Ways Players Can Fall in Love With Poker Again

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Doug Polk has recently started communicating his desire to leave poker once again. He only returned to battle Daniel Negreanu in their heads-up grudge match. However, it appears that this challenge has not rekindled any love for poker. If anything, it is reinforcing his desire to stay away from the game.

So when a player gets to the point where they no longer love the game, what can they do? Is there any way to rekindle their love for the game? Today, we will look at some ways that players can try and rekindle their love for poker.

Revisit Why You Fell in Love With Poker

Most of us can remember when we first started falling in love with poker. Maybe you watched Rounders and was intrigued with the game. Perhaps you watched Chris Moneymaker win the 2003 WSOP Main Event. Maybe the World Poker Tour got you hyped. Or maybe you were that young kid that watched his Dad play poker at home games.

Regardless of the reason you fell in love with poker, consider revisiting the reasons you fell in love with the game. Rewatch some of the shows you frequented or maybe start playing some of the games you used to play when poker was fun and you had dreams of the big time. Nostalgia is very powerful.

Play a New Game

Sometimes our disdain for poker isn’t for the game as a whole but for a single variant. Often, No-Limit Hold’em players get frustrated with the swings of the game and start hating poker. When this happens, consider taking up other forms of poker.

Personally, I found playing different games of poker a way to break up the monotony of Texas Hold’em. I am a mixed games player and could switch from Hold’em to Stud, Razz, Omaha Hi-Lo, and even Chinese Poker. In fact, there was a time where Chinese Poker got me back into poker because I found the game fun. If poker is fun, odds are you will continue playing. It is when it becomes a grind that people start to hate it.

Go Back to Being a Recreational Players

Another common reason that people start hating poker is that they are playing it professionally or to supplement income. When this happens, poker becomes a job rather than a fun game. I played the game semi-professionally for a while and there were times where I would rather do anything else rather than grind.

That’s one reason I switched to the media side of things. Poker is much more enjoyable as a recreational activity for me. The same holds true for many. Play the game for fun rather than a revenue stream and you will burn out less often.

Get Some Coaching

The reality for some people is that they suck at poker. They don’t understand certain higher concepts and they are getting regularly raked over the coals at the tables. The game becomes frustrating and they start hating it. This is easily correctable for some with some poker coaching.

As a whole, poker is a much tougher game than it was at the start of the Poker Boom. If you go in without at least some training, you are usually going to be a losing player. Take some time to sign up for poker coaching, or read some poker strategy books to try and improve your game. Like most online casino games, when you play with a solid strategy, your results will improve. This will make the game more fun.

Leave the Game for a While

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. That cliche often applies to poker. Have you noticed that most poker pros that “retire” from poker end up coming back after a few months or a couple of years? That’s because, after a while, they start to forget the reasons why they hated the game or they start missing the game.

Sometimes, a player just needs a break from the game to recharge. Doing the same activity for years can lead to burnout. A long vacation from poker can help a player refocus and can lead to improving results when they return.