What Genius looks like
Years ago I used to play poker with this older guy, let’s call him Mike. Everyday Mike would come in to play looking an absolute mess. His hair was always scattered over his semi-bald head, and his clothes looked like he slept in them the night before. If one were to describe him the words Mad Scientist might come up a lot, and believe me his antics at the table would confirm your suspicion. He was always talking to himself, always gyrating he acted like he just escaped from the Nut house. However despite his appearance Mike was a Genius poker player. He had great instincts and understood the math of the game better than Rainman at a Vegas casino. One day I finally got up the nerve to ask this crazy looking human being why he was the way he was. His answer surprised me. He simply stated, “ Cause I’m good at the game” At that time I didn’t quite understand what he meant. Years later as I began to take the game more and more seriously, I started realizing exactly what he meant. Poker should drive good players crazy. It is a constant war between minds. Successful players are always asking themselves difficult questions at the table, sometimes they do it out loud. All of this madness in an attempt to go one level above their opponents. This is why it is often called leveling. Mistakes from previous sessions are constantly being replayed in the head like a sports highlight reel. The intense pressure of trying to make the correct decision over and over can be a drain on anyone. In fact after a long poker session many times all I feel like doing is having a drink and sleeping for 20 hours. As the hands and the years add up good players begin to skew the line between the felt and the real world. Often times in very innocent situations I will find myself interrogating someone, Studying their every move in an attempt to decipher if the Salmon really is good here. One of my favorite rappers of all time Nas once said, “The noise in my head is the curse of the talented”. Boy was he ever right. Anyone can sit down at a table and play the game, but to be good at the game takes a certain bit of crazy. I believe that the truly great players rarely get a good nights rest. In fact add that to the list of question you ask your opponent at the next table you sit down at. “Hey how did you sleep last night“? If their answer is, “ Like a baby“, Then feel free to exploit, Poker can be fun and enjoyable, but if you want to become great at it be prepared to be committed, literally.
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