Poker News

John Vorhaus

Hunting for something on my hard drive the other day, I stumbled upon the first poem I ever wrote in Spanish:

Por que?

Porque.

La pregunta es la respuesta.

Which translates as follows:

Why?

Because.

The question is the answer.

Have you ever had a disastrous session at the poker table, one which left you reeling away in defeat and confusion, wondering, why, why, why did I lose so much? I would put it to you that the answer is the question. Why? Because! Any time you play poker in doubt, you’re in trouble. And any time you hear yourself uttering the word “why?” you’re at risk. Let’s break it down.

You’re going along great in the game when you find yourself attacking a favorable flop of 7-7-3 with your pair of tens, only to fall to some jamoke holding 7-J. Ouch!

Why didn’t he fold to my pre-flop raise? Now another hand comes along. Mirabile visu, you flop a queen-high flush. You bet and bet and bet and bet — and get run over by the guy who flopped the king-high flush.

Why didn’t I see that coming? You get pocket kings and pound away through the flop and turn, only to fall to an ace on the river.

Why do these things always happen to me? Now you’re really steaming, so you attack aggressively with your next semi-decent holding, something like A-6 offsuit. Not really a semi-decent holding, of course, but steam clouds your vision so your hand looks strong to you. Not as strong as that other guy’s A-J, and once again you’re flayed.

Why can’t I get away from my hand? Now you’re locked into why: Why is the world so unfair? Why can’t I ever get lucky? Why do these guys keep attacking me like this? Can’t they see I’m in pain? Of course they can see you’re in pain. That’s why they’re attacking you! They’ve watched you fall victim to your own whys, your own self-pity parade, and now they’re piling on. Can you blame them? Wouldn’t you do the same? Folks, the evidence is clear: Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies. Sometimes we can’t get out of our own way. Sometimes, it’s just simply impossible for us to play great poker, or even good poker, or even anything-lessthan- catastrophic poker. What can be done?

Don’t play. Get out of the game. Do it right now, before the wound gets worse.

You’ve heard me give this advice before, and you’ll no doubt hear me give it again: If you can’t play with a clear head, you must not play at all. Now, though, we can refine the principle. We can boil it down to the simple word, “Why?” Why did that happen? Why can’t I win? Why me? Why, why, why? When you detect these thoughts in your head, consider yourself to have been “why-triggered,” and excuse yourself from the game. Why? Because that little word “why” is telling you you can’t play well enough to win.

If you can’t do this, if you can’t pull the plug on a losing session, you doom yourself to torment and to loss, and then the only answer to “why?” is “because.”

Because you wouldn’t listen to “why.”

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