Ok, so when I first learned to play (Note: I mean fish-level play...when I started learning the rules of Hold'em), I started having a weekly game with my friends. We all pretty much took turns getting lucky, with a few of the more cautious players usually doing better. Somewhere in the middle, we started playing for money - $5 buy in.

Then I started studying the game and playing online. Now, if I don't place ITM, something went wrong. I've won all but one of the games we've played since X-mas (came in 2nd there) and it's almost reached the point that it feels like I'm just taking their money. I'm tempted to stop playing just so I don't get regarded as the jackass who holds a weekly poker game as a veil to get money from all his friends. The idea behind the $5 buy-in was that it wouldn't be a significant amount of money for anyone. It's reached the point that people are specifically not playing because they equate it to throwing $5 out the window of a car driving down the freeway - there's a chance that if they turn around they'll get it back, but not a good one.

Anyone have any similar experiences/thoughts?

- Jeffrey