The appeal of playing online poker to make easy money has always been a gimmick for new players to give it a try. However, to really be successful at poker it takes something not every individual has. A combination of emotional self-control, restraint, and belief that you can become great at this game. Self-doubt is what makes most people eventually quit. In this update I will explain why so many people quit playing too early.
They Expect to Win Too Quickly
Nothing in life is ever easy, especially when it comes to poker. You can’t really get a good grip on if you are a winning player at the stake, you are playing unless you’ve put in around 10,000 to 30,000 hands. Even then this is still a relatively small starting point but at least it gives you a baseline which is what most people need. If you find that you are losing or breaking even moving down a level would be smart play as opposed to giving up and assuming the game is too difficult.
Poor Bankroll Management Wipes You Out
You can’t expect to play poker with 5 buy ins and think that’s enough to get you to where you want to be. When you are not properly rolled you end up playing scared or too tight, which puts a lot of pressure on you to produce out the gate. Ive found that having at least 20-30 buy ins for the level I’m playing is sufficient for me provided I am a winner at that level. Once again playing with enough hands as a base line is the fastest way to figure out how you are doing.
Playing In Games Too Tough
I’ve already been touching on this but it’s so true. Some people assume they are the most gifted poker players in the world and immediately try playing $500 or $1000 games, thinking it’s going to be easy. The reality is that there is a lot of information online about how to become a winning player using GTO or other playing styles. Pokerstacked has put together a guide to easy poker sites to play on for players looking for softer competition.
What I’ve found to work for myself is gaining all this knowledge around poker and then using it against my opponents at the table. For example, if I understand someone is playing more ABC or GTO style, I will use an exploitative approach which takes them off their game. I could only do this because I have so much knowledge and can see how other people are playing. It takes time to get this kind of wisdom but sticking with it and not quitting is what needs to be done.
Tilt Slowly Destroys Results
I would say emotional control is more than 50% of what it takes to play poker long term. Most people never understand this. At some point you can have all the knowledge around playing poker and be very gifted. But if you never accept variance is a part of poker and that you will eventually have your pocket aces lose to pocket jacks all in pre flop you will never move beyond being an amateur getting amateur results. There are lots of resources online about how to manage tilt, but what I’ve found to work for me personally is taking short breaks between sessions or sometimes quitting altogether for that day. You need to figure out what triggers you and learn to control it.
You Stop Improving
One of the biggest reasons online poker players eventually quit is that they stop improving. A player may learn the basics, understand starting hands, know a few common strategies, and then assume that is enough to keep winning. The problem is that online poker is constantly changing. The average player is more knowledgeable than they were years ago, and even recreational players have access to strategy videos, hand charts, forums, and training tools. You just need to improve week after week without making the same mistakes.
If you are not studying, reviewing hands, and looking for mistakes in your game, it is easy to fall behind without even realizing it. Small leaks can become expensive over time, especially when you are playing with a lot of hands. Maybe you are calling too often from the blinds, bluffing in the wrong spots, or failing to adjust to certain types of players. The players who last the longest usually keep learning. They review difficult hands, watch stronger players, study different situations, and stay open to changing the way they play.
Final Thoughts
If you stick with the game long enough meaning at least 1 year without quitting what you will often find is that you are good enough to play this game at the very least profitable part time. Poker can be brutal in the short term due to variance but if you start playing 10,000 to 30,000 hands per month you can push through the short-term variance and eventually get the results you are looking for as long as you are better than the opponents at the stake you are playing. You must put in controlled volume, analyze, and then adjust. The sooner you figure all of this out is when you can have a base line for profit per session and get a return from playing.
