The ecstasy, yes that’s right, it is the joy and excitement holdem brings to us. From walking in the front doors of the Crystal Card Room with the crystals shining lights in all directions and the smell of gambling in the air. Before we even sit down to play the potential of us cashing in a big reward is exhilarating.
There is no big reward without big risk, the bigger the risk the bigger the reward. Personally, I have gone from $60 in 1/2 no limit to $900 in just a few hours; that is after reading several poker books written by winning professionals and thousands of hands on free sites like www.Replaypoker.com.
After that first big cash out, we get a taste of glorious victory that plays tricks with our psyche and emotions. It makes us serious players dig deep and perfect our game in every aspect. That is one of the lures, there are many things to keep track of on the table. Such as chips stack not just yours but opponents, how your opponent’s shuffle their chips to counting how many hands it has been you have made a pair on the flop, also remembering what actions everyone took during every decision while remembering what the look of the board was. This is very valuable when making decisions into how you’re going to play the players because everyone plays differently and has their own style of play as well as tactics.
As if that wasn’t the only thing the odds and probabilities of hands as well as reading the board. All of this while remaining patient for good hands, and also knowing when to turn on the sass and bluff the right moments or steal stabs at the pot, while calling your opponent’s when they try the same tactics. The joy of making a good call on a bluff is a bolster of confidence and doing it consistently is a validation of skill.
Stacking the chips after winning a large pot is another reason why we play. We need the feel of the chips and the touch of the felt. All this combine for a true experience of life from a pure game without limits that get people from all walks of life with graduate degrees from Ivy league schools grinding it out. It’s not just winning the money, it is bragging rights and knowing all by yourself you beat the players on the table with wit, skill, and patience. It is a rush of hustle that cannot just bolster our wallet but give us victory in a game where stakes can be high and lives can be changed. It’s about being good and letting people know your good and gaining the respect of the players. For many it is how they make their living grinding out sessions to pay mortgages, car loans, and spending like a winner.
Some of you reading this may not have experience this feeling at the table and may have even gone broke, but success is not given, it is earned with hard work and perseverance along with the desire to be good not just in poker, in any walk of life. Have you ever asked yourself what your passion is in life? Can you ask yourself that and say that you are knowledgeable about your passion? Has your passion made you successful? Have you worked hard enough to be the best you can possibly be, beating your competition through skill?
When we sit down at a poker table it is more than just a game and cards where holding, it tells us who we really are and what we need to work on. The emotional roller coasters of bad beats and going on full tilt and having the ability to control yourself regroup and rebound is priceless, not just in poker but in life as well. Poker can teach us valuable skills when it comes to navigating this experience we call life. Life is much more enjoyable when where having fun, so is poker.
Remember to keep it fun, be sincere but not serious and love the game because it will improve every aspect of your life if you practice being a good poker player. That is why we play No Limit Texas Hold em.
Writing Dreams to Life 