This lifetime of playing cards starts with the embryonic curiosity and vigor of a neophyte player, eager to delve into the minutia of the game and leash poker power and prowess. Games that were important for the fertilization of the poker seeds such as Follow the Queen and Anaconda are out, and the first signs of actually being able to earn money at the game are visible. The new player's treads may be broken in at the serious home game, local casino, or online. These days it's virtually impossible to avoid online poker, especially in the early phases of a poker player's life-cycle, because they have not yet made the flesh-and-blood connections to be plugged into the local poker network. As the player grows and develops they become more and more confident with their own abilities and their place within the poker community.
A period of strong, almost uncontrolled growth ensues. The player builds a bankroll and the sun shines constantly. Then, as they say, they all go broke. This marks the first shadow of poker death. Sure, a player may come back from being bust, but now they have been through the looking glass and they are acutely aware of the implications and threats entailed by living "the life." Earlier optimism and success are becoming jaded or drowned out by an ever growing mental library of vicious bad beats and seemingly God-forsaken streaks of cards. They ride the coaster of variance for as long as they can before what was once a mental bulwark of focus and intent is now the shattered remains of a brutalized psyche which has been pieced back together so many times it is barely recognizable. Finally, following a few unheard silent breaths the poker player's psychological life-cycle grinds down to a pathetic halt and it's the end of the road.
This may be a grim depiction (ok, I'm broke and I feel like being morbid) but there is certainly a lot to be said for the texture of one's outlook toward poker and how it changes over years of new experience as well as layer upon layer of just seeing the same old thing happen over and over and over again. Last time I finished by quoting a Japanese proverb, now I will include its original context, gleaned from the official Howard Lederer website.
The Beginner's Passion
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the
expert's there are few." ~Shunryu Suzuki
The Student Emerges
"He is now forced to admit that he is at the mercy
of everyone who is stronger, more nimble, and more practiced than he." ~Eugene Herrigal
Expert Status Achieved
"He who has 100 miles to walk should reckon 90 as half the journey." ~Japanese Proverb
Well, I'm not sure what Eugene Herrigal was referring to when he didst quoth that quote, but there is certainly one other factor that the emerging student is at the sheer mercy of, and that is that Lady - that Bitch - Luck. Some seeds have the good fortune to fall on fertile soil and grow, others receive no such endorsement and are forced to survive rather than thrive. Still others have it all handed to them and find a way to screw it all up. My mind is all tied up with this silly plant metaphor and I can't make it float anymore, so I'm done.
