, which is not a real problem at all, is I have a great day job and make a good living. I play poker for fun and for profit as well as the challenge (I am competitive and aggressive by nature).

I am not getting better. I can barely win at this game. I have been playing for almost 4 years and am winning about $1 and hour. Sometimes I would play up to 20 hours a week. Now it is more like 10 at most.

So for me quitting is a real option if I no longer enjoy the game. The game is frustrating. Play happy or don't play at all as they say.

Thus you will see my post where I asked if my play was as bad as I thought or was I just going though a rough spot?

So I figured that I would quit the live $200 NL game because I feel that I am too predictable (see post) and am giving my money away - My biggest win was $1000 and my biggest lost was $900. I really only win when I get lucky.

Now, I am playing at bodog NL$100 tables (1 at a time) not chasing and playing the best that I can. I am ahead $300. We will see if this holds up.

Players like Iceman that make a bunch of change at this game can quit but they will lose, as you say, an income stream that is hard to replace. For true winners they should take a break and then continue to win at the game IMO if they want the money.

My problem is that I think that I should be able to beat this game (ego) but I can not seem to do it and I am having a hard time admitting it to myself. I can not find the winning combination as of yet.

This forum is a great place to ask for advice and to use as a sounding board to get one's head straight.

I dont need the money because I have a real job, therefore if / when the frustration from poker becomes overwelming and bothers me more that the pleasure I get from competition and winning, then I will stop playing.

That was the case there for a few days. Quitting has also been on my mind anyway because in Nov, I will be changing shifts at work and wont have as much time to play anyway. My playing hours will be cut near in half so my monthly winnings are going to get cut into anyway.

Im not quitting though. I already had the urge to play today and I did play for about an hour and a half. I quickly ripped thru a couple $50 tables and then went back to $200NL. I had a couple tough hands and was down $400 but broke even a couple really good plays on my part.

Werent some people saying the $50NL on Prima was no good? Jesus people, those guys are horrendous.

Understand your point perfectly, Rhound. I finished college in January. and will start my Master in Feb, if I dont move too the USA.

I dont have plans of staying at a poker table for ever. Here in my country there are a lot of opportunities for business that doent require too much money to start (capital). I am in a couple projects of agriculture, activity that has become really profitable lately in the country. Also, I would like to become a constructor-realtor in a couple years. For that I need some money....

What i dont see is me taking a job now because they dont pay me as well. Also, it seems that nothings makes me crazy. NOTHING. I really enjoy the game and everything but I cant play for more than 3-5hours. 5 is just too much. I get bored after a couple hours except when I m hot like the last two days: It s really fun to flopped a set for every 3 or 4 dealt pocket pair .

I am not crazy about the game or addicted. Sometimes I take breaks for more than a week and just come to play because I feel I should be making some money instead of doing nothing. I am missing the weekends because there is something better to do always .

I am considering moving to USA for a few years in case I can get a contract to work as a Civil Engineer and work for something between 25-30/hr, which is the National Avg. Right now I am doing more than 16/hr with the bonuses. The day job there should allow me to pay my schoolarship for the MS.D there.

I have plans other than poker, but lately I have been considering the possibilities the game have, and they are really appealing. As i have said, specially for a young Dominican guy (not so many possibilities here as there in the USA).

The point of this thread was to bring to the attention that even when this is a game, it is a game that is offering many of you a great reward, in many cases more than what you actually make or could possibly make in a "real" daytime job and that is something that you all CANT ignore. For most of us, it would be healthy to look at it as another kind of job. One we enjoy even more than the regular one and it s better paid than the "regular daytime" one.

Those are my thoughts...

Alex I think with a Masters in CE you should be able to make more than $25 per hour.

You can make good money on a job, but it's still kind of scarry that a decent player can make about the same hourly amount or more playing poker and having fun. How many people here make $50/hour at work, I'll bet not many. And for some reason you really feel you earned the poker money and it's "extra" money. Funny.

What's truly sick is the pros. I recently watched j-dags win $20k in 30 minutes on an FTP $5k short-handed table. Frightening.

Alex,

Being a semi-pro is a lot easier, especially at the limits you're playing. Once you start taking out money for bills and food etc etc, it's is very hard to build your bankroll. Take it from somehow who knows.... My bankroll would be enormous right now but instead it's probably a 5th of what it should be.

It's also a lot more stressful when you're losing constantly and the bills need to be paid. I'm not saying it's the "hardest way to make an easy living," but I am saying it's still gambling.