Poker And Fear

[darkrider88 0]

I recently started a blog, and I desperately need some honest outside critique. This post is poker related, so I figured it would fit. Having my family and friends tell me it's good doesn't help me. Hope you find this interesting.Fear and PokerThere really isn't any other game like poker. It's an adventure in statistics, psychology, game theory, investments (risk vs. reward), human nature, analysis and synthesis of patterns, courage, and fear. The last topic is interesting. Everyone, to some degree, deals with fear. At the poker table, true emotions are amplified, and fear can become a major factor. The challenge at both the poker table and in life is not to deal with the symptoms of fear, but to conquer the fear itself. Let me explain.About a year ago, a big hole in my game was often I folded on the river (the final round of betting). Many times I knew the odds dictated calling a bet, but some sort of irrational fear within me prevented me from putting in chips without a stellar hand. Fear was hurting my game, and I needed to correct it. I began to start calling more and more bets on the river, and started to really believe I was overcoming my fear. That all changed Saturday.I was in a tournament, and was sitting on a great hand: a King high straight. It was well disguised, my opponent didn't think I had much, and I was set to make a ton of money. That is until the last card brought a Queen, which enabled my opponent to have a bigger straight with just holding a single ace. He quickly bet, and suddenly my huge hand looked pretty bad.There were a lot of clues that pointed to me being beat. There were physical tells (he looked very calm and even asked me "do you have the 9?" in a way that told me he definitely had a good hand). Him holding an ace sense throughout this entire pot, and there are very few hands that justified his big bet. He was NOT the type to throw a big bluff either. No other hand really made sense. I was getting a little less than 2-1 on the call, and decided I would fold.I couldn't fold though. Instead I reluctantly threw the bet into the pot and was promptly showed the Ace of clubs and lost the pot. Why? One word: fear. I was scared to fold the best hand. I was scared of being shown a bluff. Fear didn't hurt my thought process; but it killed the execution. I must have told myself 10 different times that I was beat; it didn't matter.After the tournament I was left questioning myself. I thought I had overcome fear at the table a long time ago. But I really didn't. Fear still dictated my play during that hand, but instead resulting in a fold, fear manifested itself in a stupid call. Then it hit me. What I did a year ago was get rid of a symptom of the fear (in this case, folding on the last card). I DID NOT overcome the source of the fear. There is a big difference.Is fear something that I can remove entirely? I think so, but it has to come from deep within myself. In life it is easy to correct a symptoms. You feel sad; go get a drink. You feel lonely; go watch a sitcom. You feel devoid of meaning and satisfaction; go buy a new car or other cool toys. All these things alleviate the immediate symptoms of depression; but they do not touch the underlying source of the issues.I'm not going to pretend I know how to get rid of the source of my fear. I have different ideas, but obviously I have a long way to go. It is definitely a struggle, but after all, it is the battles we fight that largely determine who we are.Thanks guys.

[Yoda 1]

I think it reads more like a short essay for school than a blog. Maybe because you explain everything like it is being read by a child. Is your poker blog targeting people who don't player poker? Seems like a rough mix...or maybe it isn't a poker blog at all. In which case I don't really have much of an opinion.The ideas and writing are fine though otherwise...Just my .02

[loogie 115]

It reads very static.

[darkrider88 0]

Thanks guys. Yea it's not really a "poker" blog, so I tried to make it really easy to understand the poker part of it. This was just one post where I used poker to explain something I had been kicking around in my head. When you say "static", what exactly do you mean? Thanks again. Keep the criticism coming, it's what I need.

[loogie 115]

When you say "static", what exactly do you mean?

It hits one level and stays there throughout. You should delve deeper into your subject. What does fear mean to you? What are you afraid of? Looking foolish? Losing money? Besides poker, what scares you? What are your ideas on how to remove your fear? Writing well is scary in itself as it involves giving the reader a window to your soul.

[Napa_Don 688]

It hits one level and stays there throughout. You should delve deeper into your subject. What does fear mean to you? What are you afraid of? Looking foolish? Losing money? Besides poker, what scares you? What are your ideas on how to remove your fear? Writing well is scary in itself as it involves giving the reader a window to your soul.

[The Feelings Jar 0]

I recently started a blog, and I desperately need some honest outside critique. This post is poker related, so I figured it would fit. Having my family and friends tell me it's good doesn't help me. Hope you find this interesting.Fear and PokerThere really isn't any other game like poker. It's an adventure in statistics, psychology, game theory, investments (risk vs. reward), human nature, analysis and synthesis of patterns, courage, and fear. The last topic is interesting. Everyone, to some degree, deals with fear. At the poker table, true emotions are amplified, and fear can become a major factor. The challenge at both the poker table and in life is not to deal with the symptoms of fear, but to conquer the fear itself. Let me explain.About a year ago, a big hole in my game was often I folded on the river (the final round of betting). Many times I knew the odds dictated calling a bet, but some sort of irrational fear within me prevented me from putting in chips without a stellar hand. Fear was hurting my game, and I needed to correct it. I began to start calling more and more bets on the river, and started to really believe I was overcoming my fear. That all changed Saturday.I was in a tournament, and was sitting on a great hand: a King high straight. It was well disguised, my opponent didn't think I had much, and I was set to make a ton of money. That is until the last card brought a Queen, which enabled my opponent to have a bigger straight with just holding a single ace. He quickly bet, and suddenly my huge hand looked pretty bad.There were a lot of clues that pointed to me being beat. There were physical tells (he looked very calm and even asked me "do you have the 9?" in a way that told me he definitely had a good hand). Him holding an ace sense throughout this entire pot, and there are very few hands that justified his big bet. He was NOT the type to throw a big bluff either. No other hand really made sense. I was getting a little less than 2-1 on the call, and decided I would fold.I couldn't fold though. Instead I reluctantly threw the bet into the pot and was promptly showed the Ace of clubs and lost the pot. Why? One word: fear. I was scared to fold the best hand. I was scared of being shown a bluff. Fear didn't hurt my thought process; but it killed the execution. I must have told myself 10 different times that I was beat; it didn't matter.After the tournament I was left questioning myself. I thought I had overcome fear at the table a long time ago. But I really didn't. Fear still dictated my play during that hand, but instead resulting in a fold, fear manifested itself in a stupid call. Then it hit me. What I did a year ago was get rid of a symptom of the fear (in this case, folding on the last card). I DID NOT overcome the source of the fear. There is a big difference.I'm so distraught over so many anxieties. The depth to which I have no idea. No idea at all over how this is all going to affect my life. I don't know if I should blame my parents, I'm really not one to blame other people. I don't know how this madness happened. I don't even know if it is madness?? I feel so lost and alone.We all get tired. We get tired of possessions, people, relationships and love or the lack there of. I keep having the same terrible nightmares! Night after night after night, it's always filled with ultra-violence. Everyone dies, but I'm alive, always dodging death in it's most horrible form. Maybe the drugs have something to do with it. I've thought about ending the nightmares. A lot more so when I was younger. Now I think it may be to selfish of a thing to do. Who willingly straddles their loved ones with pain and debt? This is all so trivial. I'm so trivial.I'm sick of niggas lyin', I'm sick of bitches hawkin', matter of fact, I'm sick of talking.I'm not going to pretend I know how to get rid of the source of my fear. I have different ideas, but obviously I have a long way to go. It is definitely a struggle, but after all, it is the battles we fight that largely determine who we are.Thanks guys.

fyp