Don’t worry, be happy…
August 31, 2007
I
fist ran into ‘proper’ poker in about 1996. There were two icons on my internet start-up
page under the heading of ‘play cards against humans now!’ (and if you’re young enough
to have never known anything other than a globally-connected, facebook/myspace-flavoured
world, I can assure you it did once exist. Scary thought eh?). Anyway, one icon was
the shape of
Omaha
, and
the other the shape of
Texas
. I
don’t remember why I initially picked
Omaha
(I
think it was ironically the more intriguing shape - just like the game).
At
the time I was getting off more on the fact that I was sitting in my front room with
a dial-up modem playing poker with a housewife in Germany and two Americans than the
game itself (again, you’ll have to trust me that the World Wide Web was a BIG deal
in 1996) but the key point was that I was having fun. I later went back and clicked
the other shape and Texas Hold’em entered my world. It also entered the world of friends
and family as I went about the business of teaching them so I could practice without
the need of a dial-up modem.
Then
I went to
Las
Vegas
in
the late 90’s and played my first live games. I sat down in a $3-$6 limit game and
- with a total disregard for bankroll management (mostly because I’d never heart of
bankroll management!) - bought in for $100. I had a wonderful time; played some nice
poker; and never once left a session at the table down. Oh, and VERY importantly -
I HAD FUN!
Fast
forward ten years, and I’ve made a big decision. I’m going to stop worrying about
poker. I’m going to stop worrying that I don’t play enough; I’m going to stop worrying
that I don’t play at high enough limits; I’m going to stop worrying that I don’t read
every strategy article in every magazine; I’m going to stop worrying that I only know
three chip tricks; I’m going to stop worrying that I’ve never won a ‘big name’ tournament;
I’m going to stop worrying that I don’t play enough satellites; I’m going to stop
worrying that I don’t read every poker blog; I’m going to stop worrying that I don’t
make the most of the big guarantees; I’m going to stop worrying that I don’t participate
in poker forums; I’m going to stop worrying about playing in every single bloody freeroll…
As
you might have picked up, I’m basically going to stop worrying about poker. Full Stop.
What
I am going to do is remember that I got into poker because it’s an awesome game. It’s
fun, satisfying, frustrating (in a magical way), and probably the greatest social
catalyst since ‘winner stays on’ Street Fighter II on the
Mega
Drive
.
The
next time you find yourself worrying about poker, take a deep breath, count to ten,
reme
mb
er
that you are playing a game, and try to enjoy yourself.
Life’s
simply too short.
Matt
Broughton is the Editor of Flush Magazine (www.flushmag.co.uk)
and part of the expert presenting team on Sky Poker.
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