We asked regulars what they do when poker is boring and doesn't bring the same emotions. Some come up with new challenges and refuse cheap pleasures, some go on long walks and turn off the Internet, and some are saved by close poker-playing friends.
Others are reminded that we don't earn EV, but real money, without which there will be neither a normal life nor the desired new emotions.
Crownless // Blog of the king of procrastination
I've had quite a few of these periods in my career. I've noticed a number of factors that contribute to a loss of interest and love for the game:
- Lack of learning and progress
- Focus on things outside my control (variance, amount of play) and a consequent feeling of helplessness
- No new challenges. For example, if I play only soft compositions and go completely on autopilot
- Excessive immersion in other activities (games, TV series)
- Burnout due to lack of rest
Working on these points often helped to restore the feeling of control and interest in the game. If you temporarily remove what is now commonly called cheap dopamine, then the attractiveness of poker increases. It is difficult for several cash tables to compete with, say, Hearthstone in terms of interest, but if you eliminate the “competitor,” then the game becomes more interesting. This also applies to distractions directly during the game. I am a big opponent of doing something in parallel with the game. I can’t say that I always follow this rule, but I know that if I get distracted by a messenger once, then most likely I will be less interested in playing further, even if a minute ago I was completely involved.
Working hard on your game, even if it's just something light – watching streams, discussing hands with friends, even listening to poker podcasts – often gives you ideas to try at the tables and sparks interest in the game.
The last time I completely lost interest in the game, my friend and I created a ladder of goals for me that would help me regain my engagement and focus. Starting with "30 minutes of undistracted play, write one note on an opponent, mark one hand" and so on. And after a few days, my interest in the game actually returned.
In case of prolonged burnout or if loss of interest is caused by depression/apathy or other mental problems, you should contact a good psychologist. Even if you don’t want to go to sessions, you can ask for recommendations of quality self-help literature.
Another thing that helps me a lot is having a partner who loves poker and is interested in both playing and discussing strategy. It's easier to stay interested in anything when you have people to share that interest with.
Artem pasha_shalnaya // playing cards for real money
My reasons for cooling off towards poker are basic – oversaturation and lack of understanding of why I do all this. It helps if I can improve other areas of my life. And also invest the resources gained in poker into improving my life and new experiences.
Yura Joke703 // t.me/Joke's house
I still think that poker is a game of ego, zeal and competitiveness. Some people need to be better than others, some want to prove something to themselves, some just like to play and train their brains, and only a small number of people (whom I admire) need poker to make money.
For me, poker has always been a game where I can be better than others, reach the high stakes, go higher and higher – towards my dream.
This motivation started to disappear when, in fact, the high stakes game was killed. That is, I already play PLO1k, I can go to 2k under a fish, and with backing under a fish I am good at any stakes. And then what?
I used to have a dream, there is a game on PLO2k-5k-10k, and it works, you just need to play cool.
And now, even if you play great, all you can do is grind PLO2k on GG with a rake of 15bb/100, and to get higher, you need streams, media, connections. The system of "I'm better, that's why I play higher" no longer exists. The only prospect is to fight in regwars against those who got to the top quite a long time ago.
Based on this, I personally don’t know how to deal with the decline in interest in the game.
But until I reached this point, there was so much fire that it was periodically stopped only by burnout. When you work a lot, but the variance still fucks you as if instead of a solver you drank beer for days. The community always helped me, going to a hookah bar, where I can whine to friends, analyze hands with them, or just gossip about some overly lucky player.
In general, I think that theory, solver analysis and everything else is good, of course, but for me the key to success is friends, and CLOSE friends in your field. When you are constantly in contact, and you know that you will be helped in difficult times. When there are friends with whom you can be completely honest.
Poker is an activity that you need to love. It's like with a beloved woman – all questions and problems can be solved, a compromise can be found and something can be thought up, but if the feelings have faded, then that's it, turn off the lights.
If you love the game, if the world is not nice to you without excitement in your eyes, then no matter what problems you face, sooner or later you will solve them. But if you don’t love poker, and you are here only to earn a couple thousand dollars – while it’s not too late, don’t ruin your life and look for an activity that lights you up.
Morel conical // try number two
Usually, my cooling off towards poker happens due to burnout, when the balance between poker and life shifts towards the former and at some point, especially if things aren't going well at the tables, you just can't look at the cards. During such periods, I often start having problems sleeping.
Well, globally, there were periods when I cooled off considerably towards MTT Hold'em, because the development of software and the abundance of schoolchildren with ready-made strategy-mining killed the romance. There is also a decline after series – when you fight for trophies and leaderboards, then it becomes boring to play the regular grid.
What helps me with short-term burnouts is an information and online detox, for about a week. Go to a spa, swim, lie in a jacuzzi. Wander around all sorts of places where I could never get to, about 10-15 kilometers a day. Lie down with a book. No news, messengers or internet (I only use maps to plan routes).
If earlier I couldn’t stop thinking about poker even on vacation, and in the evening my hands were itching to watch the latest replay of Super Tuesday or twirl the cards in my hands, dealing hypothetical hands, then over time I learned to switch off completely and divide my life into periods when most of my thoughts are about poker and when I practically don’t think about it at all.
The problem of global cooling towards Hold'em was solved by mastering new exotic disciplines, which retained the vibe of old'em of the pre-solver era. If I'm not in the mood to load the default grid, I almost always enjoy opening a couple of cash and MTT tables at limits and thoughtfully analyzing hands, showdowns and opponents there.
After serial athletes, it helps to compare yourself with professional athletes, because they have to stay in shape and train between the Olympics.
Vasya regisser // t.me/Regisser News
If you are tired of playing poker, then I would advise you to have an honest talk with yourself:
– Why don’t I want to sit down and play?
Is it because you are…
- Tired of losing
- Tired of sitting within four walls and grinding
- Hating this routine
- Unable to deposit
I advise you to quit poker only in the last case. In other cases, you can think of something.
If option 1, then it is worth figuring out "Why are you losing?" Is it a turn of the dispatch or are you not hitting the limit? Most likely, working with a stronger player can be useful here.
Option 2. It's probably just time to take a break from poker. A couple of weeks might be enough to reboot.
Option 3. Here I would consider the option of changing the discipline (at least for a while). It is quite possible that cash (MTT, spins) is not quite your thing. You can also "refresh" your routine by playing bets or marathons (that's what I did).
I'll add that for me and all other regulars, there is rarely only one reason. Usually it's some kind of symbiosis. But it's all treated the same way. Anton Wiedzmen once expressed a cool idea: "Treat rest as part of work. If your batteries need to be recharged, there's no point in working yourself to exhaustion."
Roma edRock // t.me/Very Excellent Diary
I have never had a period when poker really fucked me up. Even during the worst streak, I get a lot of energy from studying theory and willingly return to the tables.
I never tortured myself with marathon distances. I always felt well (maybe even too well) the moment when the increase in distance turns into violence against myself. And I knew how to stop (or not continue).
There is another very important life hack that allows you to stay motivated. You need to spend most of your profit every month to feel the danger of running under a bridge. True, some people manage to do this even with deep bankrolls: this is obviously a gift.
Well, and the most important thing: you need to be born in the right part of the autism spectrum to enjoy doing the same thing for years.
Ruben Darkneofit // t.me/NeuroSkill
Any hobby can fade over time. Poker, which used to give sporting excitement and a thrill from intellectual struggle, can also turn into a routine. The main thing here is not to look for quick emotions, but to change the approach to the game.
Our brain quickly gets used to pleasures. What used to charge us, eventually becomes boring. This is due to hedonistic adaptation, we quickly get used to what used to make us happy:
- Poker used to be a challenge, now it's understandable.
- Previously, there were many new situations in the game, now they are repeated.
- You used to feel like you were making progress, but now the growth has slowed or become less obvious.
If the game was about money or self-affirmation before, now it may not be so important. Although for most it remains a priority, but because these parameters are not always under control, the syndrome of learned helplessness develops. Then the focus should be shifted from "returning love to poker" to developing love for discipline through poker. This will change the very paradigm of motivation: instead of searching for new emotions and incentives, accepting the routine as a conscious choice.
Discipline is usually perceived as a tool for achieving goals, but you can change your view and make it an end in itself. In this context, poker is not a source of drive or money, but a laboratory for training willpower, concentration and self-control. To put this approach into practice, you can:
- Keep a discipline diary: note not your EV successes, but your level of adherence to your chosen regimen.
- Focus not on the result, but on the quality of performing routine actions (for example, following the select, unemotional acceptance of a downswing).
- Perceive discipline as an art, not as a necessity. Make the process of playing and preparing aesthetically pure, minimalistic.
- Gamification of discipline. To make training discipline meaningful, you can introduce a structure of achievements. You can track the number of disciplined sessions and strive to increase their number. You can introduce a system of discipline levels or track its percentage per game day.
Like this tracker [you can make a copy of the table and customize it for yourself] :
- You can create a public challenge that tests discipline rather than gaming skills. Examples:
– 30 days without gross deviation from the strategy (strictly follow the working range, without tilting).
– 90% of conscious decisions (every action at the table must be justified, without automatism).
– Impeccable training regime (clear schedule, preparation before the game, analysis after the session).
- You can keep track of the extent to which you are able to follow the chosen format and analyze the reasons for deviations.
Well, what if we approach the issue from the standpoint of the foundations of loss of interest? To understand why it disappeared, we need to figure out what kind of need poker used to satisfy. Sketch out a table like this:
Understanding these moments will help you rebuild the game. For example, instead of chasing emotions, learn to play in a "zen state". Or instead of money, bet on the purity of strategy.
Sometimes you can revive your interest in a game by trying a completely different approach. For example:
- Working with a new coach who brings a different perspective to strategy and thinking.
- Joining a poker team where there are common goals, support and mutual motivation.
- Exchange experiences with players of a different style to go beyond the usual game patterns.
A new perspective and environment can breathe fresh energy into the game, especially if you've been playing solo for a long time or have stuck to one strategy.
If your love for poker has gone, it means you have changed. This means you need a new approach. By making discipline your main guideline, approaching the game consciously and finding new meanings in it, you can regain interest in the game.
If there have been many attempts, and poker is already firmly perceived as a routine, then you can consider the option of leaving it in this status, and self-actualizing in other areas or aspects of life.
