The Mysteries of Poker

It used to be so simple.

Now I am not referring to life, although I guess I could include that in this equation. I am talking about poker.

When I first discovered this game many eons ago, every discovery was like a bar of tasty chocolate and coconut candy, waiting to be eaten.

In those days, libraries didn't contain dozens, even hundreds, of books on strategy waiting to be absorbed by the willing student.

The average poker player worked at a fulltime job in a restaurant, service station, tire shop of a clothing store. Maybe he sold cars or was an editor on a newspaper. Perhaps he or she taught school.

They would find a place where poker was played legally and make their buy-in into a game. If the place wasn't legal, you would take your chances of being paid after the game was over.

Poker tournaments were new. Some people were afraid of playing in them. They had no idea what strategies to formulate. Players knew tournaments were fun and could constitute a big payoff. That was the only thing that interested them.

I quickly discovered that cash and tournament play was very different. I could earn a living at cash games, but successful tournament play eluded me for a while.

Like a lot of players, I had a maddening time breaking the bubble. So many times I let my passion gain control of my game and I busted out of the tournament just shy of the money.

For a while...

...that admittedly nearly drove me crazy.

But I hung in there. I was married and got along great with my in-laws. I had never taken my wife on a real honeymoon and wanted to do it properly.

One Saturday

I bought into a low-ball tournament at the Sahara Dunes Casino near Lake Elsinore, CA. That day my ducks all lined up in a row and I came in second, winning nearly $2,000 for my efforts.

I used the money to fly myself and my mother-in-law to Honolulu. We visited the islands of Hawaii and Oahu, saw incredible rainbows, picked wild orchids from vines, and basked in the sun of the world's most beautiful islands.

I don't know if anyone will ever be able to come up with a perfect system for playing poker. Maybe there isn't such a thing.

I haven't played tournaments for a while. At one time I considered myself a good tournament player, but I simply got away from it.

Yesterday I played in a tournament. There were less than 30 players who signed up for it, but the action was interesting and I played well. They paid down to three players. I wasn't one of them, but I came close.

And isn't that what poker and life are all about?

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).