Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Do You Take This Game?

It's an exchanging of vows so to speak. Just like when you agree to get married, you're accepting all that your soon-to-be-spouse has to offer. You're accepting all her great qualities, all the things that made you fall in love with her in the first place. But also know this. You're also accepting all her flaws. And you're not going to change them. So don't try.

If you decide to play poker, you're also accepting all that the game has to offer. The thrill of making a final table, the thrill of picking off a huge bluff, the thrill of out-smarting your opponent.

But you're also accepting all of its flaws.

Getting out drawn, getting dealt crap cards for two hours, dealing with people you wouldn't normally associate. And you cant' change poker. So don't try.

Some people still do try though. You can try to play a different style of poker, one that you think will minimize your exposure to its flaws. But it won't work, at least not forever. Because you can't change poker and eventually you'll experience all its wonders and all its flaws.

So if the flaws outweigh the benefits, you just don't get married. You find another girl who's a better match, one with fewer flaws. Nobody's perfect though, so don't bother looking for that person. But if you do get lucky, and find someone whose imperfections don't matter when compared to her beauty, only then can you dedicate yourself to making that relationship work.

So if you're not ready to embrace poker, take it for all the good and all the bad, then you should probably find another game.

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