Poker for Fun?

So Poker.com did this upgrade and they added several new games. Draw, triple draw, stud and badugi among them. I have no idea how to play these games and in fact, I didn't even know the rules for Badugi. But I played them anyway (for very low stakes, of course.)

I had a blast! Didn't expect to win, didn't even CARE about winning (which was good, 'cause I didn't) just throwing cards and chips around with abandon. What a great time. Turns out, poker can be fun, if you play for fun. I'm just not sure how to do that with texas hold 'em.

I love poker. I have since I started playing it. But the only game I took the trouble to learn was Texas Hold 'em. I worked very hard at my game and in fact I have achieved some small measure of skill. But I wonder if I tarnished my enjoyment of the game a bit. (No, guys, this isn't a repeat of my post at the poker.com forum.) After all, I have my best times at the poker table playing games I don't understand and don't expect to win.

Poker is one of the few hobbies that can really ruin your day. A hunter/fisherman comes back with out a prize, he's still happy and relaxed. Go to any poolroom and you'll see people play for hours, never win, and still have a great time. I've played basketball (this was quite a few pounds and even more years ago) for hours, losing every game, and having fun. But a poker player has a bad session and he's still grumbling about it hours later.

Tru, this is a trend of mine even outside of poker. I get interested in something, work myself to death at it, then the hobby becomes a subject of stress because I've focused so hard on winning at it that I don't enjoy it. For me, at least, every hobby has a point past which it isn't fun anymore. And I've crossed that line with most of my hobbies.

For instance, I taught myself to play chess at 5. Was beating my parents by 6, and by 8, I was beating everyone I knew. Thought I was the worlds greatest player, then found out I wasn't. But I liked chess, and enjoyed it for years. But I decided to see how good I could get. Worked very hard at it, was ranked in the 1900's for a bit, but didn't like it anymore. Too much work for a hobby. Now, I enjoy chess, but I'm nowhere near as good as I was. I did the same thing in bowling, where it took me leaving the game for a few years to discover that, altho I COULD carry an average above 200, the game wasn't any fun at that level. To carry a 200 average, I was bowling 4 or 5 games a day, 6 or 7 times a week. The burnout was not long in coming. So I cut back to 2 or 3 games twice a week, my average dropped to 180, but I was having fun again.

But poker is a bit different in that you can make money at it. And I have. Not a lot by some peoples standards, but thru my winnings at live and online poker, I have purchased a used car, a computer, eyeglasses, clothes, gifts, and countless nice dinners with my girlfriend. The money involved can make it REALLY easy to lose sight of the fact it should be fun. At what point does a hobby become an income opportunity? And is it still a hobby?

Now, even with out money, I still love poker. I want to make that clear. Like any social game, it's the talking, laffing, drinking, etc that makes it fun, but I do love the game itself, the strategies, the discipline, the exitement. After all, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have tried so hard to succeed at it.

But I'm not a professional. I'm not semi-pro. I'm not even a talented amateur. And I'm never gonna be. I'm just a dude who plays cards. Maybe I play well, I don't know. I know there are many, many players out there who would laff at what I call good poker. But I do know I love poker and want to continue to enjoy playing it.

At some point then, I need to enjoy the game even when I expect to lose. If I don't play well, or if the cards are cold, or if the suckouts are in full effect, I still need to be able to get up from the table with a smile. How do you work at succeeding, with out ruining your enjoyment when you don't succeed?