The Tao Of Poker

Poker is really just a metaphor for life. I've learned that the lessons learned on the green felt are almost always applicable to the situations that occur in everyday life. Successful poker players are often successful in life not because of their knowledge of poker, but rather, because their outlook on life carries over to the way they play their chips.

Lately, I've been experimenting with developing a solid technique for winning massively multiplayer poker tournaments (900+ players). I have been playing poker for over 15 years, I've played with the best players (the ones you see on TV) and I've read dozens of books on technique, strategy, mathematics, and psychology of poker. I've even written computer programs to aid my play dynamically. I've become obsessed with finding THE winning strategy for this game of skill.

And it's working! In the last month, I've placed 2nd, 14th, 41st, 71st, 7th, 3rd, 40th, and just last night, 22nd. (Usually the payout starts at 110th place, and gets progressivley larger as you move to 1st.)

Last night I lost a hand that if I won, I would have more than likely won the tournament. It was textbook. I had pocket AA with a board of KQ5 and my opponents pushing all their chips in with AK and K8. There was only one card (of 43) that could lose the game for me. The turn was a 2, making me a 99% favorite to win ... until the case K fell on the river. I only won 12x my entry fee. ;)

Now, I've also been trying to advise a friend on how he can better play in these tournaments ... with poor results. You see, his style of play --- in my viewpoint --- is reckless, relies on luck, and is succeptible to large deviations. It's a fantastic style of play ... when the game is right ... but without "changing gears," I deem it too costly. By contrast, --- in his viewpoint --- he might say of my style that it is too conservative, predictable, and not prone to win big. And we'd both be right!

However, to prove a point, I adopted his strategy for a few tournaments and recorded my results. What emerged was that, all things being equal, I was extremely unlucky. I lost big. So last night, I played my game and came up with a play-by-play rationale for every move, thinking of course, of how I might finally open my friend's eyes and get him to the final tables.

Then I realized that he too loses big when he adopts my style of play. I was so lost in the belief that there is (as suggested by the pros) ONE style of play which in the long run, wins the most chips, that I forgot that most people don't play for "the long run."

So as each person's path to enlightenment is uniquely their own, so too it seems is each person's style of poker. My friend wins big when he plays instinctively, but loses when he tries to play "with the percentages." I win big when I play smart, and lose when I get reckless. I continue to believe (for me) that there is an optimal winning style of play, and I endeavor to play it, but I'm no longer worried about my friend's style of play; he'll figure it out eventually ... and why would I want to deny him the pleasure of finding things out?

This is such a hard lesson to learn.

Besides, as long as the "long run" and the "short run" go along the same path (at least momentarily), why not just enjoy the company?