November 01, 2005
Trust me, there is almost zero chance of these words coming out of a good player's mouth. Equally, a good Tigergaming player would be too embarrassed to use this line as a reverse tell. Asking to see a card that wouldn't be in play is called 'rabbit hunting.' It's frowned on in all games and not allowed at all in tournament play. You can be very sure, if you hear these words at your table, you can cancel that bank loan you've been asking for. Someone's going to be making your car payments for you.
In other words it's a typical Nightmare Session. What makes it a nightmare is that you keep rebuying chips even when you know you shouldn't. How can you stop rebuying? The pots are so big; first it's one pot that would get you even for the night. Then it becomes two pots to break even. Soon, it's three pots.
The flop came Q 8 3 rainbow, just about my dream flop for my hand. Joe checked giving me another chance to make a big mistake. I jumped on that chance with both feet. I put Joe on a Queen at best, if he calls, so I don't want to bet too much. He might fold if I move all-in and I would only make $20 with my beautiful pocket Aces, which I get maybe once a night.
What ever works for you, to keep you focused on EVERY Tigergaming card that comes off the deck, is the right thing. Remember, you are playing for money, not just poker chips. If you aren't mentally prepared at all times, you are costing yourself an enormous amount of hard-earned cash. Take the time to find out what your mind needs to be at the top of its game. Then bring that game to the table every time you play. Don't let YOUR mind be a terrible thing to waste.
That's the nature of irrational fear. It's unfounded, by definition. It seems odd, now, but that's how I felt at the time. It wasn't until many years later that I found out that my experience was a common one. Most people coming into a poker room for the first time are quite intimidated. It's only after a few visits that a new player can learn to relax. As the saying goes, all Tigergaming poker players "put their pants on one leg at a time."
Alas, despite the size of the win, it wasn't enough and the last guy in line who got short-changed slugged our hero. Not many people win a major tournament and get a crack in the jaw as part of the prize. His problem? It turned out to be sports betting, which afflicts more than a few Tigergaming poker players. Apparently this world-class poker player routinely loses astonishing amounts of money betting sports.
And if they're unsuccessful and lose, it doesn't matter whether they lose by one or two goals. A loss is a loss regardless of the score. But losses carry over in Tigergaming poker, and that's a big difference. The money you lose today affects your bankroll tomorrow. If hockey were a single, season-long game, divided into three-period segments only for its audience, you can be sure that no team would ever again pull its goalie until the last segment of the year.
After all, a 1-under-par 71 on the final 18 holes is not exactly burning up the course, yet Woods went from a tie for first place when the final day's play began to a three stroke victory that never seemed in jeopardy at all - thanks to his opponents who spent the better part of Sunday afternoon slitting their own throats and bleeding to death all over the golf course.