Online Gambling: Not for the Weak

I know that online gambling is now illegal in the United States, but let's face it, so is marijuana. People are going to play. I'm not condoning it, but I am familiar with the ups and downs of being in the hot seat. You can win big and have a great time doing it...or you can lose-and not just money. Before you decide to sit down with the big dogs at your online poker room of choice, there are certain things you should consider.

I don't have a theory on how to win at online poker. All I have is my story. I am an addict. I have been addicted to gambling for two years. I am not in Gambler's Anonymous, so I have no proven techniques for stopping. In fact, I can't really say that I have stopped, but I am trying...and so far, so good.

Loving the game of poker as I do, I completely understand the rationalizations behind gambling. And being able to play people all over the world from the comfort of your couch, with your coffee and your cigarettes (I know, I know...another bad habit) is very appealing. But for me, it's more about the thrill of winning than anything else. It feels absolutely fantastic! When you know you have the nuts and your hand can't be beaten, it's so exciting to watch someone call your raise. And even when you are not sure that you have the best hand, you just have to call to find out. In those cases, raking the pot is a feeling like no other.

But what happens when you lose? My experience tells me that losing doesn't necessarily mean that you get up from the table. There is always the hope of winning the money back and at least breaking even. So what do you do? You make another deposit. Well...that's what I did. And, believe me, I can't afford to do that. I'm not making excuses for myself. I know that if you can't afford to lose, you have no business playing. But I also know how hard it is to stop.

Online gambling is not all bad. It's just bad for me. I lack something that is very important if you want to make any money playing poker online-discipline. I have no self-discipline. I have tried everything. I even got it in my head that I would be able to play a couple hands a day, get up around fifty bucks a day, and then leave. That may not sound like much, but fifty dollars a day would be over a thousand dollars a month, and that's a lot of money for me. And I still couldn't do it.

So if you have the discipline, go for it. But if you know yourself well enough to know that you can't do it, don't even try. You will save yourself a lot of trouble by simply walking away.