Initial Experiences

[Trinket]

Hey all.

I’ve been playing poker properly now for around 9 months, and I’m doing fairly well. As you know, I recently took a step into a new area of the ‘gaming industry’ when I went to the Empire Casino.

I told my friends about my interest in poker about 6 months ago (they previously thought I only played for fun, and thus at ‘play money’ tables), and I’ve of course been telling those that couldn’t come to the casino about the .

I’ve observed quite a change in my friend’s attitudes towards me and my ‘gambling habits’ as they call them over time, and I’m curious as to other people’s experiences in this area?

- When did you tell people about your interests in poker, or was it more of a slow integration?

- How did they react?

- How did your progression go?

Here’s my progression as best as I can remember it:

Disbelief – At first, when I said I was playing poker for money, people thought I was crazy. Keep in mind that these friends of mine are all students (as am I), and thus money is a large question mark () in some areas. My friends thought I was a little crazy, as stories often concluded with me losing money (Ah the early days ). Even my lecturers were a little wary of my new hobby, as they often overheard some of the conversations that took place with people. This phase lasted about a week I think.

Conversion – With the ‘apparent’ development of a pastime that was still sapping my student account, my friends took up a mission to try and pull me back from the ‘abyss’. This was the time in which I was reading as much literature as I could lay my hands on – we’re talking a real obsession about learning all I could. Of course, we all still learn something new every day, but this was something else compared to the time I have to play, let alone read and research. As I learnt, I eventually started getting better, and the losing stories eventually turned into ‘break-even’ and small ‘winning’ stories. Funny that this was after the time that I started posting here eh? This phase lasted around a month.

Aggression – Failing the attempt at stopping me from playing, people became quite hostile towards me, really trying to pull me away from the game. I didn’t take offence to it, as people were genuinely concerned. My friends now tell me that they were simply concerned that I may have an addiction and was losing more money than I could afford etc. This phase also lasted around a month – it was pretty tough.

Wonderment – Eventually, all my reading (books, blogs, this forum) began to pay off, and playing turned to slowly making a profit. I began to recoup my losses at a steady pace grinding out the micro-limits. I took down a couple of local tournaments at my pool club (which people thought was very cool), and my friends began to actually see that I was enjoying myself, and had enjoyed myself even through my losses. This was also a time where I could talk more about poker and people were more receptive. This phase lasted around 2 months.

Acceptance – Finally, people began to accept the fact that I had found a hobby that I was sticking to (I did have a history of wondering between interests), and not only that but also making a small profit from it.

Interest – Just before Christmas, with my poker interest overflowing into my degree with the creation of my film (Tilt), people have begun to see an appeal to the game. People ask me a lot of questions, which I do my best to answer. I also try to refer them to the forum, but I don’t think any of them have signed up . I suppose this then leads to:

Reverse Conversion – During my time playing poker, I have been fairly vocal about the game, but I’ve always told people that I play within my limits (occasionally taking shots) and that if people did play for money, that they should do the same (I actually tell them to follow Chris Ferguson’s’ bankroll management rules). With the recent boom in poker, especially here in the UK with new casinos popping up all over the place, naturally people have started to play for small stakes etc. I have to admit that it’s pretty cool having people to talk to about poker in person (there aren’t many, but it’s an increase from 9 months ago ), and I find it really ironic that things have changed around from about 6-7 months ago… Even my lecturers ask me how things are going. They're still as scared of poker as they were 6 months ago, but they can still see my interest nowadays .

Anyhow, that’s my experience with friends and family concerning my ‘development’ as a poker player. I just wondered whether people have had similar experiences or not?