With most of us are busier than ever, it's more and more difficult to find time to play poker. When you are finally able to carve out a few hours from your hectic schedule to dash into the poker room, you want to have a winning and enjoyable session. Because winning every time is an impossible featâ€"even for poker's very bestâ€"we can't rely on that to be the only criteria that keeps us coming back.

The cards we are dealt, and a goodly portion of luck, have a big impact on wins and losses. We've all played very good poker only to lose all of our money for the night, but we love the game and can still have a very enjoyable, satisfying session even if we break even or come out behind.

We enjoy the challenge, the competition, and the camaraderie that often comes with playing the game. Even at the most tense tournaments that I've played in, there is always great table chatter, jokes, and fun that come along with decisions that may sway the huge prize pool. This is why we can feel cheated if we are forced to play poker with an annoying person who seems to ruin the fun flow of the game.

After grinding out another thankless 60 hour work week pushing papers for his grumpy boss, Dave just could not wait to unwind at have fun at a buddy's Friday night home game. The regular crew at this single table cash game had a new addition that night.

The young gunslinger with thick, dark sunglasses and his ball cap on backwards seemed out of place among the otherwise easygoing, middle-aged crowd. It only took a few hands for Dave to confirm his initial hunch. The gunslinger was cocky, loud, rude, and rather disrespectful toward other players. After every hand he'd chime in with a smart comment, or boast loudly that he knew what the other guy was holding the whole time.

He showed every single bluff he pulled off, and blasted others as “lucky donks” anytime they caught him bluffing. He played too many hands, bluffed way too often, and talked trash far too much. Despite the fact that he was slowly draining his chip stacks off to Dave and his regular poker cronies, my friend was frustrated and disgusted.

Winning this guy's chips should have been enough of a payoff for having to put up with his foolish antics, but on this particular night that was not the case. Already emotionally and physically worn after a long work week, Dave did not have the fortitude to push though this guy's annoying habits. Uncharacteristically, Dave gave up a potential poker payday and excused himself from the game well before the gunslinger busted out. Instead, he headed out to meet up with a group of friends at the local off-track betting parlor to lose some money betting the ponies.

A hardened professional poker player would never dare to leave a game that had a dead money gunslinger hemorrhaging chips. To Dave, any many recreational players like him, annoying guys can spoil our poker fun and force us to leave. While it is true that many amateurs seek profit when we play the game, we also recognize that it's our escape. Like all pastimes, we hope to enjoy some laughs, relaxation, camaraderie, and relief from our daily stresses while we enjoy our chosen hobby of poker. While some annoying guys may be good sources of poker profits, the benefit of an increased win might not offset the cost of a less-than-enjoyable poker evening.

I couldn't fault my buddy for choosing to lose money betting horses with friends that he liked, rather than winning money at a poker table where he was miserable. For amateurs, winning is sometimes less about the money in the chip rack and more about an enjoyable emotional escape.

Now go make it happen.

John Carlisle is a National Certified Counselor with a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from West Virginia University. Contact John at pokercounselor@yahoo.com