Important Life Lessons - Reminder

I’ve mentioned the Wednesday Poker Discussion Group (WPDG) in my column in the past, but for those who are new to my writing, the WPDG is made up of poker enthusiasts of all skill levels who get together every Wednesday at Ricardo’s restaurant in Las Vegas to discuss poker. A typical meeting starts with announcements (members discuss special promotions in town, upcoming social events, and so forth) and then we discuss hands that members played during the week that were troublesome. Attendees offer opinions on how they would have played the hand preflop, and on the flop, turn and river. You do have to be a real poker lover to enjoy the discussion, as we have spent up to an hour dissecting a single turn card.

Occasionally, we have guest speakers. Some of the speakers who have addressed the group in the last year or so include Mike Sexton, Daniel Negreanu, Olivier Busquet, Ed Miller, Jesse Sylvia, Ryan LaPlante, Doug Hull, Marco Valerio, Nolan Dalla, Dr. Tricia Cardner, Bill Chen, Kathy Raymond, and Tommy Angelo. We also have some great players and book authors in our group, such as Roy Cooke, Steve Selbrede, Tim Acker, Bob Fisher, Gene Hull, and Jan Fisher, who have each given presentations. I try to go to the group meeting every Wednesday that I am in town because I enjoy the social interaction with the members and usually learn something too.

Tommy Angelo has been a friend for many years and I hold him in high regard. When he agreed to come speak to the group again, I showed up early since I knew there would be a lot of people present to hear his words of wisdom. Attending his presentation is one of the smartest things I have done in years. Tommy gave some great strategic and philosophical advice, and even though I’ve heard these things before, two things he said really hit home with me and have changed my approach to our favorite game. First he said, “Pay attention. Watch the game with the same unbroken attention you would give to a movie. A lot of people are too distracted with their phones or watching sports on the television, and they miss the action going on at the table.” He went on to talk about the value of paying attention. He talked about how we let our minds wonder and he asked, “Have you ever suddenly noticed a big pot being pushed to an opponent on the river and not known how all the money got in there?” It was as if he was talking directly to me.

I used to watch everything that happened while I was playing; I knew who bluffed, continuation bet, bet their draws, whose blind could be stolen, who played too tight or too loose, and so on. Unfortunately over the years, I have become complacent while playing and have stopped paying as close attention as I should have been. I vowed to leave my phone in my pocket the next time I went out to play and really watch my opponents and their betting patterns. Within 30 minutes of being at the table, I had a very good read on each of my opponents because I had seen them do something that I would normally have missed if I was reading email or texting during the hands. It saved me money when the tightest player at the table raised and I folded A-K (he had aces). Thank you, Tommy Angelo!

The other thing he said that has had a huge effect on my life was, “It’s never wrong to not play.” Tommy told a story about waking up one morning and getting ready to go play poker. His wife could tell that he was tired and not at full strength. She told him, “It’s never wrong to not play.” Tommy realized that she was right, so he stayed home and enjoyed himself and rested up.

Wow! Let me preface what I am about to say with the fact that I don’t think anyone loves to play poker more than I do. Even though I’ve played for more than 40 years, I still look forward to playing my next hand. I love the challenge of poker. I love the social aspects of poker. I love the ability to make money at the poker table. That said, hearing Tommy say, “It’s never wrong to not play,” was a huge wake-up call for me. I realized that even though I am no longer a professional poker player, I’ve still been thinking like a professional poker player. I had been putting pressure on myself to go play when the games were good, even though I might have preferred to stay home and relax or go to lunch or a movie with friends. His words were empowering to me and I took them to heart.

I realized that if I never played another hand of poker, I would still be okay financially. I realized that I am not a spring chicken any longer, and that I need to give myself permission to not play poker if there are other things going on that I prefer to do instead. Over the past two months, my mantra has become, “It’s never wrong to not play.” I’ve spent more time with friends and I no longer wake up in a hurry to rush down to the poker room. I even took a few days off during the WSOP to take a mini-vacation in Palm Springs, something I would have never done in the past for fear of missing some good poker action. I’m stopping to “smell the roses.” Thank you Tommy Angelo! ♠

Linda Johnson is a partner in Card Player Cruises and invites you to check out www.cardplayercruises.com for the best vacation of your life. She also is a WSOP gold bracelet winner and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame and hosts charity events and seminars around the country. You can contact her at [email protected].