Poker lessons for life
March 24th, 2010 at 8:42:15 AM
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We hear "poker is a metaphor for life" all of the time, but how often do we actually explain why. Here are a few I have come up with, please feel free to embelish or/and add more!
"Know when to fold." If you know you are beat better to fold than lose at the showdown. So in life if you know you can't win don't spend all of your resources on it. An example might be trying to get your boss to give you vacation on a week that is unavailable. Sure you can keep fighting it, but at the loss of much goodwill.
"You have to play the cards you are dealt." 2-7 os can beat AA given the right situation. If you hold JJ you can often get QQ to fold. But if QQ still has the best of it and JJ can't just ask for more cards. I equate this to when people say we went to war without the right equipment. In WWII we didn't have the best tanks but we had more of them. Just like having a bigger stack but those fishooks against Sigfried and Roy.
"Checking and calling is often the right play, you don't need to show until the showdown" For any decision you need to make you can probably wait at least a little. In my life, for example, no need to decide to deal full time or part and keep my current job also. I have 12 weeks or more until I need to decide and anything can happen between now and then.
Do we have any more?
"Know when to fold." If you know you are beat better to fold than lose at the showdown. So in life if you know you can't win don't spend all of your resources on it. An example might be trying to get your boss to give you vacation on a week that is unavailable. Sure you can keep fighting it, but at the loss of much goodwill.
"You have to play the cards you are dealt." 2-7 os can beat AA given the right situation. If you hold JJ you can often get QQ to fold. But if QQ still has the best of it and JJ can't just ask for more cards. I equate this to when people say we went to war without the right equipment. In WWII we didn't have the best tanks but we had more of them. Just like having a bigger stack but those fishooks against Sigfried and Roy.
"Checking and calling is often the right play, you don't need to show until the showdown" For any decision you need to make you can probably wait at least a little. In my life, for example, no need to decide to deal full time or part and keep my current job also. I have 12 weeks or more until I need to decide and anything can happen between now and then.
Do we have any more?
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
March 24th, 2010 at 9:24:22 AM
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My favourite:
"Dont play the cards, play the players" I take it to mean that its not the situation that matters, It is your response to it. Have the confidence to stand by your decisions.
"Dont play the cards, play the players" I take it to mean that its not the situation that matters, It is your response to it. Have the confidence to stand by your decisions.
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March 24th, 2010 at 9:35:41 AM
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Quote: CroupierMy favourite:
"Dont play the cards, play the players" I take it to mean that its not the situation that matters, It is your response to it. Have to confidence to stand by your decisions.
I like that one and had not heard it before!
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
March 25th, 2010 at 10:37:28 PM
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One, that I've personally used: "Anybody can win with a straight flush. But bluffing with a pair of twos is much more satisfying." I can't remember where I read that, but I think it was an advertisement for an online poker room in one of the poker magazines. Anyway, I use this quite a bit. I take it to mean that given a perfect set of circumstances, anybody can make things rosey. But when you can take a bad situation, and turn it into a good one, then you've really accomplished something.
March 26th, 2010 at 5:39:04 AM
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Bluffing (and semi-bluffing) is often compared to selling. If you sell the concept that you have a good hand, the other person will buy it and fold.
A salesman, all teeth and swagger, wants to befreind you, while also selling you something that you might not otherwise want to purchase.
I got a postcard a couple years back from Borgata advertising poker. The tag line was "Make new friends. Take their money."
A salesman, all teeth and swagger, wants to befreind you, while also selling you something that you might not otherwise want to purchase.
I got a postcard a couple years back from Borgata advertising poker. The tag line was "Make new friends. Take their money."
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
March 29th, 2010 at 9:50:10 AM
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A new one to add this week! "It is up to you to protect your hand."
Story, I was dealing Hold'em at a party for some B-School students (many of which give such students a bad name, but I digress) and as usual at the informal ones people didn't know how to play right. One guy complained when I swept his cards when he didn't decalre his intentions clear and bodily (It was super-loud, hand signals were a must) and I swept his cards. When he complained I actually offered to see if he could identify which were his, this being just for "tickets" for a prize. (Before anyone says, if it was remotely for anything real it would have ended as soon as they were swept. I know that is the right thing to do.) FInally I said, "Sir, it is up to you to protect your hand, sorry but the hand is mucked."
Same in life. If you don't look out for your interests and have a "buyer beware" attittude you have yourself to blame when things don't go your way.
Story, I was dealing Hold'em at a party for some B-School students (many of which give such students a bad name, but I digress) and as usual at the informal ones people didn't know how to play right. One guy complained when I swept his cards when he didn't decalre his intentions clear and bodily (It was super-loud, hand signals were a must) and I swept his cards. When he complained I actually offered to see if he could identify which were his, this being just for "tickets" for a prize. (Before anyone says, if it was remotely for anything real it would have ended as soon as they were swept. I know that is the right thing to do.) FInally I said, "Sir, it is up to you to protect your hand, sorry but the hand is mucked."
Same in life. If you don't look out for your interests and have a "buyer beware" attittude you have yourself to blame when things don't go your way.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
