Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[david3103]

Of course I care what people think of me Tony. But only about the weighty issues we encounter in life, the things that matter. And sure I could list 20 examples as well, such as I care if the people who know me think I'm honest, dependable, trustworthy. That I have good character, am hard-working, that I'm a good son, a solid friend. I could go on and on about the things that really matter.

However, I don't lump the things that matter in with the trivialities of life. And approach both with the same care & consideration. Do I care if people like the shirt I'm wearing, whether I'm too tall or too short, whether I drink orange juice or beer when I go out, how many chips I have in a poker comp? No cos the people who judge you on those things are shallow, and I really don't give a hoot about the fickle preferences of shallow people. Some blokes spend a fortune desperately rubbing hair foam into their heads because they worry about hair loss when really the people who judge you on the amount of hair on your head really aren't worth trying to impress.

You can train your mind to think any which way you want? What bollocks. It's hard to change. It's in the genes. You yourself advise people who take bad beats to heart to think about things in a different way, to look at the bigger picture. Why should they try and change the way they think? It's the way they were brought up right?

Anyways, Andy was not embarrassed in the slightest. If it wasn't for people like him the gag doesn't work & nobody laughs. He appreciates this and is happy to play his part, everybody has their part to play. Life is much richer and more fun that way. The part you play is short stack areshole hunter, so get cracking and enjoy it.

fyp

It is hard to change, and there are genetic factors in our psyche along with those that arrive in our upbringing.
You can train your mind, but it's not a simple process.
The video sums up the Mantis school of psychotherapy pretty well IMHO.

#Invalid YouTube Link#

For some reason I can never get youtube links to work on my iPad, it's so embarrassing.

[tikay]

More Vegas musings.



http://bit.ly/TlkyDy

[Big_D]

I might as well be hung for a sheep.

In for the $3k as long as you cheer the fk up.

[tikay]

ul tikay, cant pm yet so amazon orange 373 from 4pm today if u wanna catch up, failing that prob the cash game area.  Agree yesterday was the bigger of the value ones but the $3k isn't far behind as u prob know from last year.

Robert, have sent you a PM.

[Redsgirl]

Yo, you are fascinated by how the mind works?

Check it out...when you cringe with embarrassment seeing your name at the bottom who is making you feel that way?

Let me tell you it is impossible for anybody to MAKE you feel that way. Your reaction and your mindset to anything is entirely up to you. Entirely up to you. Even if people are laughing and pointing, which they aren't, nobody can force you to feel embarrassed. Those feelings originate from you and the reason they exist is because you place far far too much weight on what others might think of you. I have told you this about a thousand times.

So fascinate about this, how does making yourself feel this way help, how does it help you enjoy experiences more, how does it help you play better? How does it help in any which way?

So why not free yourself from that baggage? It is simple to do. Just give yourself a break and simply don't care as much. The truth is there are several roadmaps to win a tournament and going from shortstack to winner is as valid as any. And they all carry equal embarrassment rating. It is entirely up to you.

Anyway, a few years ago I went to watch a variety show with some friends. Jim Davidson is first up and it's a packed house. He starts by saying there's a raffle for a five star holiday to Barbados and all of us have a ticket under our seat. He reads out the winning number and low and behold it's my mate Andy who wins. He is ecstatic, he jumps up into the air, he double-fist pumps and lets out a big scream before running to the stage to get his prize. I check my ticket and it's the same number, all my friends have the same number, everybody in the whole theatre has the same number. Unfortunately it's too late to stop Andy who is bounding down the aisle and jumping up on stage.

"I've never won anything in my life Jim" he screams from the stage. The whole place is in tears. When he finds out he's the sucker does he cringe with embarrassment? No, he thinks it's brilliant and laughs as hard as anybody, really made his night. Entirely up to you Tikay.

That's a fascinating post.

It all makes perfect sense, though I don't agree with all of it.

Yes, I do care what people think, I always have. I cant help it, it is the way we are made, or it reflects how we were bought up. You are the opposite, you don't give a toss what others think, so sometimes you say outrageous things, & don't care when you get mocked. Both are perfectly valid minsets, just different.

When I went to the "Special School" as a kid, even as a dumb 7 year old, I was acutely embarrassed about it. "Everyone will think I'm stupid".

I was the last kid in my year, think I'd be 13 or something, who wore short trousers, & so I used to hide in the breaks as I was so embarrassed, as all the others had long trousers. That was over 50 years ago, & the memory still hurts.

As a teenager, I was embarrassed that I did not like alcohol, & preferred orange juice, & all the other lads ribbed me, so I started drinking, peer pressure & all that. Luckily I saw sense & quit when I was 21.

I could give you 20 or more other examples.  

It's in the genes I think, & is very hard to change.

Let me give you a weird story which demonstrates these peculiar mindsets which I don't seem to be able to control.

In my late twenties, I used to suffer terrible headaches & migraines, so I went to see the Doctor.  

He never even looked up, just asked me to explain what my problem was.

Repeated headaches, bla bla.

"What do you do for a living, do you worry much or get stressed out?" he asks.

He's still not looked up, or made eye contact.

"Yes, I do worry a lot, I worry about everything, & if I have nothing to worry about, I worry that I should be worrying about something".

He's still not looked at me.

"Well don't come to me, wasting my time with headaches, the cure is simple, quit worrying. Anything else I can help you with?"

It was the nearest I have ever come to punching someone in the face.

He was right, of course. Quit worrying, & the headaches disappear. But a worrier is a worrier, they can't help themselves. It's no different to arrogance, humility, lack of social skills, bad manners, upourownarseness, people who constantly belittle others on Social-Media, & a thousand other traits - it is not easy to change what we are.

So yeah, I do worry what others think, & I should not, but it is as hard as hell to change, especially at my age.    

Quite how those in the public eye cope with it I don't know. Roy Hodgson, David Moyes are great examples. Both decent human beings, & without exception, they have more knowledge about football in their small finger than their armchair critics, who have never had the ability to manage a major Football Team or in many cases manage anything, ever, except their bowel movements & bladder voids.

It's no different for golfers, jockeys, trainers, entertainers, whatever. Billy Public in his carpet slippers, posting anon, rips them to bits. How do those guys cope with it?

I saw Rory McIlroy described as a "complete clown" the day he imploded @ the US Masters. His critic was not even a Pro golfer, and had never been - & will never be - in such a pressure spot in his whole life. How these guys cope with such ridiculous criticism & rudeness is beyond me, & I'm well jealous of that ability, but I don't have it, & I doubt I ever will. The mind is a weird beast.

As a bonus from that story of the visit to my Doctor, I never again, not once in my life, visited a NHS GP. I do have a private quack I can access in emergencies, but apart from twice in the last 30 years, I've never troubled him. I expect I get the same aches pains & pimples as other generally healthy people, but that Doctor was like aversion therapy, so I don't do Doctors any more.

Interesting topic, or it is to me. Others will be yawning. All different, see?

The Romany word for embarrassment is 'ladge', and my old dad used to say, "It's only ladging if you're ladged". Which I suppose proves both points.

As I was reading Tikay's very eloquent reply to Mantis, I was thinking of my grandad saying exactly this, and how it was one of the only things I ever thought he was wrong about.
Somethings are always 'ladging' and just 'cause the person doing it isn't bothered doesn't mean there not causing embarrassment to other people.
I know that being overly shy never helped anyone, and it's even more awful that people sometimes feel ashamed of things that they have no control over, but being embarrassed occasionally is a natural and necessary emotion that everyone feels at sometime or other and surely suppressing that would only lead to people having no decorum left at all, we'd all be Big Brother and Jeremy Kyle participants in no time!

Giving a thought to what other people may think usually means you value there opinions of you, I'm just about the most brass necked cow you could come across, brimming with misguided confidence and not easily intimidated by folk, but if someone suggests I might have over stepped the mark a bit, or points out the gaping holes in the knowledge I claim to have, I'm instantly mortified and so I should be.
Even a dog has the good grace to hang it's head if it pees on your carpet.

[MANTIS01]

Sure thing I kinda agree Redsgirl, but it's really not helpful to have those feelings at the poker table. When Kendall gets short he needs to fight like a dog for every chip. Any poker player cringing with embarrassment/feeling unworthy has no kind of ideal mentality imo.

Generally, I think we do need to feel embarrassment as you say, but it's when that emotion seaps into lots of trivial areas that it becomes a hindrance. Going for a night out and drinking something you don't want is undoubtedly being overly sensitive to others. It's all about balance right? Everybody has an equal right to exist and you should forgive yourself to do as you please if you aren't hurting anybody.

[animalpoker]

Yes it's me rob , forgot u don't know my nickname as animal.  And yeh 8game , 3rd game is 25/25 NLH and the chips are flying in but not by me

Is it 10 posts before I can pm ?

I just had a good read of your Blog. Excellent reading, if I may say so. Especially "My Top 8 Vegas Moments, 2013 - Part 7, Famous Blokes I met".

You must be quite a rare breed to make a living Online out of those daft games.

Feel free to reply, & that's your 10 Posts.

Having watched you play, I can see why your alias is "Animal"......

If u saw me eating u would see why my alias is Animal

[animalpoker]

And 1 more for luck !

[celtic]

I think mantis is too short, and never messages me back. He's modist IMO.

[tikay]

Monster Stack Special from Las Vegas.


http://bit.ly/1lk1CvO

[KarmaDope]

I might as well be hung for a sheep.

In for the $3k as long as you cheer the fk up.

Do I need to send more money? In for the 3k obv.

[booder]

I might as well be hung for a sheep.

In for the $3k as long as you cheer the fk up.

Do I need to send more money? In for the 3k obv.

[Redsgirl]

Sure thing I kinda agree Redsgirl, but it's really not helpful to have those feelings at the poker table. When Kendall gets short he needs to fight like a dog for every chip. Any poker player cringing with embarrassment/feeling unworthy has no kind of ideal mentality imo.

Generally, I think we do need to feel embarrassment as you say, but it's when that emotion seaps into lots of trivial areas that it becomes a hindrance. Going for a night out and drinking something you don't want is undoubtedly being overly sensitive to others. It's all about balance right? Everybody has an equal right to exist and you should forgive yourself to do as you please if you aren't hurting anybody.

Mantis kinda agrees with me? I'm tempted to leave it right there, it fact I should probably retire from public life completely!

 You are saying that shit happens, we're all human and most things really aren't worth beating your self up over, and that's exactly what i think.
It's also true that in a game like poker, which is basically just mind games and luck, it obviously helps to have a I don't give a toss persona, but a persona is all it is, and everyone, even you will have there own little doubts and insecurities, and things that bother them that seem insignificant to others.
Luckily the things that may worry other people don't affect you, or if they did you have learned to override it, but I'd say the things that trigger shame in people are sometimes pretty deep set, and not always easy to dismiss.

Anyway, as I said before, in a nation full of people fast becoming consumed by there own self importance a little humility and introspection once in a while can't be a bad thing. (not a dig BTW!)



F.W.I.W. It's different with kids and teenagers, being awkward then is practically your job, and anyone who says they never made a fool of themselves once or twice trying to fit in is a liar!

Having said all this Mantis, you may in truth be unshamable, I mean, you did admit to actually seeing Jim Davidson by choice, on a public forum. (That was a dig BTW) 

[tikay]

Good morning.

2 or 3 Posts on here, & several PM's, suggest some muddied waters as to today's $3,000 WSOP PLO8, do Stakers need to send extra money to cover it?


Ther answer is "no", it was in the original schedule, so is already paid for, but thank you anyway.

The orig sched is here.....


27th May – Binions $200 PLO

28th May – WSOP $1,000 PLO

29th May – Orleans $225 PLO

30th May – Venetian $600 PLO8

4th June – Venetian $600 PLO

8th June – Golden Nugget $225 PLO8

11th June – Golden Nugget $225 Big O8

13th June – Golden Nugget $230 Big O8/BigO

14th June – Golden Nugget $125 PLO8

15th June – Venetian $600 PLO8

16th June – Aria $235 PLO OR Golden Nugget $200 PLO.

 17th June – WSOP $1,500 PLO

18th June – Golden Nugget $230 Big O8

22nd June – Golden Nugget $230 PLO8

23rd June – Binions $200 PLO8

24th June – WSOP $1,500 PLO8

27th June – WSOP $3,000 PLO8

[Big_D]

Good morning.

2 or 3 Posts on here, & several PM's, suggest some muddied waters as to today's $3,000 WSOP PLO8, do Stakers need to send extra money to cover it?


Ther answer is "no", it was in the original schedule, so is already paid for, but thank you anyway.

The orig sched is here.....


27th May – Binions $200 PLO

28th May – WSOP $1,000 PLO

29th May – Orleans $225 PLO

30th May – Venetian $600 PLO8

4th June – Venetian $600 PLO

8th June – Golden Nugget $225 PLO8

11th June – Golden Nugget $225 Big O8

13th June – Golden Nugget $230 Big O8/BigO

14th June – Golden Nugget $125 PLO8

15th June – Venetian $600 PLO8

16th June – Aria $235 PLO OR Golden Nugget $200 PLO.

 17th June – WSOP $1,500 PLO

18th June – Golden Nugget $230 Big O8

22nd June – Golden Nugget $230 PLO8

23rd June – Binions $200 PLO8

24th June – WSOP $1,500 PLO8

27th June – WSOP $3,000 PLO8

Feels like a win already ;-)