Hitting a home run and money over personal values (or goals)

There was a memorable qoute in a film I recently watched called Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, who was playing a baseball manager called Billy Beane who wanted to change American Baseball by adopting a new method to reassemble his Oakland As, but when he lost the final game of the season after his team won 20 games in a row he failed.   He was asked to do the same thing by the far better financed Boston Red Sox when he was offered the highest ever amount for any manager in baseball history at 15 million dollars at the end of the season, so had a big decision on his hands.  Peter Brand tried to help him by painting a clear picture to him by saying: 'And Jeremy's about to find out why.  Jeremy's about to realise that the ball went 50 feet over the fence.  He hit a home run and didn't even realise it.'

Sometimes in poker I feel like this, when after winning big, I still don't think this is enough.  While I was watching this inspiring moment near the end of the film, with my head cradled tiredly in my hands supported by elbows slacked over the table, I realised that similarly to this scene I suffer from a kind of 'buyers remorse', if that is the right when of describing it, when once I win big either in poker or football betting I kind of go on a complacent kamakhazi spree that would make the worst tilted player in history look like the most focused poker player in the world.  I can win, but I don't know how to handle it, and in the end I squander wonderful opportunities through lack of patience and a long term vision.  Bean had patience and self belief in his system in abundance, but did he have vision to realise his dreams?  Perhaps my focus is also misplaced and invested in the wrong methods, or perhaps the methods are good, but goals need changing.  Despite the huge offer, in the film Beane decided to stick to his guns and stayed at the Oakland A's.  What would you have done? 

I like to share with you some detail about one glorious football bet .  At that time unfortunately I wasn't playing poker really so I didn't consider using the money win to play, but on the 23rd of March 2019 I stuck a tenner on a 100 to one and magically raked in over £1000.  Here is how it went;

Finland (U21) v Norway (U21)  over 4.5 goals at 1.75 odds --- Netherlands (U20) v Mexico (U20) over 3.5 goals 1.65 odds --- Rott Weib Oberhausen v Fortuna Düsseldorf  II in play over 5.5 goals  1.80 odds --- FC Den Bosch v Telstar over 2.5 goals 1.57 odds --- England v Czech Republic team 1 to win with over 2.5 goals scored odds 1.83 --- Luxembourg v Lithuania both teams to score  2.15 odds --- Turkey to win v Albania  2.10 odds ---  k.Mbappe to score for France 1.55 odds

I was waiting for this all to come through with all the games completed ✅ but with Mbappe still to score and worse still, the system wouldn't let me cash out as it was locked. I had a very strong feeling, like I get sometimes, that he would score but you never know and even though he did, it wasn't until the 87th minute!

So what did I do with the money?  I bought the iPad 4 that I'm using now to write this blog and it's brought me many joys and options while travelling and on the road.  It helped me buy a £100 iPod to listen to music and other basic stuff like bills and social stuff and clothes which I can't remember buying now.  The rest was wasted basically.

So back to the money ball quote, I had hit a home run, and perhaps squandered a golden opportunity when I look at it now. The Boston Red Sox went onto implement the new system created by Bean and Peter Brand to great success.  If I still had this sum of money now, I would reinvest it into my poker bankroll and build it up to a substantial amount playing on the cash tables. I have no regrets, but sometimes you begin to wonder what could have been...I had hit a home run and hadn't even realised it!   Still this was a happy day of winning so much money and a bit of a dream come true to be honest, but if there is a next time it will be reinvested very differently!  

I guess all in all, be grateful for big wins, know when you have hit a home run, acknowledge it and take your opportunities when they come around.  Don't hesitate!

Good luck at the tables all - Toby.