You know, it’s hard for me to say Poker is a hobby for me. It’s not that I’m always playing it, or I’m losing or winning a lot of money at it. In fact, it’s probably the opposite. I rarely get to play recently - a product of work and school and laziness. And I never play for any amount of money - more for the fun of playing.

The thing that I feel makes Poker MORE than a hobby for me is my fascination with it. And this fascination has led to a realization - something that’s been tickling me for a long time, and I still can’t get my head around it properly;

Poker is a game where your skill shows up in long term results.

I’ve been really having a good think about this for a while. When talking poker, you can never consider 1 session, not 5 sessions, and you can mabye think about starting at 100. We’re talking long term expectation value, not short term wins.

And that’s something I have trouble with. A good poker player needs to go through HORRIBLE rough patches and know that his or her game is solid, and that in the long run, probability will win out. I can’t. I get ugly.

I was watching the final 2 tables of the 2005 World Series Tournament of Champions - possibly one of the most exciting poker clashes I’ve ever seen. It’s also the most odds-beating session of poker ever compiled. There are SO many suck-outs that happen, it’s uncanny. I think watching it I really learned something. Perhaps even cemented it.

Our fickle lady ‘Math’ tells us that 55 Vs AKu push IS the winning play. It’s just not going to win all of the time. Or even 1 in 10. Mabye not 10 in 100. But over infinity, well, now we’re talking! We’d definately approach 55%

The trouble with what I’m telling you is this - I’m not a good enough player to run with the whole concept. Besides, I have a lot of HUGE holes in my game, most of which I can identify - but cannot plug up. I play emotionally, not robotically.

I still can’t simply smile when my nut flop loses an all-in push to a 3-outer. Even though I understand somewhere 10^8 more 55% vs 45% draws will show that 10% deviance in the long run, when I drop 5 coin flips in a game, my tilt light starts to flicker. The money starts going into the pot on stupid draws figuring the cards owe me money.

But they don’t owe anyone anything. They’re just cards.

To succeed at this fickle game, you have to learn to walk away broke, smiling, and knowing you made the right move. Sometime, before the universe contracts, that very same draw that busted you WILL even out. And lordy, that’s the hard part.

Ladyfingers : You raised tens on a lousy three-flush?
The Man : That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Making the wrong move at the right time.
- Stolen from Harrington, and in turn from The Cincinatti Kid