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
