The Player is also the Coach. It Could get Confusing
Played in the local live tournament last night. 1st place. $1880. As I said, I expect to win. I played well. At least compared to the competition. However I am going to need to play much better to have any chance in Las Vegas. Much better. On second thought, I didn't play that well last night.
After the tournament, I saw an image of basketball coach, Bobby Knight, on Television. Bobby is known for verbally abusing the players he coaches. Demanding excellence. And even when his players win games, he pushes them harder. Relentlessly driving them. Screaming in the locker room after games. Fiercely intense.
That's what it was like in my brain. Poker players for the most part have to both play and coach themselves. And the 'coach' in me was not allowing the 'player' in me to take any solace in the win last night. I was verbally chastising myself. Screaming at myself. "You think you can fuckin win (get in the money) in Vegas playing that way"? And the fact is I could see many mistakes in my game. Like an amateur golfer who can win the local club championship despite making mistakes he knows would kill him at the pro level. Fortunately, none of the local players were good enough to take advantage of my mistakes.
This self-chastisement was partly a carry over from Friday. Friday I took 6th out of 554 players. $2278. Normally a solid achievement. But the fact is, I was happy with 6th. I should never be happy with 6th. Never! Once I got to 6th, I basically stopped playing. Stopped fighting. Abandoned the strategy that got me to that position. Absolutely unforgivable. And the difference between 6th and 1st was over $9,000. And we all know that I could use the extra cash.
The only mitigating factor about last night was that I am still having a lot of difficulty seeing the cards. And I was able to win despite being very confused about what cards were on the table. (Caution: digression ahead) Hmm, that is interesting, could confusion be an asset somehow? I mean how can the other players "read me", if I don't know for sure what I have when I bet? The confusion strategy. Hmm. Something to mull.
On the other hand, Lasik surgery is probably a better option. A better strategy. Clarity, not confusion.
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Note to self: Keep pushing yourself. Demand excellence. Demand it. But make sure that you continue to build confidence in the process. Don't let the relentless drive toward exellence undermine any confidence gained. And remember to have a little fun. Being stuck in a room with Bobby Knight is no fun. Uh uh. No fun.
After the tournament, I saw an image of basketball coach, Bobby Knight, on Television. Bobby is known for verbally abusing the players he coaches. Demanding excellence. And even when his players win games, he pushes them harder. Relentlessly driving them. Screaming in the locker room after games. Fiercely intense.
That's what it was like in my brain. Poker players for the most part have to both play and coach themselves. And the 'coach' in me was not allowing the 'player' in me to take any solace in the win last night. I was verbally chastising myself. Screaming at myself. "You think you can fuckin win (get in the money) in Vegas playing that way"? And the fact is I could see many mistakes in my game. Like an amateur golfer who can win the local club championship despite making mistakes he knows would kill him at the pro level. Fortunately, none of the local players were good enough to take advantage of my mistakes.
This self-chastisement was partly a carry over from Friday. Friday I took 6th out of 554 players. $2278. Normally a solid achievement. But the fact is, I was happy with 6th. I should never be happy with 6th. Never! Once I got to 6th, I basically stopped playing. Stopped fighting. Abandoned the strategy that got me to that position. Absolutely unforgivable. And the difference between 6th and 1st was over $9,000. And we all know that I could use the extra cash.
The only mitigating factor about last night was that I am still having a lot of difficulty seeing the cards. And I was able to win despite being very confused about what cards were on the table. (Caution: digression ahead) Hmm, that is interesting, could confusion be an asset somehow? I mean how can the other players "read me", if I don't know for sure what I have when I bet? The confusion strategy. Hmm. Something to mull.
On the other hand, Lasik surgery is probably a better option. A better strategy. Clarity, not confusion.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to self: Keep pushing yourself. Demand excellence. Demand it. But make sure that you continue to build confidence in the process. Don't let the relentless drive toward exellence undermine any confidence gained. And remember to have a little fun. Being stuck in a room with Bobby Knight is no fun. Uh uh. No fun.
posted by Sonoma Blue at 8:04 AM
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