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Originally Posted by aoFrantic
Fluxboy is clearly smart and right about just about everything ... .
Thank you for the kind words, but I am all but certain my friends, family and colleagues would beg to differ.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aoFrantic
...even if I could never play like they do.
This style of play has numerous drawbacks. Admittedly, it's not going to maximize your fun or profits at the table. I actually consider this another benefit of the strategy, but that may involve some explaining. We all play for different reasons. And one thing I do not play for is emotional or financial needs. Nor do I play for charity. My happiness is not dependent on the river card. My ego is not bolstered by a triple barrel bluff. There is absolutely nothing that can transpire during a poker session that in any way impacts my life. Even a tragic session where I drop my maximum allotment of three buy-ins, is irrelevant.
What's $300 when your bankroll is $90k+?
I was at a table the other night, and there was a man there who looked like he had just escaped the gulag. And he kept stating:
"This is what it's all about! It doesn't get any better than this!"
I was pleased that he was having fun, but I felt sorry for him that such a trivial pastime could impact his emotional and mental state. This silly little card game was his refuge from life. Irrespective of that river card, you return in a few hours to the life you've built. Inevitably, he was escorted out by security. In the 4000+ hours I have played, I have never felt animosity towards anyone while playing. I believe a few have had issues with me, but you can't take responsibility for another's happiness. All blow ups, meltdowns, and tilt reflect the mental state you bring to the table.
You could say that playing a shortstack strategy is a boring, confining strategy that reduces a complex beautiful game to algorithmic play. And if your objective is to be stimulated, you could end the analysis right there. Or not. Maybe it's through this algorithmic play that life in all its complexity and beauty can be reflected upon, unmarred by ego, distraction, and game theory. It's not a matter of seeking freedom from structure and discipline, it's through discipline and structure that freedom is found.
As with all things in life, it's simply a vehicle for enlightenment.
That's why I play, and I hope you do to.
And I think that's as good a note to end on as anything. Thank you for the feedback, the kind words, the indignation, and the laughs. Maybe we'll meet up at the table one day. I'll be the guy not playing any hands, with no money in front of him, getting run over, doubling up, heading for the door ...
And having the time of his life.
All the best twoplustwo.
Sincerely,
Fluxboy