I was really into playing blackjack in Vegas in my late teens (fake ID) and early 20s. Never really won or lost that much until one particular new year's eve when I dropped over four grand. I was 22 so it was a brutal loss that set me back for a long time.
The next time I went to Vegas, I sat down at a blackjack table and lost around 15(!) hands in a row. No exaggeration. After that, the fun was just completely gone. The good feeling of playing was replaced by complete anxiety at the prospect of losing even a 5 dollar bet. I didn't gamble at all for years after that.
Recently I went on a local gambling boat for a birthday party, and decided to play a bit. The anxiety was still there, but at a much lower level. While I was playing, I decided that if I felt myself starting to bet emotionally instead of logically that I would walk away from the table for awhile and return later.
I ended up winning a couple hundred over a couple hours of casual play. Nothing crazy, but paid for the whole day and then some.
I know blackjack is a lot different that poker, but I thought the logical vs. emotional was interesting relative to your thread.
