This is an email I wrote in Summer 2011 to thisbetom and IcarusJam regarding a 2+2 post about playing poker professionally. I do not remember where this post/thread is on 2+2. I have posted this blog in 3 parts as it's the only way for the blog to work correctly

I want to start off by saying that he is 100% correct about the sedentary lifestyle. Poker turns into a sedentary lifestyle for those who want to be sedentary. If you are a social being, you will seek out social situations to fill your desires. Many poker players, however, are the nerdy shut-in types who would prefer to be alone/sedentary. I think poker players who aren't sedentary kind of fell into a self-fulfilling prophecy of being sedentary. They heard so much about being sedentary/anti-social that they replicated the behavior, even if it made them less happy. Being sedentary/anti-social works well for those who were always that way, but it doesn't work for the person who enjoys going out and seeking adventure. YOU have to decide what makes you happy, you can't just fall into a stereotypical role of being a stay-at-home nerd.



The next thing I want to talk about is how to decide when to play, how many hours, etc. Personally, I was in my last 2 yrs of undergrad when I found poker and absolutely loved it. It was an escape from the rigors of Biology. I probably averaged 15-20hrs of playing and watched a lot of videos/read 2+2 A LOT back in those days. When I graduated, however, my hours at the table didn't really increase. I still averaged about 20hrs/week (80hrs/month). It made me feel miserable about myself. I went from being one of the hardest working persons I knew (balancing both school and poker), to one of the laziest I knew. Who the hell puts in 20hrs/week at their only job? I was and it made me mad. I knew it had to change, but I still struggled to change. I structured sessions and made a temporary schedule, but that NEVER worked. I either took on too big of a change (this is the mental muscle part of the pooh bah post) as well as being forced to play on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Guess what? Working on Fri/Sat/Sun is impossible to me. My immediate family all lives within a couple hours of me, so we often get together on the weekends. It wasn't going to be difficult for me to say, "no, I can't come b/c I have to play poker." In reality, it was no different than saying, "I have to work" but it is a lot easier to tell your friends/family you have to work. Try telling them you HAVE to play poker and you will get a very different reaction (you are a degen). They don't understand (rightfully so) how difficult it was to play 6max on a Monday from 9am-5pm. It was crazy to attempt to play 6max at those hours. So, I would end up playing 20hrs scattered throughout the week including the weekends, but often I would get less b/c I would go to an impromptu gathering of family for the day. I am a very structured person and poker was making me unhappy. I wanted so badly to work 9-5 during the week and have the entire weekend to myself so I could do what I wanted to do with my friends/family.



About 4-5 months after graduation (May 2008 to Sept 2008) I ventured into heads up cash. This was a life changing moment. HU action/hourly was quite similar at all times of the day. I started waking up at 8am or 9am, and then I would play all morning, take a lunch break, and then play a little more in the afternoon. I'm not sure how many hours I was averaging, but I can tell you I was a much happier person. I was waking up at a normal time. I was also MUCH more structured (grind a lot mornings/afternoons during the week, very little on the weekend). The biggest thing I noticed was my clear thinking ability early in the day. With 6max, I always tried to play at peak times. I would wake up at noon, waste the afternoon away, and then grind intermittently from 6pm-2am. I don't know about you guys, but I play considerably worse late in the evening when I am tired. I wasted my peak performance time (12pm-6pm) b/c the games weren't that good. Was I making more money playing from 6pm-2am? Yes Was it making me miserable? YES!