Poker players love to talk. Oh, they don't show it. When they are sitting at the table and absorbed in the process of winning money, their stone faces seem to indicate talking is for the birds.
But get them in a good conversation and the proper frame of mind, and they will talk your ear off. Like last night. I started off the conversation at our usual $8-16 Omaha High-Low game at Talking Stick Casino in Scottsdale, AZ. I posted a question to the table: 'Who do you think is the greatest poker player ever, living or dead?'
Nobody answered at first. Then a silver-haired player who appeared to be in his 70s said, 'Stu Ungar. No question about it. There was nobody like him.'
Another player added, 'Ungar wasn't only unbeatable in poker. He was so invincible at gin that nobody wanted to play against him.'
Still another player disagreed. 'Daniel Negraneau is the best,' he said. 'He can read other players like he can see right through them.'
I have my own thoughts about the skills of certain players. I have played against some of the toughest. Some of my opponents would do well against the top players of all time, and I am including Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth and you can pick the others.
There are only 52 cards in a deck. In Texas Hold'em, you have access to two and the five cards on the board. In Omaha High-Low, your hand consists of four cards. All the rest is acting.
Anything can and usually does happen on the flop. Same with fourth street and the river.
The best poker players are unpredictable. They play garbage hands the same way they play their nut hands -- with confidence and style that conceals the true value of the cards.
Sometimes a player who has been drinking or who have suffered a ruptured relationship will go on a tear and do crazy things. I have seen such players start raising and re-raising every pot. While I don't recommend it, such a tactic will probably work for a short period of time, just because of the surprise element. But then the natural card odds will take over the game and things will return to normal.
The most hands I ever won in a row were 15. It happened in a poker tournament and I went on to win it. I also had more than a dozen consecutive winning sessions at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, PA. When a rush like that happens, you can only thank your lucky stars and pray it happens again...and again...and again.
Even the most disciplined poker players will sometimes act out of order. Professional players, for example, preach against going all-in on a drawing hand in a tournament. Yet I have seen them do it. Sometimes it's almost like they are not in control of their actions. Remember Flip Wilson's famous quote, 'The devil made me do it.' Blaming Satan for your own actions is one way of explaining a situation, but in the long run, a player is responsible for his successes or failures at the game.
I have learned to respect all my opponents at the tables. They are like me -- they dream of winning and going home with a lot of extra cash they can spend on family, friends and themselves. When those dreams are dashed by the turn of a card, they experience pain and loss even though their poker faces may not show it.
One thing is certain. A true poker player never gives up. That is certainly true of me. I may have a losing session or two or thee. But there is always another game. There is always tomorrow.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
