The River had other plans.

It had been one of those sessions where nothing seemed to go right. Every bluff got called, every draw missed, but I stayed patient, telling myself one good hand could turn everything around.

Eventually, it came.

I got all my chips in as a huge favourite and finally felt like luck had swung my way. The flop was perfect. The turn changed nothing. I was already reaching for the chips.

Then the dealer burned a card... and the river hit the one out my opponent needed.

Silence.

I didn't lose because I played badly I lost because poker doesn't promise fair endings. That's the beauty and the pain of the game. Some days you celebrate the river. Other days, you become someone else's bad beat story.

You can make every correct decision and still walk away empty handed. The only thing you can control is making the right play, because in the long run, that's what really wins.