The Ultimate Poker Player

Poker players talk about a lot of things between hands...

The mind is a restless source of energy. When you aren't concentrating on winning a hand, you think about things and thinking generally leads to making a comment about a subject, usually relating to poker.

Like, 'In your opinion, who do you think is the best poker player of all time?'

I asked that question the other day during a Texas Hold'em game. The question got several replies. Doyle Brunson. Stu Ungar. Daniel Negraneau.

One player named somebody I had never heard of, someone who had played at the casino where we were playing.

My brother, Legs, can generally tell whether I have been winning or losing simply because of my demeanor. If I call him and don't talk about my game it means I have been losing. If I call him and am excited, it means I have been winning. And he is generally right.

The ultimate best poker player has winning days and losing days. There is no getting around it.

Every day is different. You can go into a game full of confidence. Ten minutes into the game you lose a hand you feel you should have won, but somebody draws out on you.

Naturally, you try to ignore it and 10 minutes later, it happens again.

That day instead of winning $400 or $500, you lose that amount. You don't know why and you try to figure it out, but the thoughts fail to come. The cards simply turned against you.

The next day you remember the losses of the day before and you can't decide if you want to return to the poker room.

You lie around in bed and think, 'I don't want another losing session like that.' Then you think, 'Why should I have another losing session" I'm a good player. Yesterday was an aberration.'

You get up, have a good breakfast, drink that extra cup of coffee and head down I-10 West, whistling as you pass the other motorists.

This time, 10 minutes into the hand, you make a lucky draw. And 10 minutes later it happens again. This time at the end of the evening, you have to strain to carry your chips to the cashier's window.

My daughter knows better than to ask me if I won or lost. Poker is like an endless baseball game. You can be ahead 5-3 in the seventh inning and a couple of innings later, the score can be lopsided against you.

All you know is that you need to play every hand as well as you can. Every hand. Some you will lose, others you will win.

In some cases, rarely, the cards will rush over you. You find yourself laughing inside your luck is so strong. You don't reveal your feelings to the other players, of course. That would be poor form. Well, sometimes you do, but not often.

Who is the best poker player? This may be an immodest answer, but could it be you? Maybe. And why not?

I look at my stack of chips. I am up over $200. Time for a coffee break. A small cup and either the cheesecake or the tiramisu. Life is good.

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 ).