The Dark Side of Poker

Could be a interesting topic or might b garbage im not sure..

but i like this pic like the girl represents poker and it just ripped ur heart out and stares at u..

I duno if i feel that way about poker, but i feel like it broke me for sure.. to be good at it you have to be able to disregard money and let it come and go without feeling.. then back to the real world and NO one else works/thinks that way, and now your different from everyone thats not a poker player..
It makes it really hard for my friends to relate to me...

ne1 else got opinions on the subject?

i d hit it

Once you start work again (as a "regular" member of society) I'm sure you will re-adapt and understand them better.

repost the pic plz

edited

whats this thread about btw?

its about poker, i said the pic is cool cuz the girl represents poker... and i was hoping for a bit of discussion about the contradiction between how to be good at our profession we cant really respect money.. and that were like the only people on earth that go through that and stuff like that...

pretty sure stock brokers and stuff have to approach money in the same way

On September 09 2010 05:37 byrnesam wrote: pretty sure stock brokers and stuff have to approach money in the same way

yea everyone hates them..

money in poker is just a tool for keeping score.

a disregard for money isnt really true, otherwise everyone who wins money at poker would be blowing it on rims, breitlings and making it rain at the Rhino - but for a majority of the time, people are just doing work and paying for their living expenses.

If youre properly rolled and understand the variance involved it shouldnt be an issue for you.

Yes, its pretty sick for people like Durrrr/Galfond/Ziigmund who swing millions but for 99.9% of poker players it doesnt apply.

millions of people play poker as a hobby and for social activity, I dont understand how you can feel youve lost a grip on reality and can no longer function in society.

On September 09 2010 05:40 milkman wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 05:37 byrnesam wrote: pretty sure stock brokers and stuff have to approach money in the same way yea everyone hates them..

haterGonHate.jpg

I have many non poker friends as im sure most everyone on this forum does and really its not that big of an issue. With your real friends money is not a big deal so...who cares. You could relate to them before you were a poker player so why should that suddenly change?

I used to feel this way about poker, imo the way to beat it is to have as much balance in your life as possible. Exercising regularly too!

i can still relate to my friends just fine, its them relating to me thats kinda a problem.. dont get me wrong, i have plenty of friends and its not like im lonely or anything like that.. but no one really knows how poker works, what i do for a living.. anyhting involved with that.. and its just something they dont easily understand.

i duno ive talked with some other people like crown and stuff about the disregard for money i know some other people feel that way but maybe its not as normal as i thought..

On September 09 2010 05:50 BigRed0000 wrote: I used to feel this way about poker, imo the way to beat it is to have as much balance in your life as possible. Exercising regularly too!

when you say balance what do you mean really? and i agree exercising regularly is something need to be doing.

I have friends who work in finance, social work, historical research, design, music etc.

When we hang out, we usually talk about normal stuff that we share in common - music, film, TV, general bullshit. and we all have a similar sense of humor.

Work almost never comes up as a topic other than "hows work going?" and its invariably always "alright"

So i dont see why you would feel distanced from your friends just because of what you do.

On September 09 2010 05:56 milkman wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 05:50 BigRed0000 wrote: I used to feel this way about poker, imo the way to beat it is to have as much balance in your life as possible. Exercising regularly too! when you say balance what do you mean really? and i agree exercising regularly is something need to be doing.

Things like being on a normal sleep schedule, taking classes (school or just random stuff you are interested in cooking, mma, guitar whatever), having hobbies/interests outside of poker, a girlfriend, maybe a random part time job at a place that you just really enjoy being at, etc.)

All the freedom poker brings is kind of a gift and a curse. It's really easy to let yourself go, become lethargic, and only care about how much money you are up or down. This is a super depressing lifestyle and it's detrimental to your game too.

Everyone is different though, this is just what i've found to work best for me.

standard, that's the tradeoff we have to be willing to make when we become pros, or lean on poker for most of our income. yes it's hard, but in time you will become so numb by swongs that you hopefully won't care anymore if someone understands you or can relate to you or whatever.

i'm lucky to have a gf who likes poker a lot and even understands it pretty well. as for friends i've never been the type to have many friends, but the select few that i have now understand that once in a while they HAVE to listen to how much i lost yesterday. or won. or some sick hand.

yeah, a balanced lifestyle is obviously key, not just in poker either, but maybe it helps us more due to the nature of this evil, lonely mindfuck of a game.

I almost never talk about poker w/ my friends, b/c all this dumbasses starts giving me a lectures about life,gambling and all kind of shit

Also sometimes I think "fuck coffe w/ friends or fuck Y , bc that would cost me X$ given my $/hr "

On September 09 2010 06:34 morph1 wrote: I almost never talk about poker w/ my friends, b/c all this dumbasses starts giving me a lectures about life,gambling and all kind of shit Also sometimes I think "fuck coffe w/ friends or fuck Y , bc that would cost me X$ given my $/hr "

the 2nd part of your post is kinda scary. You would honestly rather play poker than hang out w/ your friends b/c it's not worth your 'time'? Mindsets like this are what lead to poker ruining your life.

On September 09 2010 06:37 BigRed0000 wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 06:34 morph1 wrote: I almost never talk about poker w/ my friends, b/c all this dumbasses starts giving me a lectures about life,gambling and all kind of shit Also sometimes I think "fuck coffe w/ friends or fuck Y , bc that would cost me X$ given my $/hr " the 2nd part of your post is kinda scary. You would honestly rather play poker than hang out w/ your friends b/c it's not worth your 'time'? Mindsets like this are what lead to poker ruining your life.

agree with this. dont let poker take over your life like that. remember, the tables are always open, your friends are not.

yea i know, that's why i named it here in dark side of poker
but i guess that comes from time to time, or I'm just lazy mofo in the past few months

the only reason i get depressed is because i dont make enough money for all the misery this game brings into my life
up down up down up down. i mean, after 3 years of playing, it seems pretty clear i dont have what it takes to beat midstakes, that fact depresses me a lot. "ive beaten it 2008 blah blah" that dont mean shit and sometiems i hang on to that time when games were honestly just better.

when rekrul said "denial runs the industry" before in one thread years ago, it kinda makes sense more and more as the years go by. also i see less and less " dont worry, itll turn around" advice and support from ppl coz i think they also feel that it might not

On September 09 2010 06:37 BigRed0000 wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 06:34 morph1 wrote: I almost never talk about poker w/ my friends, b/c all this dumbasses starts giving me a lectures about life,gambling and all kind of shit Also sometimes I think "fuck coffe w/ friends or fuck Y , bc that would cost me X$ given my $/hr " the 2nd part of your post is kinda scary. You would honestly rather play poker than hang out w/ your friends b/c it's not worth your 'time'? Mindsets like this are what lead to poker ruining your life.

I dont see if that different from anyone who is self-employed and running a business. They gain huge freedom in being able to "work" whenever they want, but they still have to sacrifice social activity for earning potential.

If youre a plumber do you give up christmas day with your family to go on an emergency call out at a ridiculous hourly $$$?

The only reason "normal" working people dont think like this is because they dont have a choice.

"Oh youre going out for coffee? No, i cant go - ive got work"

There's a very fine line between letting your friends know that poker is a real job and you need to put in hours to make money, and becoming so obsessed/enamored with poker that you are consciously blowing off doing anything else.

On September 09 2010 05:55 milkman wrote: i duno ive talked with some other people like crown and stuff about the disregard for money i know some other people feel that way but maybe its not as normal as i thought..

So what did you two ballers talk about?

Anyways, I just don't talk to any of my friends about poker, unless they play it and really understand it. I'm pretty sure my friends think that I lose a ton of money playing, and thats fine with me - I dont really care.

My girlfriend sort of knows what its about, because I do get frustrated busting whilst being very deep in some mtt. But I don't really talk to her about poker either, I havent played in a month now either, but as soon as I get my internet connection in my apartment, I'll play again / or live.

On the other hand I've never gone pro, I have a full time job that pays well, and poker is a side income which generates a pretty decent lifestyle with a good balance. I would have liked to try to play poker full time, and I did last summer for 6-8 weeks, and it got pretty dull towards the end.

i believe i've gotten more bad than good out of the experience but it's not entirely because of poker itself, but rather the lifestyle that came with it. i neglected a lot of things in my life and i am not happy about where i am at now as a result. more importantly, i have spent too much time on the computer and not enough time educating myself or enjoying the outdoors. i'm also becoming increasingly fearful of the negative effects of such a technology and its effects on health (and even brain chemistry). it's still fairly recent, we do not know much about the long-term side effects of being on a computer for so long every day.

it seems to have an important effect on my attention and the way i do things. if i go on the computer immediately after i woke up it seems like i'm not able to do some serious study or i'll procrastinate it because i keep being distracted. when i'm not able to it's because the internet gives me ADHD or something, you can do so many things at the same time and move on from something when you aren't entertained any longer etc. then when you're faced with books it's a lot harder to keep focused. i'm very concerned to what its doing to our culture as well, i very often feel like there's a significant rise of anti-intellectualism (see the film idiocracy).

basically i would say the biggest issue for me has been that it has promoted a very hedonistic lifestyle, seeking instant gratification constantly because of this media, and not encouraging hard work that contributes to others rather than only benefiting myself, which i feel is a necessity.

i dont think you need to disrespect money in order to be a good poker player. On the table yes, that's a certain thing, but outside the poker world it's not hard to keep your feet down on earth (imo).

it just depends on you, really. I know poker players who spend shitloads on 'meaningless' stuff, as well as poker players who live a completely normal life, just more comfortably than 99,99% of the people surrounding them.

On September 09 2010 08:19 Loco wrote: it seems to have an important effect on my attention and the way i do things. if i go on the computer immediately after i woke up it seems like i'm not able to do some serious study or i'll procrastinate it because i keep being distracted. when i'm not able to it's because the internet gives me ADHD or something, you can do so many things at the same time and move on from something when you aren't entertained any longer etc. then when you're faced with books it's a lot harder to keep focused. i'm very concerned to what its doing to our culture as well, i very often feel like there's a significant rise of anti-intellectualism (see the film idiocracy). basically i would say the biggest issue for me has been that it has promoted a very hedonistic lifestyle, seeking instant gratification constantly because of this media, and not encouraging hard work that contributes to others rather than only benefiting myself, which i feel is a necessity.

qft, have the exact same problem

On September 09 2010 06:34 morph1 wrote: I almost never talk about poker w/ my friends, b/c all this dumbasses starts giving me a lectures about life,gambling and all kind of shit Also sometimes I think "fuck coffe w/ friends or fuck Y , bc that would cost me X$ given my $/hr "

I used to think the same way, but after the 100 time I didn't go to a party and lost money by playing I stoped. Now I NEVER play poker if I can do normal social activities, I play only when I'm bored

the dark side of poker...
this trade brings many realities of life upfront and to the table that you will be forced to look at, recognize and deal with to varying degrees
hopefully these reality perspectives don't eventually devour your soul in negativity and instead primarily turn you into a humble human being

one of the main instances of this that I can think of off the top of my head being if you enter full time into this trade you are most assuredly totally on your own since noone really gives a fuck about you

my real life friend argued with his girlfriend over $75 the other day

i just dropped my jaw in shock

also i feel so emotionless, all of my friends get excited/worked up over things and i'm just all stoic like "wat"

not caring about the division of $75 isnt a unique result of being a poker player.

On September 09 2010 10:44 CrownRoyal wrote: my real life friend argued with his girlfriend over $75 the other day i just dropped my jaw in shock also i feel so emotionless, all of my friends get excited/worked up over things and i'm just all stoic like "wat"

don't worry just because you can't relate to your friends' emotional states. i can assure you you're a fluffy ball of emotion and it's quite obvious. disinterest is easy, detachment is something else.

mmm you're probably right.

On September 09 2010 08:19 Loco wrote: i believe i've gotten more bad than good out of the experience but it's not entirely because of poker itself, but rather the lifestyle that came with it. i neglected a lot of things in my life and i am not happy about where i am at now as a result. more importantly, i have spent too much time on the computer and not enough time educating myself or enjoying the outdoors. i'm also becoming increasingly fearful of the negative effects of such a technology and its effects on health (and even brain chemistry). it's still fairly recent, we do not know much about the long-term side effects of being on a computer for so long every day. it seems to have an important effect on my attention and the way i do things. if i go on the computer immediately after i woke up it seems like i'm not able to do some serious study or i'll procrastinate it because i keep being distracted. when i'm not able to it's because the internet gives me ADHD or something, you can do so many things at the same time and move on from something when you aren't entertained any longer etc. then when you're faced with books it's a lot harder to keep focused. i'm very concerned to what its doing to our culture as well, i very often feel like there's a significant rise of anti-intellectualism (see the film idiocracy). basically i would say the biggest issue for me has been that it has promoted a very hedonistic lifestyle, seeking instant gratification constantly because of this media, and not encouraging hard work that contributes to others rather than only benefiting myself, which i feel is a necessity.

Very well written post, I feel the same

On September 09 2010 07:25 whamm! wrote: when rekrul said "denial runs the industry" before in one thread years ago,

i'm like 99% sure i was the first one to say this on LP. sorry if i'm somehow jacking that from rekrul without realizing it but you prob have us confused. it was re-quoted a lot thereafter. and the only reason i'm even bringing it up is because i stole it from some random obscure made for tv wall street movie.

with regard to the thread,

i'd say poker played a huge part in me breaking up with my last two girlfriends. one thoguht i was a straight up liar and shady because of it, the second couldn't handle me traveling all the time and keeping odd hours.

oh well ben franklin is a pretty sweet gf too nom sayin

Arguing about $75 with your gf is nothing to be shocked about imo. I mean, how are you so sure its about the money and not the money AND the principle? I argue with my gf and it is never the money, always the principle that starts it.

I like to think that the value of money is relative, and I also like to think that the majority of people playing poker who are "oh no, i have lost connection to moneys worth bla bla" are also people who put too much stock in what money can do for you in your life and who like to show off, so to speak. Maybe im in the wrong here, but when I look at the few people I know who play poker it shows pretty well who did and didnt lose track of the value of money.

There is a lot of talk about baller this baller that, and although some are probably only joking there are imo a lot of people who see it as something to aspire for to some extent. Not that I judge people who like to spend money and have fun etc, but I dont think it is poker that is the primary cause for losing track of moneys worth. Or, maybe im a life nit and judge everyone who spends too much like they're reckless.

The thing if find most difficult is that there is a mantra when it comes to poker about "putting in the volume", which obviously is necessary for success, and it stresses me out when I dont put in enough. But since I want to do other stuff, when I actually put in the volume I feel bad for neglecting my work-out or that I dont study enough. This is probably not an issue for a professional pokerplayer, but for me it is the biggest one.

I also feel a little like Loco said about internet/poker making me develop ADHD, but it could also be that I'm tired of studying now after having done it for so long.

On September 09 2010 03:49 milkman wrote: Could be a interesting topic or might b garbage im not sure.. but i like this pic like the girl represents poker and it just ripped ur heart out and stares at u.. I duno if i feel that way about poker, but i feel like it broke me for sure.. to be good at it you have to be able to disregard money and let it come and go without feeling.. then back to the real world and NO one else works/thinks that way, and now your different from everyone thats not a poker player.. It makes it really hard for my friends to relate to me... ne1 else got opinions on the subject?

to be good at poker you have to not be a lazy sack of shit... just like everything else in life

I think it's all about living as balanced of a life as you possibly can while not getting too obsessed with one particular thing. Entrenching yourself into the grind of poker can lead to dark times. Take breaks and enjoy life imo

looooooooooooooooooooooooooool ROFL thread worthy imo.

On September 09 2010 13:41 JonnyCosMo wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 03:49 milkman wrote: Could be a interesting topic or might b garbage im not sure.. but i like this pic like the girl represents poker and it just ripped ur heart out and stares at u.. I duno if i feel that way about poker, but i feel like it broke me for sure.. to be good at it you have to be able to disregard money and let it come and go without feeling.. then back to the real world and NO one else works/thinks that way, and now your different from everyone thats not a poker player.. It makes it really hard for my friends to relate to me... ne1 else got opinions on the subject? to be good at poker you have to not be a lazy sack of shit... just like everything else in life

last month i played poker i played just as many hands as you "said" you did but never showed me the graph.. and this month i will play more than u.. soooo urdumb

poker in itself for me has been incredibly helpful because not only has it made it possible for me to make a lot of money on my own if i want to, it has also helped me break many delusions while living in a time where positive thinking and optimism seems to be the norm and forced upon us. it has turned me into a fatalist, the best quality for a poker player (being as non-results oriented as possible). it has taught me many valuable lessons but this one -- that acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability -- has been the most valuable for me, because it has transfered itself onto my view of life and not just the game of cards. it has become much easier for me to deal with loss.

the common view from the outsider's perspective seems to be that gambling and poker is for the scum of this world, and while that may be true some of us who grew up as young adults through this are exceptions because we became better people through adversity (what humbles a man more than failure?), and we're constantly faced with the brutality of reality through this game and we know our only way not to become mad is through acceptance.

On September 09 2010 14:02 byrnesam wrote:

such a degen, staying at home to observe tables

^^ well said.. i think its funny when ever someone tries to act like poker players r scum i just yell "FUCK YOU WE BOUGHT A WELL"

what loco said in this thread pretty much summed it up. But its still more good than bad for me.

To Nolan, I feel its helped my relationships coz girls love to travel and fine dine, its expensive but just gotta view it as rake.

Also, I dont feel I disregard money at all, never been and never will. I can understand someone like durrr or Ivey having a disregard for money but I think they were born with it and not a trait acquired from poker. For someone not born with a disregard for money you need to have made or lost ALOT of money to feel a disregard, and frankly Milkman bringing it up just really seems OTT.

i like bloody sex and the pic reminds me of that. don't really feel anything for poker at all though

On September 09 2010 05:37 byrnesam wrote: pretty sure stock brokers and stuff have to approach money in the same way

Same with multimillionaire businessmen. They can't be scared money with their investments either or they don't do nearly as well. They have to accept that a 50M investment can fail or make them wildly successful and it's okay either way. As long as long-term they're doing well with their choice of investments and choice of companies to build.

frinkly wobbly talkin more shit seems UNN-BEEEEEEELIEVABLE

I thought wobbly only visited the Myth-coaching thread

On September 09 2010 14:26 Loco wrote: poker in itself for me has been incredibly helpful because not only has it made it possible for me to make a lot of money on my own if i want to, it has also helped me break many delusions while living in a time where positive thinking and optimism seems to be the norm and forced upon us. it has turned me into a fatalist, the best quality for a poker player (being as non-results oriented as possible). it has taught me many valuable lessons but this one -- that acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability -- has been the most valuable for me, because it has transfered itself onto my view of life and not just the game of cards. it has become much easier for me to deal with loss. the common view from the outsider's perspective seems to be that gambling and poker is for the scum of this world, and while that may be true some of us who grew up as young adults through this are exceptions because we became better people through adversity (what humbles a man more than failure?), and we're constantly faced with the brutality of reality through this game and we know our only way not to become mad is through acceptance.

well said sir

hmm mabe i should start coaching... more free time bigger hourly.. only got to do it 100hr per month
then i could catch every coffe w/ all my friends... sick

On September 09 2010 14:26 Loco wrote: poker in itself for me has been incredibly helpful because not only has it made it possible for me to make a lot of money on my own if i want to, it has also helped me break many delusions while living in a time where positive thinking and optimism seems to be the norm and forced upon us. it has turned me into a fatalist, the best quality for a poker player (being as non-results oriented as possible). it has taught me many valuable lessons but this one -- that acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability -- has been the most valuable for me, because it has transfered itself onto my view of life and not just the game of cards. it has become much easier for me to deal with loss. the common view from the outsider's perspective seems to be that gambling and poker is for the scum of this world, and while that may be true some of us who grew up as young adults through this are exceptions because we became better people through adversity (what humbles a man more than failure?), and we're constantly faced with the brutality of reality through this game and we know our only way not to become mad is through acceptance.

I really like the bolded part of your post.Even though I didn't really put in the effort to become a good poker player (I admit this, and gave up on it already but this place is cool to hang out at), this is what I got the most out of my "poker-experience".
That, and live donks are so terrible that I can make some side moniez while I finish my education. It pays better than doing some menial shitty work I could find, and is also a lot easier.

On September 09 2010 14:29 dogmeat wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 14:02 byrnesam wrote: such a degen, staying at home to observe tables

i have sometimes ended up doing that. staying home to play instead, but realize eh tables are bad imma just gonna observe tables lol

dark side is stronger

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA byrnesam

the second i tried to find a balance is when i stopped winning.

i should start life coaching

On September 09 2010 15:01 wobbly_au wrote: what loco said in this thread pretty much summed it up. But its still more good than bad for me. To Nolan, I feel its helped my relationships coz girls love to travel and fine dine, its expensive but just gotta view it as rake. Also, I dont feel I disregard money at all, never been and never will. I can understand someone like durrr or Ivey having a disregard for money but I think they were born with it and not a trait acquired from poker. For someone not born with a disregard for money you need to have made or lost ALOT of money to feel a disregard, and frankly Milkman bringing it up just really seems OTT.

We all have acquired some disregard imo, in the sense that for example, if you drop $100 from your pocket, you wont care nearly as much as a normal person (even if that person is wealthy).

On September 09 2010 20:53 player999 wrote: Show nested quote + On September 09 2010 15:01 wobbly_au wrote: what loco said in this thread pretty much summed it up. But its still more good than bad for me. To Nolan, I feel its helped my relationships coz girls love to travel and fine dine, its expensive but just gotta view it as rake. Also, I dont feel I disregard money at all, never been and never will. I can understand someone like durrr or Ivey having a disregard for money but I think they were born with it and not a trait acquired from poker. For someone not born with a disregard for money you need to have made or lost ALOT of money to feel a disregard, and frankly Milkman bringing it up just really seems OTT. We all have acquired some disregard imo, in the sense that for example, if you drop $100 from your pocket, you wont care nearly as much as a normal person (even if that person is wealthy).

Maybe for you, but if i lose 100$ from my pocket I would feel just as shitty as before and for just as long. Its just a pure waste of money. Money is just a tool to make money, you cant disregard it at all. I dont know about everyone else, but when i make decisions in betting calling or raising im always thinking about the return on investment. So if your disregarding in that way, whether in life or in the real world it just seems wrong.

On September 09 2010 19:25 handbanana21 wrote: the second i found a balance is when i started winning.

fyp.

but seriously it's understandable that you can lose your mind over this ridiculously brutal game. But if you decide to play it for a living you have to suck it up and not be a goddamn bitch. It's what we signed up for isn't it?

I forget who but i watched a vid of some poker pro who went insane.. Paranoid about the world ending and stuff.

From Busto to Robusto starring Captain Zeebo

http://www.deucescracked.com/robusto

haha yea thats it pretty prime example of the dark side of pokers.

Obv excluding the dark side for Losing poker players.

i'd hit it

even if you break even for the year you still get 120k from bonuses

On September 09 2010 14:26 Loco wrote: poker in itself for me has been incredibly helpful because not only has it made it possible for me to make a lot of money on my own if i want to, it has also helped me break many delusions while living in a time where positive thinking and optimism seems to be the norm and forced upon us. it has turned me into a fatalist, the best quality for a poker player (being as non-results oriented as possible). it has taught me many valuable lessons but this one -- that acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability -- has been the most valuable for me, because it has transfered itself onto my view of life and not just the game of cards. it has become much easier for me to deal with loss. the common view from the outsider's perspective seems to be that gambling and poker is for the scum of this world, and while that may be true some of us who grew up as young adults through this are exceptions because we became better people through adversity (what humbles a man more than failure?), and we're constantly faced with the brutality of reality through this game and we know our only way not to become mad is through acceptance.

lately everything you say resonates in my heart

needs mo tits imo

nuked, wrong place durrrrrrrrrr

ditto

On September 10 2010 11:06 wobbly_au wrote: haha yea thats it pretty prime example of the dark side of pokers. Obv excluding the dark side for Losing poker players.

yeah, it was poker that did it.

without Poker im sure Zeebo would have been the picture of a regular functioning member of society.

Just like all that Sherry Trifle i had on christmas day that led to my alcoholism.

This thread has nothing to do with poker in my mind. More about adulthood. When we were in elementary school finding a 20$ bill would be a big deal. We're much older and more wealthy. Everyone who is more wealthy devalues money from how they viewed it in their childhood generally... because their parents were paying for them. Take any job, they will all have the same considerations when it comes to money and what you are doing with your life.

Intelligence and having a lot of time for contemplation will inevitable lead to existential depression and the questions that arise from it. Other people who have pressing and (in the great scheme of things) trivial matters are constantly occupied and do not think of these things. Are they lucky or unlucky?

The need to have a level of social contact and belonging is evolutionarily based. If someone is capable of leaving society and going out in the woods... he is much less likely to reproduce. The people who have this need survive.

Even clinical depression as well as the type of depression talked about in this thread might be a catalyst for reproduction. It makes sense to me that depression is an advantageous product of evolution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_approaches_to_depression

So, to answer your question milkman. You need to have children and focus your attention on them, be occupied by them and work toward a seemingly less selfish and futile existence.

btw, i realize now why people think i'm a troll. It is just in my nature to add levity at the end of a post like that. I assume people can discern what i'm saying in all seriousness and what is light-hearted.

better question is why so many of y'all got all this motherfucking paper and no babies

lol

turn off ur computer and make some fucking babies aight
go affirm my faith in you

i actually have less money now than i did when i was in elementary school.

On September 11 2010 07:46 Steal City wrote: So, to answer your question milkman. You need to have children and focus your attention on them, be occupied by them and work toward a seemingly less selfish and futile existence.

worst piece of advice in the thread. We need less fucked up people in the world and your advocating chris to become a father?

lol sick level.

On September 09 2010 14:02 byrnesam wrote:

haha amazing...

my internet failed for 3 days and all i could think was "i could have made enough money to pay my internet for like 5 years in those 3 days"

Poker is a catalyst for many views on life for example it has turned some probably shitty people into absolute scum like for example Andrew Robl but in some few cases it can be a wonderful extremely harsh teacher of so many things especially to approach life in a more stoic realistic way, embracing life variance and not being tilted by it as long as we make life EV+ choices.

yeah sometimes internet timeouts with a huge hand is like 6 months internet payment here lol

I dunno about you guys, but my internet only cuts out when I have the best hand and never cuts out when I'm about to hero call with 9 high

On September 12 2010 21:58 gawdawaful wrote: I dunno about you guys, but my internet only cuts out when I have the best hand and never cuts out when I'm about to hero call with 9 high

for me it cuts when I have the nuts on the river and bet enough to leave my opponent with 1 chip and then he shoves for 1 more and boom.... disconnected

well then you just deserve that then dont u =]