Poker and Premature Aging
What gives? Is it mainly due to stress? Depression? Are there psychological issues, like it's a known fact that mental issues lead to premature aging? Does the constant cycle of dopamine create aging?
I've seen lots of people who sit at offices and eat poorly that look a lot better than a lot of grinders. Even the grinders who exercise a bit.
Adderall/vyvanse/ADHD drugs are so addicting - once you start taking them and doing well, you never want to play without it and it becomes something you feel like you need to take for your job! It's a mind**** getting off and maintaining that same level of confidence and focus without taking it but it's a different planet of playing poker.
It's very easy to get from your doctor because it's a pretty common issue of focusing at work.
I've never taken ADHD drugs
Best I've done is stoned 25plo
my guess is mostly years of bad sleep schedule and probably subpar diet and not enough exercise, a direct consequences of playing live poker all over the world
I think online grinders on a schedule can do just fine with the occasional live event
I was thinking pretty much the same thing.
Also the stakes and variance can be crazier live.
1/2 is a somewhat big game multi tabling online, while its the smallest possible game live.
Same idea for MTTs but even more extreme.
Adderall/vyvanse/ADHD drugs are so addicting - once you start taking them and doing well, you never want to play without it and it becomes something you feel like you need to take for your job! It's a mind**** getting off and maintaining that same level of confidence and focus without taking it but it's a different planet of playing poker.
It's very easy to get from your doctor because it's a pretty common issue of focusing at work.
oldtimers would agree. without coffee they are doomed. I want to see a casino card room coffee pot. Cleaned once a month ....maybe.
Btw Dwan and Robl look either their age or only a little bit older, and Robl if I remember correctly actually took exercise and eating healthy seriously. Dwan's appearance on some interviews looks a lot like sleep deprivation haha. Dan Cates is a freak, even in the early 2010s the guy looked old already.
I agree about Robl. A lot of 35 years old look worse than him.. hes just unlucky with balding and the fact that he isnt doing anything about it like cutting his hair a lot shorter makes him look a lot worse than he could. If Patrik Antonius had shitty hair with bald top spot on his head he would look terrible too. Robl doesnt look that aged face wise.
Im about the same age and Id say hes right bang in the middle of what youd expect in terms of "oldness" in someone his age.
I agree about Robl. A lot of 35 years old look worse than him.. hes just unlucky with balding and the fact that he isnt doing anything about it like cutting his hair a lot shorter makes him look a lot worse than he could. If Patrik Antonius had shitty hair with bald top spot on his head he would look terrible too. Robl doesnt look that aged face wise.
Im about the same age and Id say hes right bang in the middle of what youd expect in terms of "oldness" in someone his age.
Yea Robl ran bad with the going bald so he looks older from that but he doesn't look old otherwise.
Dwan looks a lot holder than he is.
If this is even a real phenomenon, my money is on the bad sleep schedule, diet, and lack of exercise. A lot of poker players sit at a table all day (and night) and eat garbage. They breathe in garbage casino air too. You can play a lot of poker and still have a healthy lifestyle, but poker does not necessarily facilitate it.
As far as the stress goes, I'm not a pro and can't speak for pros, but I know that the amount of stress I experience at the poker table drops as a function of how much I've
I think this is true for a lot of people. Not so much pure degenerates or bustos trying to grind on limited funds where running bad for a few weeks means you can't pay your rent. But people who have been successful in poker for a while or are successful in life and are just playing for fun have seen it all after a while.
Gambling is often an addiction. Addicts age very poorly. Many poker players have major issues with substance abuse in addition to the gambling. Lack of exercise + terrible diet + addiction = rapid aging.
Sober pros who exercise regularly usually look good for their age. And for senior players who play in moderation, poker is similar to chess in that it keeps the mind sharp and slows the onset of dementia.
Yup. Working in restaurants was far more stressful than grinding MTT full time, for me at least. Returning to poker actually helped me get sober.
Too many poker players just don't prioritize their health. Six years into my pro career and I'm easily in the best shape of my life now, could still pass as a college student probably and I'm mid 30s.
Yeah, poker is not the cause so much as it is the venue. If someone was an architect, a marine biologist or an importer/exporter, but had poor habits in terms of sleep, diet and exercise, they'd go downhill at a similar rate as a poker grinder with the same lifestyle.
I can relate. I don't play poker at all, but my work schedule creates habits similar to what people are describing in this thread. Chalk it up to lots of late nights and weekends at sporting events. When I was 40, I could pass for 30. But now at 52, I probably look 62 to most people. One of my friends took a photo of me working on the pool deck the other day. When she sent me the shot, my reaction was "who is that old fat guy oh wait that's me..."
Stress is one thing but most people don't take care of themselves and as you get older it shows. Need to be lifting weights consistently, drinking lots of water, eating clean,etc. There's people that look great at 50 and people that look like dog **** - your choice.
What's wrong with aging?
Btw Dwan and Robl look either their age or only a little bit older, and Robl if I remember correctly actually took exercise and eating healthy seriously. Dwan's appearance on some interviews looks a lot like sleep deprivation haha. Dan Cates is a freak, even in the early 2010s the guy looked old already.
Viktor,
When you back in the public eye
As soon as I successfully degen my way to riches one more time.
Currently busto, so no thanks 😀
Edit: I still look good
That's not what "Boomer" means.
I think it's the stress/ terrible sleep patterns generally, sedentary lifestyle and incentive to fall down the dangerous path of justifying takeaways because your hourly is too high to cook.
That said, poker does afford freedom to work on physical health in a way other jobs mostly don't, if you can resist the temptation to mega grind.
Being rich when you're in your 30s isn't worth much if your body is irrecoverably falling to pieces.
That said, poker does afford freedom to work on physical health in a way other jobs mostly don't, if you can resist the temptation to mega grind.
I don't think that's true anymore. Post-Covid it's not the black and white question of playing poker from home versus sitting in an office for 8+ hours.
At least most successful online poker players possess a skillset that would enable them to work in a job that's mostly (if not exclusively) remote with a lot of flexibility if that's what they want to do.
I don't know about premature aging, but I am almost sure that poker reduces the chances of getting Alzheimer's.
I've seen lots of people who sit at offices and eat poorly that look a lot better than a lot of grinders.
If they look good, they're certainly not feeling good or healthy if they're eating bad.
The biggest factor that causes premature aging is diet. The SAD diet (standard american diet) is the biggest killer out there. It's full of sugar, plants, flour, processed foods, chemicals, bread and seed oils that are all highly detrimental to the human body as well as the mind.
If anyone is seriously looking to reverse aging and live as healthy as you possibly can while feeling great eat only the following items: Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, bacon, some cheese, and drink only water, coffee with some cream and butter, tea or sparkling water and be sure to eat a lot of animal fats. It's called a carnivore diet. It will also cure diabetes (type 2), high blood pressure, and many other things including arthritis, depression and other psychological disorders. The people who go on this way of eating for 30 days will never go back to eating the way they were because they will feel so good with an incredible amount of energy and their minds will be as clear as a bell (I'm one of them).
+1 to all the challenges of staying healthy as a full-time grinder. It is possible but takes some work.
I will add that there is a body of research showing serious health risks from shift work. This can be pretty hard to work around for many.
If they look good, they're certainly not feeling good or healthy if they're eating bad.
The biggest factor that causes premature aging is diet. The SAD diet (standard american diet) is the biggest killer out there. It's full of sugar, plants, flour, processed foods, chemicals, bread and seed oils that are all highly detrimental to the human body as well as the mind.
If anyone is seriously looking to reverse aging and live as healthy as you possibly can while feeling great eat only the following
Just limit sugar & processed foods lol, no reason for this carnivore nonsense. I eat 95% vegetarian and feel great, crushing my fitness goals.
If they look good, they're certainly not feeling good or healthy if they're eating bad.
The biggest factor that causes premature aging is diet. The SAD diet (standard american diet) is the biggest killer out there. It's full of sugar, plants, flour, processed foods, chemicals, bread and seed oils that are all highly detrimental to the human body as well as the mind.
If anyone is seriously looking to reverse aging and live as healthy as you possibly can while feeling great eat only the following
While I agree with you that the SAD diet is horrible, the carnivore diet seems a bit extreme. Why no vegetables? And why basically zero carbs?
