Advice

Posted by wynn on Feb 18, 2010 in Bad Beats, Table Talk | 0 comments

Several hours after the quad 8s fiasco the other night, I walk outside for a smoke.

Standing there alone was the dealer from that hand. She is a short, sweet Asian woman.

Two things were odd about this. First, she was alone. The smoking patio ALWAYS has several people there.

Second, I have never seen casino staff in this area. Plus, she does not smoke.

I say hello to her. She was waiting for me.

“Sammy, pros can’t play with these amateurs,” she begins.

“What makes you think I am a pro?” I ask out of curiosity.

“I know a pro when I see one. I know two things. One, you are the best Hold ‘Em player I have seen. Two, no matter how great you play, no one can beat the luck of these amateurs.”

She is right – at least about the beating luck part.

“That donkey should not have been in the hand with you after the flop. I had to do my job and retrieve his cards. I did not want to, but I saw his hand,” she says.

Fair enough.

Now, many dealers play poker. Most are marginal players. A few pros were dealers at one time. I have not met a pro that became a dealer.

Until now.

As it turns out, this dealer used to play professionally.

She tells me a story about how her bankroll went from $20,000 to $80,000 from January to August one year. Then, from September to December, it went from $80,000 to minus $120,000.

This dealer continues the story by telling me she did not play with these amateurs, but in private clubs – illegal games chock full of pro-level players.

As I am about to ask about these games since I would rather play with skilled players, she gives me a bit of advice.

“Playing for a living is stressful and the bad beats are unavoidable. If I were you, find another way to make money. Professional players have no life. They are always at the table. And when they are not, they are in a bad mood the next day from tough beats.”

She is right.

Great insights and great advice.

My problem is I have the rare gift of accurate reads and surgically-precise decisions.

My bigger problem is finding a way, if there is one, to overcome the donkey luck factor.

As I have said before, I have recently experienced a high number of losses that were 1000-to-1 longshots.

Her advice came at a good time. I gratefully took it to heart.