The Poker Weapon

"Poker is a mirror of life. Superb knowledge and skill is not enough-- the successful player must be able to ride the waves of luck, and separate bad luck from bad play. Self-awareness and "knowing thyself" is the only weapon the poker player has against the temptation to tilt away hours of hard-earned profit"...Henry Wasserman

"knowing thyself" in poker is a shield against meltdown in critical situations that differentiate failure from success. Controlling one's impulse to make risky, low-odds moves in questionable gambles in tournament play, seperates the winners from the losers. Last night in the limit hold'em tournament at the Oasis Open, I was a loser.

Low on chips, I risked it all with an Ace-nine offsuit and paid the price as I was eliminated. It is often said that one must make a move with a low chip count to survive. Wrong! Patience and discipline are more important when behind than unnecessay gambles. The under the gun player made a nice raise and I pushed my chips in. With the right thinking, I would have known that he had a hand that probably dominated my pitful Ace with a weak kicker and my chances were slim. When an Ace hit the Flop, I felt a rush of luck, but then realized that I was in trouble, given his position. Sure enough when the cards were out, He turned over an Ace-Queen and I was gone in 40th place. I chose to gamble in the wrong spot and got knocked out. Another lesson learned in my education as a tournament poker player. Patience, discipline, intuition and a thoughtful read are important element to success. I lacked all of these qualities in my decision-making. Maybe tonight, in the partners Omaha/Hold'em match I'll take this lesson to the table and advance to the winner's circle. Luck is the residue of design. I LOVE THIS GAME OF OURS!!! Congratulations to Reece and Tiger, two locals for their fine showings and excellent play to win mucho dinero!!:-)

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