Sometimes, it Really Is Just Dumb Luck
Roy was a big man. He had a big face, a big belly, and a big ego. And he had usually left a table with a big stack. I watched him play poker for the longest time, and never could hone in on his play style. There were nights, I would stop and watch him play poker , I wouldn’t even be playing myself, and he would be showing me his cards. And still I couldn’t put my finger on it.
He had no rhyme or reason as to doing what he did. He’d bet strong with weak, weak with strong, strong with strong, weak with weak. He’d play a hand one time, fold it the next. His position didn’t matter, he’d play however he wanted, from wherever he wanted on the table, and got away with it time and time again.
Sure, from time to time he’d get run down. He’d lose when he was supposed to. But this was the rarity, not the norm.
After several weeks watching this guy, I finally dawned on me. Finally, I realized what the secret was. See, I was the only one at the table who could beat him consistently. And this was only because I classified him as a bully, and play against him as such.
But no, the secret was simple. He played the game from a dominant standpoint. See, where I was playing, was a little hole in the wall bar, in a less than affluent town, where a lot of people were playing just to help pay the bills.
Roy wasn’t in that category, and neither was I, but this was the only place to play around there, so you settle for what you have. But that’s all it took for this game. What I was doing was looking too hard at what it was Roy was doing technically. Really, it was just his general demeanor that let him win. He played without fear, and because of that, he was able to dominate such a table. And this was why I could beat him, because to me, the game was played because it was a game.
And even then, I swear that guy was the luckiest on of a guy on the planet. If you ever wanted to know where all my bad poker beat stories came from, just go talk to Roy.
