Going Broke can Happen to the Best of Us
We’ve all seen the ads. The guy who’s friends are waiting for him at the restaurant, or the disappointed girlfriend who’s ready to leave and the dude is saying “just one more hand.” Now, i dont put a lot of stock into these types of things, preferring to believe that it’s the media trying to vilify
online poker for any number of reasons. BUT, there are people out
there, quite a few people really, who have fallen prey to believing
that they cannot lose. Or, if they have enough money, over a long
enough period of time, they will make it all back and then some. So
they play, and get in debt, and to get out of debt play more. And the
cycle gets worse and worse…..
Take Football (soccer) star Brendan Fevola.
He’s a professional athlete, at one of the most popular sports on the
planet, and right now, he can’t make ends meet. He currently has
outstanding debts of about $300,000 mainly to bookies (aside from
credit cards, or citi bank, bookies are the worst places you want to owe
money). His yearly wage (potentially) exceeds $200,000 a year, so this
isn’t life threatening, actually, it’s more like Brendan became a
“regular” person with a big mortgage, car payment and maybe a baby at
home. He will get through this, but it illustrates my point. He
thought he was invincible. He didn’t put any limits on himself, and
got a rude wake up call.
What can you Do?
Now, i’m
not talking about losing your online bankroll…as long as that money’s
there for just poker lose it all you like. But when you start getting
into your rent money, you should take a look at your gambling habits.
So…..
Dont play with scared money
I’ve said this
before…..playing with money you can’t lose changes your game play and
style. You’re less likely to take that calculated risk, and more
likely to put your money in foolishly. Play with money you can afford
to lose, and you’ll play your best.
Use the built in Self Exclusion Software
On
every online gambling site, there is a self exclusion software built
right in. Utilize it. Make sure you decide well before playing what
your daily/weekly/monthly limit is, and set the exclusion software appropriately.
Also, if you find that you’re loading your account with money often,
you should probably set some limits for your own sanity. Usually
loading your account often means that you’re a losing player…and
giving money away is the actually the opposite of playing good poker.
Do you have any ideas on other ways to limit your online gambling? Share them in the comments!
