When faced with a tough decision you generally get more time (even if someone puts a clock on you). The social side of live poker is attractive and for me the fact that all my energy is used focusing on one tournament and not watching TV, multi-tabling or drinking to much makes my live play profitable!

Internet poker bores me and I tend to tilt too easily. If i get bad beat live then I’ve got a couple of minutes to refocus before the next hand.

One other (important) point is that it is a lot harder for online/inexperienced live player to carry off the aggressive internet style of poker in the card room because they have to physically move the chips into the middle! It is hard to do this (without experience) when your hands are shaking because your tournament life is hinging on a J3o bluff on the river!

Anyway, interesting discussion. I say its horses for courses and I don’t think we will ever see the WSOP played out on the internet.

I grinded my ass off from $1/2 nlhe –> 2/5 –> 5/10. Occasionally I’ll take shots in a $10/25 nowadays. By the time I got good enough to make six figures I realized I didn’t want to do it any more.

If you really want to get better, keep on watching vids, ask the winningest players who play with the same pool as you and know your opponents what they would do in certain situations, and show some more heart. As much talent and intelligence as it takes, it takes even more mental fortitude to last in the long run.

Who cares what your colleague thinks? Poker players think in completely rational terms – if your colleague isn’t going to get it, then don’t waste your time caring what she thinks when you know you can’t do anything about it. That’s probably not what you want to hear but it’s the truth – you have to clear yourself of emotion when you are dealing with poker.

Also, learn PLO.

Good luck with everything. – Adam

I just followed you on twitter. I’m:
http://twitter.com/sandypantalones

sandy

Maybe there’s a balance for you so you don’t have to give it all up just yet. A solution that cuts back your real world job hours..

I doubt I’ll be able to buy in to a WSOP event this year.. ya know being unemployed and all
I’d like to meet up with you guys if you’re out there though. Bellatrix I think you might have my email..

Good Luck with whatever you decide.
Sandy

Are you gonna be at WSOP Ladies’ event again? I would love to talk to you some more. I have no address for you. Anyway my 2+2 name is bellatrix, maybe you can send a pm, so we can meetup?

Are you gonna be at WSOP Ladies’ event again? I would love to talk to you some more. I have no address for you. Anyway my 2+2 name is bellatrix, maybe you can send a pm, so we can meetup?

You’ve done the work to get the astro-train movin’, so now allow yourself to reap the benefits of that work! Even if it’s just for a few years–grind it out in the real world. You owe it to yourself to enjoy the benefits of your efforts.

I also left academia to play poker. When I did, I was shocked at how quickly I tired of the smoky casinos and the dirty old men. It’s easy to glamorize playing poker professionally, but in my experience the downs (being away from home, variance, isolation, feeling that the work doesn’t matter or contribute to the betterment of society, etc) pretty much nullify the ups (freedom, time to volunteer, do things you love, etc).

Also, it sounds like you are pretty Type A, as am I. You can’t forget/underscore how difficult it is psychologically to do something that offers few accomplishments that aren’t monetary. Getting grants, receiving acknowledgment from other academics, etc feels good. I wish those kinds of things didn’t affect one’s sense of self, but they do. And in poker it’s just you and your bankroll balance. That has been one of the hardest parts for me to deal with.

That being said, it is sure hard to do other stuff when you know you’d rather be at the tables. I know several professors that play a whole lot of poker, especially during the summers. Maybe that’s an option?

good luck.