12-17-2001, 09:40 AM
The country is experiencing a slow down in the job market, so say the News people. In the Mid West the job with the greatest turnover rate, is that of the professional poker player. The new employee's of the poker community usually enter the profession after a sustained winning streak. They have usually read a handful of poker books, also they have read every article from the poker magazines, for the last six months. They have 900 hours of successful play behind them and now they feel like a winner. Then with reckless abandonment they quit their day jobs and become the local poker pro from Border Town.
You can spot them in every poker room in the country, they have a seemingly unlimited amount of luck with troubled hands from early position. Will play suited connectors like pocket rockets and some how come up smelling like roses. They never see it coming and when destiny finally catches up with them. They are lost without a clue of what happened.
Usually they face the inevitable reality with a return to their previous situation. But, it's only a temporary set back for they are rebuilding a bank roll, so they can repeat the same mistake over and over and over again. Border Town pro's are a dime a dozen and they are another feeding opportunity for the residence of the Valley of Patience.
So many poker players think they are better than they really are, winning streaks are not the end all ingredient needed to be a great poker player. Sure great players win, but a monkey can take a pair of pocket aces to the winners circle, when no one else is helped by the river. Great hands play themselves. The mark of a true winner is being able to throw away the great hand, when it's power has been neutralized. Knowing when to press on and when to give up, is the mark of a true winner. This fact escapes the thinking process of the Border Town Pro's.
Emotions will destroy a bankroll faster than white on rice. Here we are not talking about the emotions of tilt, here we are speaking of the emotions of expectations. Great expectations can get lost in a world of make believe. Having a hand with great expectations creates a mind set that says, "I have a right to win, because the hand is such a monster." The Border Town pro forgets the song of the gambler, know when to hold them and know when to fold them.
So the next time you think about giving up your day job for the life of a professional poker player. Make sure you have the right stuff, and you are not just delusional.
SPM,...got a day job, and keeping it...
You can spot them in every poker room in the country, they have a seemingly unlimited amount of luck with troubled hands from early position. Will play suited connectors like pocket rockets and some how come up smelling like roses. They never see it coming and when destiny finally catches up with them. They are lost without a clue of what happened.
Usually they face the inevitable reality with a return to their previous situation. But, it's only a temporary set back for they are rebuilding a bank roll, so they can repeat the same mistake over and over and over again. Border Town pro's are a dime a dozen and they are another feeding opportunity for the residence of the Valley of Patience.
So many poker players think they are better than they really are, winning streaks are not the end all ingredient needed to be a great poker player. Sure great players win, but a monkey can take a pair of pocket aces to the winners circle, when no one else is helped by the river. Great hands play themselves. The mark of a true winner is being able to throw away the great hand, when it's power has been neutralized. Knowing when to press on and when to give up, is the mark of a true winner. This fact escapes the thinking process of the Border Town Pro's.
Emotions will destroy a bankroll faster than white on rice. Here we are not talking about the emotions of tilt, here we are speaking of the emotions of expectations. Great expectations can get lost in a world of make believe. Having a hand with great expectations creates a mind set that says, "I have a right to win, because the hand is such a monster." The Border Town pro forgets the song of the gambler, know when to hold them and know when to fold them.
So the next time you think about giving up your day job for the life of a professional poker player. Make sure you have the right stuff, and you are not just delusional.
SPM,...got a day job, and keeping it...