Frugaling

Save more, live well, give generously

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Popular
    • Archives
  • Recommended
  • Contact
  • Save Money
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • Save Money with Mindfulness
    • Save at Starbucks
    • Psychological Trick To Reduce Your Online Shopping
    • Best Freebies
  • Minimalism
    • 8 TED Talks To Become A Minimalist
    • We Rent This Life
    • Everything Must Go
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • The Purchase Paradox: Wanting, Until You Own It
    • Nothing In My Pockets
  • Social Justice
    • Destroy The 40-Hour Workweek
    • Too Poor To Protest: Income Inequality
    • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    • Hunter Gatherers vs. 21st Century Desk-sitters
  • Make Money
    • Make $10k in 10 Months
    • Monetize Your Blog
    • Side Hustle for Serious Cash
  • Loans
    • 5 Rules To Follow Before Accepting Student Loans
    • Would You Marry Me?
    • Should I Have a Credit Card If I’m In Debt?
    • $50k in Scholarships in 70 Minutes

My High School Gambling Problem

By Frugaling 9 Comments

Share This:

Poker Table Chips Cards Gambling Problem
Photo: flickr/imagesofmoney

As a Millennial and part of the tech generation, I grew up around computers. I can’t remember much of a time before the Internet. Computers were ever-present by the time I reached middle school. When I was in fourth grade, I learned HTML and began writing code by hand – a geek of the highest order.

In elementary school, my parents bought their first computer. I was glued to the magic of the mouse, keyboard, and screen working together in a confluence of beautiful technology. These integrated zeros and ones seemed to dance before me, and it wasn’t long before I started making money from it all.

Today, I have a secret to share with you all: in high school, I had a gambling problem. In 2004, I started playing poker with my friends. It started out pretty casual and fun; lighthearted, even. Large groups of people would coalesce at one person’s house every couple weeks, and a doable $5 buy-in would be advertised. Texts and phone calls would be sent out, and the get-togethers were great.

Poker Cards Chips Texas Hold Em Gambling Problem
Photo: flickr/deutero

The buy-ins (the amount to play in tournament-style texas hold ’em poker) grew, too. What was $5 soon became $10, $20, and there were even re-buys (to buy back in for extra if you had lost once) at another $20. The shared prizes were amounting to hundreds and hundreds of dollars. If you won, you could easily walk away with an extra $100-200+ in your pockets. The infusion of funds was electrifying. I was hooked and loving it.

Some people were inspired by the statistical underpinnings. Behind it all, poker between friends was a stats-based game of skill and chance. But if you mastered the art of stats, your chances became stronger. Poker wasn’t pure gambling, as the same winners would be on the leaderboard week-to-week. They were doing something right.

The mathematics never appealed to me; instead, I loved the interpersonal dynamics – the play, candor, and fight between personalities at the table. Give me 8 other opponents, and I believed strongly that I could understand their style, bets, and choices. This was exciting and enticing. Unfortunately, at the end of every tournament, the game would be done for a couple weeks. I’d have to put my earnings and love for poker on hold.

I was looking to fill that gap, and that’s when I found online poker. The world of online poker is complicated to explain in the space and time I have today. Basically, the in-person life I was experiencing every couple weeks could happen every day – at any time. There were hundreds of thousands of players worldwide. Money was flowing – some would say overflowing. A growing mass of amateurs were joining, dropping $100, $200, $1,000 into online accounts. Frankly, they were suckers and I was ready to take advantage of their inexperience.

In 2005-2006, I was playing regularly online through two websites. I entered a couple tournaments and made nearly $2,000 in a couple weeks. When I played “cash games” (no buy-in and not in a tournament style), I was averaging anywhere from $7-10 per hour. Mind you, I was a sophomore/junior in high school, and this kind of money was astronomical to me.

Unfortunately, I had one major problem: I couldn’t stop. The money was so powerful and my earnings were ridiculously lucrative. I lost respect for money, and that’s where things got troublesome.

I was only 16 years old, had made thousands of dollars off of poker, and I was getting bored. Better said, I wanted to raise the stakes and make more money. $2,000 here and there was no longer enough – I wanted the $50,000 prizes and $50 an hour average pay. Amidst this mix of greed and boredom was a toxic combination. I started playing one-on-one (colloquially: “heads-up”) for hundreds of dollars at a time.

The numbers didn’t really mean anything, and it all began to feel pretty surreal. Once, I continually bet $100 against someone – over and over again – until I lost about $400. My heart was racing. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Within seconds, I had lost hundreds, and all without care. I had been gambling for entertainment, and this was never the intention.

Off and on, I struggled to stop or curtail it – a telltale sign of addiction. The rush was calling and I itched to play more – in time and money. As my winnings disappeared, I saw my savings account go back down to near-zero. In addiction parlance, I had hit rock bottom, and began selling off dvds, books, and anything I could get my hands on to keep funding the rush. When I ran out of that, I used credit cards. When I ran out of that, I realized I had lost everything.

I’m about 5-6 years “sober” from poker/gambling problem. I haven’t touched a deck of cards to teach or play texas hold ’em. I blocked and closed all online accounts. Like all dependencies, I know this itch is eager to get back out there and play another hand. Instead, I’m writing this article and saving my precious pennies. Now, my life is changing and it has nothing to do with the cards I’ve been dealt.

Share the wealth:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Social Justice Tagged With: Cards, cash, Gambling, Games, Greed, money, Online, Poker, Texas Hold Em

Comments

  1. J. Money says

    March 12, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    Rock on man! That’s hard to do, no doubt about it. A friend was just asking if I wanted to join his weekly “guy’s night” poker game and half of me jumped out of my seat in excitement, but the other part of me pulled me right back into it. I don’t think I was ever addicted to the degree you were, but I def. miss that rush of whether winning or losing. Good for you on finally calling it quits. You’re a strong man!

    Reply
    • Sam Lustgarten says

      March 12, 2014 at 11:30 pm

      Hey J,

      Thanks so much for your comment and support. Yeah, I’m glad I called it quits, too. 🙂 Long journey, but glad to be away from the thirst for more chips. Haha.

      S.

      Reply
  2. Mark Ross says

    March 12, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    Poker is really a very addicting game, especially when you’re winning.
    I think that you did a great job because you stop playing poker before it ruins your life totally.

    Reply
    • Sam Lustgarten says

      March 12, 2014 at 11:30 pm

      Mark,

      Thanks for your comment. I think that’s what hooked me: a couple big wins. Suddenly, nothing seemed better. :/ Glad I figured it out though.

      Reply
  3. Dave @ The New York Budget says

    March 13, 2014 at 5:11 am

    I remember the height of online poker. Stories were coming out that people were actually making their living off of it. It would be interesting to hear what happened next for those people and if their experience is similar to yours. Great work getting out and staying away from the poker temptation. When I played with friends, I was always the one that argued for the $5 buy in instead of the $20 buy in. I am fortunate in that I am not predisposed to the gambling bug.

    Reply
  4. Michelle @ fitnpoor.com says

    March 13, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    What a great and honest post. My mom and brother have major gambling issues. The casino became their second homes. I do not think that people realize just how addicting winning and even losing can be.

    Reply
  5. Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life says

    March 14, 2014 at 8:03 am

    Wow, that is serious! I really enjoy the $5/10 tournaments and if I go to Vegas I’ll allow myself $100 at limit table, but that’s about it.

    Reply
  6. Daisy says

    March 18, 2014 at 9:07 pm

    I often am worried about my brother who really likes to play poker. He plays mainly with his friends, to my knowledge. I don’t think he is as involved with the online poker. It’s pretty scary, because gambling is so addicting. I’m glad you kicked the habit. I laughed that you started with coding so young – I didn’t even know what it was until a few years ago (and I’m a millennial!)

    Reply
    • Sam Lustgarten says

      March 19, 2014 at 10:16 am

      I was (and still am) a super nerd. 😉

      Reply

Join the Conversation: Cancel reply

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Best Of

  • Was Albert Einstein A Minimalist?
    Was Albert Einstein A Minimalist?
  • 5 Tricks To Save Money At Starbucks (Updated)
    5 Tricks To Save Money At Starbucks (Updated)
  • Ownership Isn't Real, We Rent This Life
    Ownership Isn't Real, We Rent This Life
  • Master Your Budget With Google Wallet Card
    Master Your Budget With Google Wallet Card
  • Dating As A Minimalist
    Dating As A Minimalist
  • 8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
    8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist

Recent Posts

  • How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
  • How To Live Stream Your Art
  • 5 Fun Summer Activities on a Budget
  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby

Search

Archives

  • June 2023 (1)
  • May 2023 (2)
  • January 2023 (1)
  • March 2022 (3)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (4)
  • July 2021 (5)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (2)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (2)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (5)
  • March 2018 (6)
  • February 2018 (4)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (10)
  • November 2017 (3)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (5)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (4)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (4)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (4)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (4)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (3)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (8)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (14)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (13)
  • February 2015 (12)
  • January 2015 (15)
  • December 2014 (10)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (12)
  • July 2014 (11)
  • June 2014 (12)
  • May 2014 (16)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • March 2014 (13)
  • February 2014 (9)
  • January 2014 (20)
  • December 2013 (9)
  • November 2013 (18)
  • October 2013 (15)
  • September 2013 (11)
  • August 2013 (11)
  • July 2013 (27)
  • June 2013 (18)
  • May 2013 (16)

Best Of

  • Was Albert Einstein A Minimalist?
  • 5 Tricks To Save Money At Starbucks (Updated)
  • Ownership Isn't Real, We Rent This Life

Recent Posts

  • How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
  • How To Live Stream Your Art
  • 5 Fun Summer Activities on a Budget

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in