Spring Break

The desires of man can be classified into many categories: food, sexual pleasure, wealth, respect, and the desire to win, among others. All of these desires are natural. The desire to win that we poker players have is such a strong one that I would like to contemplate it with much interest. The Olympic games, which began in ancient Greece and continue to this day, are a good example of man displaying his competitive nature in a healthy way.

The French hero Napoleon said in his prime, "Nothing is impossible in my repertoire," and showed his extreme desire to be victorious. Likewise, competition and the strong desire to be victorious have a place deep in the hearts of men.

When I first moved to the United States, the passion that most Americans have for sporting events made an impression on me. I thought about why they are so passionate about sports. Is it because this country is so rich and prosperous that they have nothing else to worry about? Perhaps. Is it because they are so stressed with their many responsibilities and need to release that stress? There may be many reasons. After much thought, I concluded that it's to vicariously satisfy one of the most basic desires of man, the desire to win. You probably remember seeing people rejoice as if it were their own victory when they saw Tiger Woods pulling off miraculous consecutive victories and setting professional golf records over the past two years. We are moved by and praise the victor who makes the impossible possible. That is because it is priceless glory that has been accomplished through a complete effort and a relentless drive to win.

Believing that we can win and concentrating all of our efforts on that one purpose may one day bring about the victory we seek. Of course, the goddess of luck must also help.

As for me, I have been in a slump for the last several months. At the World Series of Poker, I entered seven events, but contrary to my expectations, I did not have any kind of victory. I took 21st place in the $5,000 buy-in Omaha high-low split event, but the prize money was awarded to the top 18 places. After 14 hours, I was eliminated without breaking even. This left me feeling empty, and I just wanted to cry. There were several big-name players in that tournament. It felt like such a huge wall to climb for me, as I am merely a second-year beginning player. I can admit that I am still very immature and lacking in experience.

The winner of that tournament was Scotty Nguyen, whom I admire. He is indeed a professional. His patience, effort, and mature game strategy paid off for him. I would like to send him my applause, compliments, and congratulations.

In this tournament, not only did I lack experience, I did not give my best effort with a complete desire to win. So, how could I expect to win? As a person who has lost, I would like to speak to all of you who have lost. Did you offer the best competition possible? Did you give your best effort with patience and without mistakes? Did you have the preparation and playing skills necessary to compete against and beat the many professionals in the tournament? And did you exhibit your determined desire to win? We all need to consider these questions.

We no longer should excuse ourselves by simply saying, "Bad beat," but should reflect upon our performances more seriously and dig into the problem. If one does not reflect upon his performance, he can never advance his skills.

"Unbelievable! Incredible! Terrible! Horrible! Unreal! Impossible!" Many diverse words are heard at the poker table. When a person is able to say, "Nice hand" after suffering a bad beat, isn't that when he is finally prepared to win?