This blog entry gonna be an attempt to
write something constructive, poker related as well as life related, and may
come as a surprise to the people that somehow stumble upon this blog and browse
through the various entries. Please bare / bear (whatever you prefer) with me
if the following is longer than usual, it's been a while since I was able to
write down my thoughts and rambles on virtual paper. To dive into the subject I
will make a sarcastic and provoking statement:
"People that have never played poker or dealt
with this confusing and fascinating card game don't know what they are missing
out on."
Quite obviously this is a confirmation
that you are indeed reading an entry of a poker related blog on the world wide
web, yet this fascinating card game has so many lessons to offer that most
would not expect when the term poker and gambling comes to mind in first place.
Why gambling? As part time poker player and full time poker junkie I consider
poker as game of skill but it's impossible to deny that luck is part of the
card game. And well, if you see some of the action on the micro limits you
would definitely get the impression that it's indeed gambling.
But this is not the main topic for this
entry and an in depth discussion to evaluate that specific aspect would be make
for a good sequel of the "Never Ending story". I gave up on new year
resolutions a few years ago because I realized that 50% of the goals are
daydreams and it becomes somewhat frustrating when you are unable to meet the
requirements. Instead I set myself short term goals and you can compare them
for example to a typical poker session, you don't just sit down to play but
want to achieve something specific if you take poker rather serious.
As time goes by, you have to adjust in
order to gain profit and some key abilities such as patience, logical thinking,
working under pressure and consistency endeavor their very own reality check. Would
you have guessed that straight away if you did not play poker before? In fact,
each hand teaches a lesson but it depends if you are willing to listen ... or
analyze the information in your tracking program once the session is over.
It is your choice what you want to learn
about the game, but it's the choice of Lady Luck to turn (or river) a blind eye
on you when needed. Dealing with the consequences and minimizing the influence
of luck are no fun, it is hard work and you have to stay persistent and keep it
up same as your daily workout at the gym. Are you able to focus and master the
endurance challenge? Can you feel the limits and push them further away each
time? The whole experience tells you so much more about yourself and you can
even make money with it if you do it right.
Of course, if it was that easy, everybody
would be doing it and the challenge is to set your own realistic goals to stay
motivated. If the goals are too low, you may soon lose the determination to
continue and work on your game. On the other hand, if the goals are way too
high and you never even get close, is it even worth it? Sure, we all dream of
winning a WSOP bracelet, but only a few will do so each year.
Finding the balance is the key to success
and a fit body and mind help a lot to play your best game and achieve all goals.
You think you already know who you are? Take a look in the (computer screen)
mirror and you may discover a completely different personality. Is there
actually a way to use that new knowledge for all other aspects of your life as
well? Of course, but nobody can tell you how exactly that can be done. You may read
it in a book but that should only ever be considered as advice, otherwise it
would destroy the learning effect and nobody is perfect.
We are all different, we have different
values and experiences and at the same time share the passion for the same card
game. Within one single hand it can make us happy or drive us insane, but with
the right attitude and preparation we can take a realistic approach towards the
game and learn a new lesson each time we play.
Do you still think, poker is "just a
game"?
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