Recently I went down to see a friend at the first casino riverboat in the nation (yep, in Davenport, IA).He was playing blackjack and made a few bucks but the guy to his right was getting killed!
He had a bunch of chips, lost them all, dug into his wallet and fished out a hundred and dropped it on the table like it was nothing. He lost all that like it was nothing too and dig-dugged into the wallet he had stuffed in his right pocket for another, and his last, $20 (I notice these things). He lost at least, that I saw, $120 and probably much, much more.
He had no joy on his face. He didn't look overly depressed. I sized him up as an idiot with too much money--maybe easy come. After he left I asked my friend if the guy to his right was playing like a zero. My friend knows a lot of people there. He replied, "Yes."
Is the guy waiting for his time to run out (he was younger than I)? While I don't play Blackjack (or anything else), I know how it is played and have a reasonable idea of how to bet to maximize your chances. This guy seemed absolutely clueless.
When it comes to chess I see decisions made, on what to play, similarly to this guy's. How can one give their best when playing like nothing matters? It was a Thursday evening, how bad is that?
But you know something, in my HoH (heart of hearts), I think he believed it was just a matter of time before he got lucky! Then what would he do if he won, spend it all until it was gone?
I don't believe in luck as I've said in my book and as Dan Kennedy remarked in one of my recent Tip Sheets. What some people call luck is just a matter of "choices" made. As Henry Ford said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get!"
When you work hard, you increase your skill level. Your subconscious makes decisions you aren't even aware of. Prepare yourself, that is the BEST way to "get lucky."
bob@thinkerspressinc.com
"Luck favors the better player!" -- unknown source, some say Alekhine, usually in response to the query "How can you be so lucky?"
ReplyDeleteBob,
ReplyDeleteStore the document on your Google Docs Account (if you don't have one, create one, its free) and set the file permission to "share with everyone." Then 'right click' on the file and select "copy shortcut." Then paste that shortcut into your hyperlink on your blog. My entire website, www.chessiniowa.org, is builit on Google Sites and Google Docs for free. The only thing I am paying for is $15 a year for the web address (I am using Go Daddy).