Every day two million people, seventy to eighty percent of whom are from the United States, visit an online poker website. Although playing online poker can be fun, one must be careful: the game is addictive and playing it can have far stretching consequences.
As much as five per cent of all adult online gamblers eventually become addicted, says the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The rate for young adults is even higher. To avoid getting addicted to online poker, here are eight useful tips.
1. Don't try to win back your losses If you feel you have to return to the game as soon as possible after you lost to win back your losses, or if you feel the urge to return to win more after you've won, you're getting addicted. Trying to win back money is a good way to lose even more money. If you find it hard to resist the urge to return to the game, go outside for a while and try to clear your mind.
2. Don't play under the influence of alcohol or drugs Alcohol and drugs affect your ability to think clearly. The consequence is that you will have more trouble playing the game and will continue playing poker for a longer period of time. Make it a rule not to use any alcohol or drugs when you want to play poker.
3. Take a break In order to distantiate yourself from the game and put things in perspective again, take frequent breaks. If you find it hard to tear yourself away from the computer, consider using parental control software, getting a dog (dogs need frequent walks and will let it know when they need them) or setting an alarm.
4. Play because you're having a good time, not to repress negative emotions If you're playing poker to escape daily-life worries, there's a higher risk that you'll get addicted, as you are fleeing into the false safety of an online game. If you feel the urge to play poker right after an argument or disappointment, try to resist the urge. Problems won't go away if you play poker every time a problem arises. Deal with your daily life trouble before you go online.
5. Be alert for signals that you're losing control If playing poker is making you frustrated, if you cannot keep track of the time or if you are continually losing, stop playing. Be aware of your own behavior when you're playing and know when it's time to stop. Don't make excuses for starting up another round: no 'just one more game' or 'I just want to win one, then I'll quit'.
6. Set a limit Set a time limit before you start up the game. Half an hour a day is plenty and will leave you enough time to give attention to important matters like family, education and a social life. (Obviously, the less time you feel you need to spend online, the better.) Apart from the time limit, also set a money limit. It's a good idea to do this on the first day of the month: make the deal with yourself that you will not gamble more than a reasonable amount of money. After the money is gone, stop playing untill the following month.
7. Respect the element of chance Even if you believe you're a better-than-average poker player, there's always a chance that you will lose because you were just not lucky enough. Don't think that just because you play more often or because you're smarter, you're automatically more probable to win -- and don't think that when you lose, you have to practise more to become better at the game. Playing poker is gambling and the only one who ultimately wins is the owner of the poker site: it's no coincidence that there are over 300 poker sites in the world.
8. Seek professional help If other people are complaining about the amount of time you spend online, if you're in debt because of your losses or if in any other way your life has suffered from playing poker, do not be ashamed to seek the help of a specialist. A good site to start looking for help is http://www.gamblersanonymous.org. You're not alone in your desire to get rid of the addiction.
So please play safe and never play for money you DON´T have in you pocket,
In honer of Mickael(badbeat)Nielsen who lost his house, wife and children and even his dog
Joined: Oct '08
Location: Germany
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 2025
very good advices ! just "dont try to win back your losses" i cant resist. guess i have to fall more often on my nose untill i realize its smarter to take a break lol.
ok, I'm officialy addicted to on-line poker I think you really should pay attention to these points but I find it hard to stop if I'm losing, and if I lose I want to win it back so in a way I probably am addicted hehe well hey I don't play with my own money, and I have fun playing (ok not if I'm losing hehe).
still I think many people are addicted and should seek help.
Joined: Aug '08
Location: Australia
Age: 51 (M)
Posts: 1418
your exactly right, if i gave up smoking id just start eating s**t loads of food, if i gave up poker id head back to the track, cant win. poker is a VERY anti social game though.
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6786
"Half an hour is plenty...." What? Starting the poker client, make a bit of table selection, sit down, figure out who the fish is, quit playing. Priceless.
You are right but you can play two hours a day without addiction. It is very important to leave enough time for wige and children, but playing after dinner you can solve the problem. Of course I like to have sex early morning when I wake up, ahahahah
Very good advices ! Just "dont try to win back your losses" i cant resist. guess i have to fall more often on my nose untill i realize its smarter to take a break lol.
Posted by eaziabi: Good Article but u lost me with the half an hour a day line r u serious half an hour a day will make u a millionaire 4 sure lol
no thats rights but if you play to be a millionaire you play for the wrong reason, and playing some long tourneys or sit`n`go now and then not´s gonna destroy you, but if you gonna play for a serveral houres a day trying to make up for the 5g you lost the day before, i think it´s time to cut down the time...
My guess this is a thread forum was waitiing so long. I found this tips very useful, and will try it out. In fact i've figured out i'm getting addicted to this game, becoming non-resistable to tilt, becoming more nervous than before because the only f*cking thing i care about was poker... this game starts to killing me. Lucky, that i lose only about 500 bucks so far, and this is not critical for me. About one month ago i started concentrating on my mood, i was very carefully with this, now if i feeling bad i just shuting down PC and go to walk, this really helps. And now i'm slighlty building my bankroll(it's about 350$ now, so overall lose amount is 150$).
Posted by GeneYuss: 9. Find an addiction to replace the other addiction
well hey I don't play with my own money, and I have fun playing (ok not if I'm losing hehe). 
