anomaly16

This is another topic that I need to make progress with next year.

Grinding for a living is a pretty insular existence, working long and often unsociable hours alone. Talking with friends on AIM/Skype is good, but not a real replacement for the human contact you'd get with colleagues in a traditional job.

It's important for the mental side of poker to get away from the tables at times and obviously for your own sanity too!

As it has been my first year, I've approached it much as I would starting a business, in that its critical to put in a lot more hours than is probably good for you. I've probably averaged 7 hrs a day, 7 days a week at the cash tables and probably a lot lot more if you consider coaching, sweating, hh reviews, tournaments, live play, browsing 2+2, watching videos, studying and just talking and thinking about poker.

Its hardly a break from poker, but I try and get to the casino once a week to play a live tournament just for a change of pace and see some real people!

One of the great things about playing online poker is the ability to play anywhere and any time with only a laptop and internet connection. It affords great opportunities to do other things and travel so why not take advantage? Being able to go to Vegas for several weeks, even if it was a working holiday, wouldn't have been possible otherwise but more about that later.