Poker Emotion

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Celebrate your wins and mourn your losses privately and briefly and let that emotion pass. I personally don't equate Zen calm with being an automaton. I equate it with enlightenment.

When I trained sales reps I used Nolan Ryan as an example. If you turned on baseball game with Ryan on the mound and did not see the score, you would have no way of telling from his demeanor whether he was pitching a no-hitter or getting shelled.

When someone asks me what my goal is at the poker table, my answer is "to play this hand as well as I can." Nothing more. Nothing less. Poker is a game of making good decisions. Emotions get in the way of making good decisions. Like mercy, emotion has a place in life, but that place is not the poker table.

Not to sound too Klingon (or too Zen), but the warrior leaves his emotions behind when going into battle.

Not to say I've gotten there yet, but it is a goal.