The love of the game!

[Automatic Monkey]

I don't agree with that at all. Enjoying the game doesn't mean you get sloppy, nor does it have any correlation with playing "emotionally". On the contrary, enjoying the game keeps me sharp, and practicing, to be as effective as possible.

Why would people play chess or bridge so seriously, and without being paid? Purely because they enjoy it, and their pleasure ultimately makes them better players.

I can't imagine why anyone would bother with AP if they didn't enjoy it. The money's not THAT good.

It's not bad though. I grew up poor, so $1K or even $100 is still emotionally significant to me even now that it's not financially. It's like when a person has ever in their life not had enough to eat, food will take on an psychological significance to them and they run the risk of developing an eating disorder.

So now I'm just a GLUTTON for money! There's nothing wrong with having the emotions about money when playing, as long as you don't act on those emotions in your play. Just like anything else, when you see girls you shouldn't touch, things you can steal, people you'd like to beat up etc., the difference between having the feelings and acting on them is all that's important. And win or lose, I'm proud of myself when I bet the count no matter what. The disciplined behavior does bring satisfaction, that I just realized when writing this.