Friday, June 12, 2009

Poker gems, #285

Tommy Angelo, in Elements of Poker, p. 240.


Even at our best, it's hard to focus on the right thing at the right time all the time. Throw in some fatigue, stuckness, television, and mind noise, and it's impossible. But wouldn't it be amazing if we could? What would that feel like? What would it look like? What would need to change? Is it unrealistic to think that we could be maximally focused all the time? Of course it is. Is it unrealistic to think that we could do better than we do now? Of course it isn't.


[With that thought, I conclude my long series of "Poker Gem" entries from this most excellent book. I hope that these excerpts have convinced you that it is a volume you should own, read, and absorb.]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dang... I have loved these Poker Gems from this book. I had to buy it!

qdpsteve said...

Actually based on the way he writes, I think most of us (including you Rakewell) could come up with a lot of our own "Tommyangeloisms".

As an example, I had the following thought while I was playing (and winning, believe it or not) a coupla days back at Hawaiian Gardens Casino:

"It sometimes helps motivate a player to think of the desirability of wins not in terms of numbers of dollars, but in the achievement of seemingly unreachable, dream-like objectives, one that a given player would find worth exercising patience and discipline for... for instance: a win equals a date with Katy Perry (or Lady Gaga, or whichever untouchable celebrity turns you on at the moment) at the Chateau Marmont. OTOH, every loss equals a burnt breakfast at Dennys with Pauly Shore."