Poker: The End

At the end of this chapter of my life, I'd like to write about the game that has given and taken so much from me:

If I could do it all over again, I always say I wouldn't but when I sit and think about it, the answer isn't so clear.

The immediate pros and cons are obvious. Pros: Freedom, traveling, night life, etc. Cons: Late nights, bad sleeping and eating habits, etc. Something that I find to be neutral is the inflow of cash. I say that because whether it's good or bad is really dependent on who's hands it's in. There was a time period where having money was a good thing for me. I was responsible with it and it gave me the ability to do fun things. There was also a time period where I was irresponsible with it, spending it on overpriced material goods or excessive fine dining.

What's interesting is now that it's all over, I'm beginning to see more pros than cons. A lot of the pros are not immediate, you don't notice it until a situation occurs where you act instinctively and say, "How did I know? Poker."

One of the biggest pros I can think of is that poker has allowed me to do things that very few people at the age of 24 have experienced. I've traveled to so many places in and out of the country, I've bought bottles at the club make-it-rain style, I've gotten comped for RFB (room, food, beverage including alcohol) for 11 people and we were picked up and brought around town in limos; we racked up a $4400 bill over the course of two nights. They are things that you see in movies but you never think they're plausible. These experiences are opportunities that would have never been there had it not been for poker. I'm not saying these experiences are good or bad either way - the RFB for example came from an irresponsible decision I made at the Bellagio blackjack tables. I'm simply saying they were worthwhile experiences and poker was the enabler.

As I'm moving on to something bigger and more impactful (which I will write about sometime in the near future), I begin to look back and notice that there are deeper things that poker has given me. The one I think that will affect my life the most in the future is the ability to be a good judge of character. What I mean by that is to "feel" people out - know their motives, their strengths, weaknesses, what makes them tick, what drives them, what they'll do when faced with certain situations or decisions, how they "handle their business", how they carry themselves.

Everybody at their core has what I like to call a theme. As a poker player, you really meet all sorts of people with all sorts of personalities in all sorts of life situations. Because of this, everybody has a story. Some experiences that have shaped their lives and thus shaped the way they think and see things. I think the ability to recognize this is a big key to maturity and life.

The reason I even began thinking about all of this is because if you are going to do business, you need certain abilities and smarts to succeed. You have to be prepared for failure (which I am). I think the ups and downs of business correlate very well with the ups and downs in poker. The biggest difference though is duration. Ups and downs in poker can last merely hours at a time up to months at a time whereas in business, they can be weeks, months, quarters, or even years. I personally think that dealing with ups and downs on the hour requires a certain level of mental stamina and strength. This transfers to the business world very fluidly.

You also have to have a good read on people. To know your business is to know your customer. Who are they? What do they want? How are they different? Furthermore, you have to have a great marketing mind and the ability to not only think outside the box but to have the courage to execute. The difference between a successful business and a failed business is often decided by no more than a few key decisions and actions. Everybody who has been successful at business is "mad" to some degree. They don't succeed because they're normal. They succeed because they are willing to do what others are not, what others haven't thought of. Take an idea, improve it and make it your own.

Poker has also helped me realize my dependence and relationship with God. I thank Him for everything He has given me through poker. And even at times when things were taken away from me, I gained knowledge and experiences, often faster and more complete than if I had walked a conventional path in life.

Everybody's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. To understand and believe that requires humbleness and humility. I don't think I'll succeed simply because of my previous experiences in poker or life. However, I do think I'm well equipped enough to give it a shot. Here's to the next chapter.