I was reading one of those "am I an addicted gambler" or "do I have a gambling problem" questionnaires one can find about the internet and obviously as a regular poker player epically failed it. The first question...Do you often gamble for long periods alone?
... pretty much finished me off and it went downhill from there. The only positives were I don't chase my losses and I don't let gambling affect my friendships. Some scant consolation for a man who's just failed an addiction test!
Of course the argument many would use against this is that poker is not of course real gambling. The Poker Economy is just like the real economy and skilled players are like stock traders (who also pay rake in the form of transaction fees) who can beat the games and therefore know in the long run they don't 'gamble' in the traditional sense.
It seems ridiculous to say to a poker player he has a problem because after he has a losing week he resolves to work twice as hard and put more hours in to make sure he can pay his bills this month. All the tests and questions in the world just don't apply if what are bad traits for people genuinely gambling in an unbeatable game (such as roulette) are actually good traits in the subject at hand - for example putting more work in.
That said if you are playing and you aren't a long term pro and poker is starting to destroy your life this list on Gamble Aware actually looks reasonable to me as all the points really stress the issues to the PROBLEM level not just the general level.
* Spending more money and time on gambling than you can afford.
* Finding it hard to manage or stop your gambling.
* Having arguments with family or friends about money and gambling.
* Losing interest in usual activities or hobbies like going out with friends or spending time with family.
* Always thinking or talking about gambling.
* Lying about your gambling or hiding it from other people.
* Chasing losses or gambling to get out of financial trouble.
* Gambling until all of your money is gone.
* Borrowing money, selling possessions or not paying bills in order to pay for gambling.
* Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or for a longer time to get the same feeling of excitement or buzz.
* Neglecting work, school, family, personal needs or household responsibilities because of gambling.
* Feeling anxious, worried, guilty, depressed or irritable.
Gamble Aware UK
Enjoying the thrill of gambling and the ability to take a gamble when required - for example getting AK in preflop sometimes you will be taking a 'flip' against QQ but folding AK all the time would cost you a fortune and make you a losing player in a lot of tough games! - are all important in poker. Many of the top players like Phil Ivey gamble one would think too much away from the poker table. However they have massive fortunes and the rewards for their lifestyle are great. If you aren't receiving those rewards and poker is ruining your life it may be time to seek help rather than throw away thousands of hours at just $6/hr at the tables when you could have a real rewarding career!
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