Why do we play?

This should be an easy question to answer. The categories of players from casual, occasional, part time, full time, etc is wide. So too is the reason that all these categories of players play. Some play strictly for fun. Whether they are winning or losing, it doesnt matter to them. They enjoy the purity of the game and the money means nothing to them. You can find these players at 1c 2c, and all the way up to 1k 2k. A step up on the competitive ladder would be recreational players who also take winning semi seriously. Sure they can lose the money, but they care about winning and becoming a better and even great player. Others view poker as a source of income and they are best to not play for the rush involved in the gamble of the game, but better off detaching themselves from the emotions of it and only focusing on the decisions made. 

Regardless of where u fall in here, i think its a fact that during downswings you will ask urself "why the f*$& do i play this game?" 

Sure i rely on poker to pay bills and play fulltime. Ive beaten the game for some time now and even when i start losing buy in after buy in, i ask myself why i play. Why dont i just get a job and be a real person? Downswings can be brutal on ur psyche and for that reason i feel when ur on an upswing its important to "treat" urself to something that you otherwise wouldnt be able to afford.

So though i wasnt on a huge upswing, i have had a few month stretch here where i won more than i needed too and my bankroll was getting near the take shots at 200nl stage. To reward myself and remind myself that it is all worth it, i went out and purchased a laptop similar to this one:

I havent bought a top shelf cpu or laptop for a few years now, and have played mostly on behind the curve machines. Mostly cuz ima cheap bastard. So when this "new laptop" i had, prior to purchasing the lenovo pictured above, started to give me problems, i said f it and went and bought this top shelf one. 4gb DDR3, Intel I7 processor, 500gb hard drive, and some video card that i took the guys word for was good, i wanna say 8400 but i might be wrong. Either way a much nicer machine than i have had in quite some time. 

Regardless or your reasons for playing, remember that on an upswing its always nice to take a little off and splurge on something. Take ur wife/gf/random slut out to a nice place for dinner for all the nights you have neglected her. Buy urself that piece of electronics that will make u feel like u have a 12in cock. Go the bunny ranch and buy you some Sunny Lane (pornhub or bing her and thank me later). Finance a trip to thailand or the philippines and go nuts. You get the picture, always remember to pay urself first, especially when it comes to this crazy game of poker.