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 Originally Posted by Renton
Yeah, I'm not even sure what a gambling problem would feel like, but I'm virtually certain I don't and have never had one. I feel like I see enough of it all around me among poker players constantly that I'd know the difference.
edit: not meaning to be high and mighty here, I'd be honestly curious to know what the symptoms are so I'll have a heads up if/when it happens to me
I feel that people who are addicted to gambling are usually addicted to the *thrill* of having money on the line; of the high they get when they think about how much they can make if they get lucky just this one time.
That is the exact opposite of what I felt in my poker playing heyday. I was a total nit moving up the stakes because I hated risking more money than I had felt accustomed to; I hated the variance; I felt a dull thump in my stomach that moment I realized that 400bbs were riding on whether or not a diamond hit, etc. I mean, obviously, as I became more "professional" with my poker playing I learned cared less and less about this stuff and got to the point where I barely took notice which of the 75/25s I was winning and losing, but that was kind of my basal, visceral reaction.
If there were any thrill I got, it wasn't from the money stuff (which stressed me out); it was from the ego fuel.
Though, of course, addiction could come in many shapes and sizes, and there certainly are more subdued, self-assured type of gamblers who think they're the best and will quit once they get all their losses back, only to slowly dig their own hole deeper and deeper.
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