I miss when poker felt simpler

Not necessarily easier. Just simpler.

Back when I started playing, I didn’t know what population tendencies were, didn’t study solvers, barely thought about balancing anything.

If someone looked strong, I folded. If something felt weird, I called 😄

And somehow the game felt lighter back then.

Now there’s so much information constantly running in the background. Ranges, frequencies, ICM, exploits, adjustments… sometimes it feels like half the battle is just quieting your own brain.

Don’t get me wrong - I love improving and understanding the game deeper.

But I do miss that feeling of just sitting down and playing cards without trying to solve the universe every hand.