It has been a few months since I embarked on my descent into poker. Five-thousand hands into this odyssey, give or take a thousand, I have learned almost as much about myself as I've learned about the game. I've been elated, depressed, ecstatic, joyful, and downright angry. I've laughed outloud more times than I can count, I've consoled myself after a particularly bad beat ("You made the right play there. You made the right play. That's money in your pocket four out of five times there. You made the right play. Stupid donk!"), and I've also found myself arguing furiously with my computer screen ("How can he CALL right there?!"). Indeed, it seems my poker hobby brings out just about every shade of emotion. I'm sure this correlation has been made before, but I would argue that poker can resemble just about every facet of a rollercoaster.
1. You have to wait in line to ride the best ride.
I play mostly cash games online and a major facet of being good at this involves table selection. You need to look for the table that best fits your style of play and also has the most inexperienced and/or awful players at your table. However, these tables are often full and usually other players have noticed when a table looks to be particularly easy money. Sometimes you have to put in the time for that table, just like you would for that triple-helix, ninety-miles-per-hour screamfest at Cedar Point. The wait is almost always worth the monotony of the line. However...
2. Sometimes the best ride can feel like the worst.
You stand in front of a sprawling rollercoaster that promises a whole three minutes of top-of-your-lungs, hand-raising fun. You wait in line, you get on the coaster, and one minute into the ride, your stomach starts to give way and you're overwhelmed with a nausea that you're sure could kill you. You make it through what you think is the last corkscrew only to find yourself confronted with what looks to be an endless stretch of hills, valleys, ninety-degree banked turns, and more corkscrews.
In poker, sometimes that table of fish turns out to be sharks. Sometimes you finally call down that weak player with top pair only to be confronted with the nuts. Other times, the weaker players simply just get lucky. Either way, in both instances, what started out as a positive expection for entertainment or money turned into a nightmare. Sometimes, you just want off the ride.
3. The best rollercoasters can be just about the most thrilling and exciting experience.
You waited in line for what seemed like twelve hours and finally, you're on the ride. You ride up the initial hill, you're greeted at the top by a stunning panoramic view, and then you're off! With twists and turns taken at unimaginable speeds, your elation consumes you due to the sheer thrill and excitement. At that moment, nothing in the world comes close to adding up.
In poker, you wait for a table, then sometimes you can wait even longer just for someone to play back at you. You fold some hands, you raise some hands, your opponents fold in response. And then, unexpectedly, there is a key moment where you have to make a decision. Your stack hangs in the balance. The flop gives you what is likely the best hand! You decide to bet the flop. Your opponent reraises. Decision time! You decide to go all in, and your opponent calls. Then there's that brief moment, right before the two hands are revealed. You're hoping that you have him beat. You're begging to see his hand, because every millisecond seems like ten. Then you see it, and good news, you're a huge favorite to win the hand! Turn card, then the river, and your opponent's stack is yours! Nothing can beat that moment, where you feel like you're on top of the world. Then that moment ends, and you're back in line.
In both rollercoasters and poker, you really get a lot of everything. The complete spectrum of feelings, the best of the best and the worst of the worst, can be found in both. Of course, sometimes I feel flatter emotions in these situations, but the huge moments of victory and defeat really stand out. Those are the moments I really remember. One point that I left out on purpose is a more obvious comparison. I left it out because it can probably be made by just about anyone. However, I feel like it is nonetheless true: "Poker is like a rollercoaster ride--full of ups and downs." And truly, poker can be the ride of your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment