Don't Look Back In Anger

[roverthtaeh]

Allow me, if you will, to escort you on a brief journey through time. Back to the era of Chopper bikes, Top Trumps, Spectrum computers and semolina. Back to the days when there were no such things as Sky TV, MP3's, Playstations or mobile phones; the days when our time was occupied by the likes of the Rubik Cube, Scalextric, Frustration and vinyl records.
Fading memories. The leaves of our youth long since fallen from the tree of life. But a youth I'm sure we all remember fondly.

And that brings me nicely onto the game of poker. Whether it be bad beats, a long run of being card-dead or simply badly timed moves, we have to just smile and move on. What's gone is gone, what's done is done. Time, my friends, is irreversible. In the words of The Beautiful South, we must carry on regardless.

It doesn't pay to dwell on the past, don't recall with disdain, don't remember with contempt, don't look back in anger. But never forget your history, no matter how brief. Better to remember and benefit than to forget and learn nothing.

What separates a good poker player from a brilliant poker player is the ability to deal with the bad situations; the right attitude to handle outdraws; the inner serenity to cope with bad beats.
The true professional is able to smile and proceed with the game. He commits the misfortune to memory but refuses to allow it to interfere with his progress. He chuckles in the face of adversity and diligently makes his way through the minefield of outdraws with a positive outlook. At the end of every dark tunnel there is light.

Of course, it's easier said than done. If poker was a stroll in the park we'd all be sat on the grass with our laptops, making fortunes and eating picnics. If you've had your Aces cracked, join the club, it's not exclusive by any means. If your nut straight has been obliterated by a runner runner flush, don't cry, there are plenty of folk who've already got the T-shirt.

I do know how you feel. Truly, I do. And I sometimes even wonder myself if life would be a whole lot simpler if I could just go back to the far less complicated world of SodaStreams, Atari Space Invaders and Famous Five books. Simpler, yes, but simplicity is for the weak of heart. Much better then to try and tackle life's challenges as they fall into our path. With the dawn of each new day comes a different problem. And we, as people, can only improve ourselves by learning, coping and understanding.

So, next time you have a big hand and lose the pot, take a step back, smile and continue on life's journey with the grace of a ballet dancer, with the contentment that you have handled misfortune, and with the knowledge that you don't ever have to eat semolina again.

I hope this helps.

[madasahatstand]

thank you for your words of wisdom

[SupaMonkey]

But i like semolina.

[doubleup]

hmmmm I think that you are missing game theory.  This means that you should occasionally berate bad play on behalf of your opponents so that you can randomly insult other opponents for no reason to try to put them on tilt.  I'm sure Sklansky wrote an article about it.

[boldie]

hmmmm I think that you are missing game theory.  This means that you should occasionally berate bad play on behalf of your opponents so that you can randomly insult other opponents for no reason to try to put them on tilt.  I'm sure Sklansky wrote an article about it.

I just kick the cat...or hamster...or another random animal that I come across. Of course I don't have any pets..but my neighbours do....they don't answer the door no more if they see it's me.

[Delboy]

Allow me, if you will, to escort you on a brief journey through time. Back to the era of Chopper bikes, Top Trumps, Spectrum computers and semolina. Back to the days when there were no such things as Sky TV, MP3's, Playstations or mobile phones; the days when our time was occupied by the likes of the Rubik Cube, Scalextric, Frustration and vinyl records.
Fading memories. The leaves of our youth long since fallen from the tree of life. But a youth I'm sure we all remember fondly.

And that brings me nicely onto the game of poker. Whether it be bad beats, a long run of being card-dead or simply badly timed moves, we have to just smile and move on. What's gone is gone, what's done is done. Time, my friends, is irreversible. In the words of The Beautiful South, we must carry on regardless.

It doesn't pay to dwell on the past, don't recall with disdain, don't remember with contempt, don't look back in anger. But never forget your history, no matter how brief. Better to remember and benefit than to forget and learn nothing.

What separates a good poker player from a brilliant poker player is the ability to deal with the bad situations; the right attitude to handle outdraws; the inner serenity to cope with bad beats.
The true professional is able to smile and proceed with the game. He commits the misfortune to memory but refuses to allow it to interfere with his progress. He chuckles in the face of adversity and diligently makes his way through the minefield of outdraws with a positive outlook. At the end of every dark tunnel there is light.

Of course, it's easier said than done. If poker was a stroll in the park we'd all be sat on the grass with our laptops, making fortunes and eating picnics. If you've had your Aces cracked, join the club, it's not exclusive by any means. If your nut straight has been obliterated by a runner runner flush, don't cry, there are plenty of folk who've already got the T-shirt.

I do know how you feel. Truly, I do. And I sometimes even wonder myself if life would be a whole lot simpler if I could just go back to the far less complicated world of SodaStreams, Atari Space Invaders and Famous Five books. Simpler, yes, but simplicity is for the weak of heart. Much better then to try and tackle life's challenges as they fall into our path. With the dawn of each new day comes a different problem. And we, as people, can only improve ourselves by learning, coping and understanding.

So, next time you have a big hand and lose the pot, take a step back, smile and continue on life's journey with the grace of a ballet dancer, with the contentment that you have handled misfortune, and with the knowledge that you don't ever have to eat semolina again.

I hope this helps.

  Post of the week!!

[Cupcake]

what a nice post.