Now and Then

I don’t know why I wait till the last minute, like writing this blog or doing anything for that fact, when it is obviously easier when you tackle it early on. I suppose there are competing interests at the heart of the matter. Today it was fixing things around the house and invariably when I fix things it means at least two trips to home depot. Throw in a stop at Starbucks, a lesson and a dinner and before you know it, it’s 10:30 at night. My how time slips away. And I heard it only gets worse as you get older.

The concept of time is a funny thing to begin with and as it was explained to me, a man made concept used to measure motion in order to help in management of our day-to-day activities. If you asked a tree what time it is, it would respond, “Now. The time is now.” – Ekhart Tolle. Man is consumed it would seem with both the past and the future, while ignoring the now.

In playing poker it is important to play in the NOW and not get overly concerned with the past or worried about the future. The “Now” is all we have. 

When someone is constantly complaining about bad beats, they are bringing past events into the present and it clouds their thinking and effects their judgment and play in the present moment. When someone is playing too timidly or cautious because they are afraid of what card can come to beat them, they are focused too much on the future.

The healthiest players I know let go of past events (hands), focus and play in the present, while preparing in knowing there may be a future.

One of the most important things we can do as players is to focus and stay in the moment and make the best decision we can make based on imperfect information. Poker is a game of imperfect information. So trying to play perfectly and force the moment into being something other then what it is will drive a player insane. The fun of a game is in not knowing what the result will be, but in doing our best to test our strategies and the skills we’ve developed to compete.

I’ve enjoyed the writing game and challenging myself to complete this blog every day for the past 30 days. There’s one day left and tomorrow I’ll share with you what’s on the horizon for my poker-life journey. I’m rather excited myself, not for just what lies ahead, but for the joy I feel in the present moment. Each day unfolds, each hand is dealt, each obstacle presents itself, but I’ve learned that it’s how I perceive or look at it that really determines my reality. 

Tomorrow I’ll head down to the Venetian to play in the first Deep Stack event. After a light week of playing, I’m looking forward to getting back on the horse and competing again. My discipline, patience and various other skills will be tested. Chances are, I’ll be up for the challenge.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna