This past Saturday, I decided to play a mini-deep stack tourney at a local casino. It was a $100 buy-in, good structure, and my bankroll can afford the loss. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, all the seats were taken, so I decided to jump into the 1/2 no limit cash game.
Long story short, I played outside my bankroll and lost. It’s days like this when I doubt my love for the game. Because losing sucks! I treat poker like I do any venture. The object is to make money. But, like in any business, its not all rainbows and butterflies. There will be days when you lose.
The key is not to put all your eggs in one basket. Why shouldn’t I put all my eggs in one basket you ask? Because eggs are delicate, fragile. If I drop the basket and my eggs break, what I am to eat? 😀
Same goes with my poker bankroll. No matter how good I think I am, I’m still susceptible to tilting and getting unlucky, which is a big part of the game. Same goes for life. If I can’t afford that beautiful $100,000 car, $1,000,000 home or $300 shoes, I shouldn’t buy them.
I imagine the feelings of stress, doubt and inadequacy could be avoided if I play within my bankroll. Same goes for life. When it comes down to it, I believe poker and life is about constantly reaching higher while doing so in a intelligent manner. Living outside the means just leads to unnecessary stress and pain. Thank you poker for yet another humble lesson.