Last week, I learned – yes, for all intents and purposes, we
will use the word learned, even though the more appropriate phrase would be “struggled
with very single rule, with occasional luck that involved little to no strategy" – how to play poker. Interestingly
enough, I can’t get enough of the game! I find myself pulling up an app on my
phone when I’m bored, just to sit around a cyber table with cyber people that
kind of weird me out and bet cyber hundreds/thousands/millions (ok, no to the
million part because that would mean at one point I would have actually HAD
millions…and that never happened) of dollars.
This, however, does not mean that I’m a supporter of
gambling. The “poker face” tactic has
never and will never be one that I can master.
It’s a huge guessing game that in some instances you think you have great cards, but then you
can’t know for sure whether you will win, can you? You have no way of knowing
the other players’ positions or confidence or actual investment in the game. Everyone wants to make a move that least
exposes them to vulnerability and if necessary, allows them to clear others
from the game. And I mean, you can’t
blame them because after all you are trying to accomplish the same thing from
your end of the table. But it can be
extremely frustrating to see that fighting for the upper hand is the absolute
point of the game. I’m sure you’re all
thinking well duh…you play games to WIN. Well this would be a good time to tell
you that this entire poker analogy is in reference to dating (but the part
about me learning to play and downloading the app is totally true…I really did
do that?).
Here’s how it goes. You
are dealt cards, and within minutes or even seconds, you are given the
opportunity to decide whether you want to “check” – see who else is going to
stay in that hand, see if any of the bets are even within your range or worth
your time – or “fold” – meaning, your cards won’t get you anywhere and you’ll
just end up cardless and chipless if you stay in. Those with high confidence might like a
challenge, stay in for as long as they can hoping their cards will get them the
jackpot in the end. Those with low self
esteem in their hand will be turned off and realize they don’t want to put
themselves through the pain. Here’s the thing;
last week, I was thrown into a game with a major poker pro. Woops? And at certain points, I was all-in, feeling
confident. Then the next thing I knew, I lost the hand and was out of the game,
feeling cardless and chipless.
It can be frustrating to see that playing games in search of
the upper hand is now conventional.
There are all these strategies and so called rules – don’t call him, he’ll
call you; pretend to be busy every once in a while; don’t text back right away. Why can’t we just call when we want, text
back when we can, and say what we are thinking?
There is simply one answer: then the game becomes…no fun. In fact, it’s not even a game anymore. And playing the game is really looking out for
your best interest, because until those final cards are turned over and all
bets are in – sometimes, your entire stack of chips is in as well, so you’re
really all-or-nothing here – you need to protect yourself against those trying
to fool you.
So here we all are, us singles, sitting around a huge poker
table, some of us wearing sunglasses and hats which makes it really hard for me
to tell what you’re thinking, in which case I’m going to avoid you because you’re
weird and hard to read.
Aside from – or better yet, in the midst of – the game of
poker, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
It was a great kick-start to the Holidays. I spent the day with my aunts and cousins,
then went on to spend the weekend in Park City with some friends. School is really testing me right now, but my
countdown to Christmas is diminishing quite quickly, and I’m having a good
time, even if my grades are not. Hope
you had a great Thanksgiving as well!!
