Poker? Yes, because life resembles a game of poker.
Some think poker is all luck, that it’s easy, complicated, even rigged. Constantly underestimating it, hating it when it doesn’t go their way, still getting pumped with each hand dealt.
When you think you have it, you don’t. You read the rules and follow them, make a set of principles, apply them in every direction, and that’s it. Wrong. It doesn’t work that way. It’s not enough to know the rules if you can’t read a situation.
At a poker table the most important aspect is adaptability. You need to be capable of getting an eye full of the other players, be observant and know how to adjust to their rhythm or style, because sometimes just knowing all the tricks and schemes doesn’t win you the hand. It’s crucial to understand the context, and select what would fit best under those circumstances even if it means trying a free fall or turning a blind eye.
Then there are others who view poker as a simple game in which you win or lose because you need to ‘beat’ your adversary. I disagree.
That is because I don’t see it as a win-lose game. Even if you don’t win the big prize or you don’t get first, second place, you still win. You can win a big sum of money or none, but you do learn. You get better. That happens only if you allow yourself to grow, to stand up after making considerable mistakes while still finding the strength to believe in yourself.
Effort? You bet! After all, we all struggle at some point in our lives, and for what? Maybe for one or two climatic moments that might turn our world around.
Unfiltered 