Learning Poker lessons (the Spiritual way)

Still as a mountain. Sway like the trees. Win a stack.

In my last post in October, I talked about my final losing hand which finished off my profits won where my K ♠️ K ♣️ got dominated by A ♥️ A 💎 and I ended up losing a stack.  I really should stop thinking in in terms of profits won and lost!  I will use this hand as inspiration to play with greater care this month - I won't make it easy for my opponents this time round.

Poker as a spiritual path?

Now I'd like to switch the topic slightly and discuss my idea about playing poker, gambling in other words, and whether it is truly the right path for me?  For whatever reason, like many of us here on cardmates, I have been drawn to this path.  

So is it right what I'm doing?  Maybe, maybe not.  It depends on how it is approached perhaps, or maybe I'm still just kidding myself.  What do I intend to get out of the experience?  Is it for that adrenaline rush or is it more than that, a journey of self discovery and self discipline, moving with the ebb and flow of the game, standing still like a mountain but all around you the people and hands at the table are ever changing.  Chiiiipppss!!! Breathe.  Remaining unfazed, focused, unaffected by the emotional swings and mindless chatter or rattle of chips twittering in your ear or green screens late at night damaging the eyes, sitting down for too long and sore backs...and the fun risky element of the gambling world entices you to play...the gambling casino bosses or table opponents hoping you'll do it recklessly.  It doesn't matter, it's all an illusion and part of the self.

Nature.  

We ignore the fact that we are actually a part of nature, the universe itself even, said to be a reflection of us.  So why do we deny ourselves in this obvious truth and constantly build structures around us that are straight, hard, firm?

We deny ourselves the ultimate truth, that we live in a world of motion, if you've watched the movie 'the secret' you'll know it is about the law of attraction, which is all to do with vibrations.  We live in a world of forests and woods, swaying trees, balanced ecosystems and a world full of water...until we came along and tipped the balance.  As a gambler to emulate this type of movement, combined with skill and discipline of course, we can use this to our advantage.

In my opinion, to become a great poker player you have to be constantly moving with the flow of the different games you will encounter, constantly adjusting, aware of your opponent's moves, swaying left and right like the trees, keeping your balance through movement.  To become a good player you have to be connected with your own nature and the world.  

NOW WE ARE CONNECTED but....

If you don't consider the concepts you'll go broke and lose out on all that....Experience.  According to Jonathan Little (poker author and speaker) 'Poker is all about gaining experience and becoming a better player.  Take your own ego out of the equation.  Look at your bankroll in a different way.  If you don't apply the rules of bankroll correctly, you'll go broke.'

BANKROLL MANAGEMENT

So...on to Bankroll management; it is like planting the seed and watching it grow into a huge Oak.  Does that happen instantly or does it take a long time?  When fully grown the Oak tree is magnificent, but it takes many, many years for that to happen.  In the end though, through long time passed the big Oak tree appears.

Proper bankroll strategy is definitely a topic I need to revisit in order to help me improve as a poker player and further my long term winnings.  Jonathan Little suggests two initial things you should do when building up to a $100,000 bankroll, but first he says that cash games are the best way of building it up.

Firstly, have a proper bankroll and play at the right level.  So that's 30 BB buy ins and at 0.05c/0.10c a $300 bankroll.  He suggests, build the bankroll to $400 and then use that $100 to take a risk at the next level up and see if you can win big using just that.  I feel you lose and go back down to say 25 buy ins then you must have the discipline to move back down to the previous level.  I feel you don't then you are destined to go broke.

The second thing he suggests is not to cash out!  Don't cash your winnings out and spend it on something else.  If you want to build your bankroll to a healthy amount keep it in your poker account.

Thanks for reading.  Stay connected (but not in the digital sense).  Stay as still as a mountain. Sway like the trees.  Using poker for the Spiritual path.