Have you ever underestimated an opponent and wound up getting your butt kicked?
When I was in the U.S. Army and stationed on a Nike-Hercules missile site in Southern California, I discovered an important lesson in life: never challenge a small man to a fight unless you know how good he is.
On a Friday night at a bar in Palmdale, CA. I made this mistake after a few beers. The little guy who was the object of my challenge smiled and came over the bar at me like a rocket-propelled grenade. We started the fight in the bar, finished it on the street, and fought each other to a draw.
Wiping the blood from my nose, I offered to buy Leroy a beer. He accepted. Arm in arm we entered the bar and became lifelong friends.
I never again aroused the wrath of a small man whether in a bar, a city park or on a street corner. It just isn't worth it.
The same principle is true in poker. You never know the background of the stranger sitting next to you. The person may be a rank beginner or a professional who makes his living playing $20-40 poker against people who could eat you alive. And you'll never discover this until you put your money on the line.
One of my favorite regulars at Talking Stick Casino in Scottsdale, AZ. is a middle-aged business owner who is confined to a wheelchair. Jerome is quiet, silver-haired and partly paralyzed because of a condition he suffered at birth.
He is foreign born and speaks with an accent. He always dresses immaculately and wears suspenders and a tie. I have never heard him raise his voice to anyone. Jerome has trouble moving his hands and needs to use his wrists to push his chips into a pot. But when he bets or raises, watch out. He has the nuts.
While we were waiting for a game, I asked him how old he was when he first played poker.
'Thirty-five,' he said. 'My brothers taught me how to play. I am 55 and after I learned how to play the game, it was love at first sight. I got into $10-20 and then $20-40 poker and found it the most exciting thing I had ever done.
'Because of my condition, I can't do anything physically. But at poker I am equal to anybody I play against.'
'At poker I am an equal.' I like that.
Once a person learns how to play poker, the game is his for life. A person never gets too old to play poker. Johnny Moss kept playing until he was nearly 90 and he was hard to beat. Doyle Brunson is still a winner despite being near 90, and Oklahoma Johnny Hale organized the Senior World Series of Poker for retirees who wanted to stay in action.
Every night when I play at my favorite casinos, I see elderly people in wheelchairs, some of them breathing from oxygen tanks, taking their seat at poker tables. Some are nearly blind and need to use magnifying glasses to read the cards. One person in his 90s has his granddaughter move his chips for him.
Always be aware that the person sitting next to you may have a background and knowledge of poker that goes far beyond your own experiences. You might beat that individual out of his money, but you'll have to work at the job. Take it from a guy who has been there.
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 ).
