Woman trouble

Woman trouble

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

Dear Dr Tom,


My girlfriend thinks that I am completely poker obsessed. It’s partly true, I guess. I mean, sure, I like to play a bit, be it online or with friends, but it almost seems as if I have become a bit of a bore in her eyes...

Quite recently a friend of mine broke up with his girlfriend because they could not reach a compromise on the amount of time he spent playing online poker. Whilst I’m not quite at this stage, I worry that poker may soon take the front seat in my life. I mean, how is my girlfriend supposed to understand that all the best online tournaments are on the weekend?


Leo Draper, Shoreditch




Dear Leo,


Is your mate happier now he’s traded his girlfriend for poker? Seriously. If he is, this is a route you might try taking. It’s important to have a passion in your life and poker is a fine game. If you fall out love with the game later you can get yourself another girlfriend.


On the other hand, since it’s important to be disciplined if you want to be a winning player, girlfriend interference might not be a bad idea. After all, if you cut her a deal that says you’ll play just one night of the weekend then you’re likely to be more focused when your special night comes round. If you’re allowed to play whenever you want you can play like any old maniac.


By the way, when it comes to discussing how well you are doing with your sceptical missus, key phrases you should be using are “grinding away”; “bit better than the minimum wage”; and “happy as long as I show some sort of profit every week”. Then girlfriend will assume you have a harmless hobby and think no more about it. If she’s privy to the cardiac arrest graph form that every poker player’s results inevitably resemble, then nothing will persuade her you’re not a gambling addict and she’ll be hatching a plan to get you to take her shopping next time you cash in a tourney while she grooms sensible Mike from IT to take your place the moment you hit a downswing.



Tags: Tom Sambrook, Strategy,