Decisions

I watched a movie a few nights ago about the writer Ernest Hemingway, probably the most influential writer of his time. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. In 1964 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. But despite all his success and fame he was a troubled man. He made some awful decisions. His final one was to end his life with a shotgun.

In poker, decisions really matter. A big part of the game is inducing your opponents to make mistakes. Good and bad decisions can make the difference between sudden death or sitting behind a commanding stack of chips. It’s said, poker is a microcosim of life itself. It’s true and part of the reason I love the game so much. Still to be determined though, is whether my investment in it has been a good… or a bad decision.

Aces and Eights

“Wild Bill Hikock” – Artwork by Stephanie Campos

James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok epitomized the adventureous men of the wild west I envisioned as a boy. He was among my favorite characters I read and heard about, and made even more famous, in the television and film westerns of the 50s and 60s. Characters that included the likes of Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, the fictional Marshall Matt Dillon, Bret Maverick and Paladin from Have Gun – Will Travel. All of them good guys, ‘cept they all wore black hats, Dillon the single exception! Hickok lived a most interesting life of notoriety. Some said he was the fastest gun in the west, but, as boys are apt to be, I was most intrigued by the drama and circumstances of his death.

James Garner – Actor, Poker Player

The Young, Dashing Bret Maverick

I’ve been distracted of late, it isn’t the first time but this blog is never far from my mind. I’m always conflicted on what to write about and how long these entries should be, not to mention finding the time to concentrate on whatever subject it is I finally choose.

Realizing I post regularly to my Facebook page on a myriad of subjects I got to thinking today: Why not just expound on some of those same things here within my blog? After all, each entry doesn’t have to be a lengthy epic of paragraph after paragraph of astounding, deep-thinking commentary. It just needs to be a sharing of a single thought or two on my interest of the day, something I hope worthy of sharing with you my regulars. Something “compelling” would be a word a friend often uses. So, here goes!

By-the-way, thanks as always for stopping by!

Why I Play Poker

What mighty contests arise from trivial things. ~~ Alexander Pope

Throughout the whirlwind of my life during the last several years has been one constant, the game of poker.  I admit it, I’ve become a poker player and in a big way.  Here’s a few of the reasons why.

I liked poker professional Annie Duke when I watched her second-place finish during season 2 of the TV reality show Celebrity Apprentice.  It was the spring of 2009 and a disappointing loss to the totally classless, foul-mouthed comedienne Joan Rivers.  I knew very little about poker, not even the difference between a full house and a flush. But it was Duke’s example and how she held up to the ridicule of her profession that would influence my decision to learn more about her game.  It would turn out to be a life-changing event.

I know what some of you are thinking.  Poker?  That disreputable game of degenerate, down on their luck, addicted gamblers?  Those sad souls hoping for that one big score, playing in smoke-filled backrooms full of dog kickers and child molesters?  You’re just another gambler wasting your life in a loser’s game!  How unfortunate it is that poker in the minds of some is so misunderstood and regarded as a socially unacceptable way to pursue competition.  A game likened to visions of zombie gamblers glued to slot machines.  It’s true people are mostly down on the things they’re least up on.

You’re a poker player?  A poker player?  That’s beyond white trash.  Poker players are trash darling, trash! ~~ Joan Rivers