In too deep

'It takes a fool to try the same thing twice and expect different outcomes'

Poker is a weird game. You can do everything right for hours and still lose, while someone taking bad decisions every single time can become a world champion. You have to do the same thing over and over again to finally see who was right, and who is left.

It really is a game for madmen. You can do the correct thing thrice, and still be proven wrong by the results, but you have to know within yourself that it is not foolishness. It is approximately the opposite of correct science. It changes all the time, and today's great new gun is tomorrow's degenerate luckbox.

You have to learn and adapt, but even that is quite complex. If you adapt too fast, you end up destroying your style. One downswing or one rush later, and you have absolutely no grasp of the basics. If you are too slow to react, you'll be dead before you even know it. It requires that you adjust your learning speed, which is something most people have absolutely no training in. It is a game where you have to control the acceleration, not only the speed, to get where you want.

That, however, is not something you can learn in books. You can't even learn it by watching or listening. You have to get your hands dirty, you have to dive in there, you have to avoid death countless times in order to stay alive, and finally realize that you really don't know much. Only then can you start learning.

Drop those charts, don't even think about the hands. Think about the situation, about the strategy. Think about the players. Think about your position, and your stack. Not because money matters, but because it, like soldiers, dictates your available actions. Only then should you think about the cards, and figure out a tactic.

Think about your cards, but more importantly, think about their cards. Craft a masterpiece in advance, and be ready for everything. Whatever happens, you'll be ready, confident, and you'll do the right thing. This is where the numbers won't help you, because it has become a battle of wits, psychological warfare where everything's fair game.

Then get ready for the execution, and then for the showdown, the post-war era. How will you move those chips? When should you double-check your cards, or give your opponent the look? How will you rake those chips in, or how will you muck those cards? What changes should this bring in future confrontations? Who was watching, and who was busy looking down the waitress' cleavage? What look will you give them, or what should you say? These steps are just as important as everything you've done so far.

Neglect one aspect of the game, and you fail. Strategy, tactic, and execution, this game has it all. No one can master it all, but the more you know about yourself, the least you'll let them know. In a war, there is a General, Sarge and Private. Strategy, Tactic and Execution. Out here, you're on your own. You are your own army. Learn to do everything right, or just avoid doing it entirely.

Spot your weaknesses, and adapt accordingly. Know when you have the edge. If your execution is flawed, online poker and limit games should be your friends. Not that it will make you any better, but it will reduce your disadvantage. If strategy and numbers bore you, stay away from tournaments, and learn only the strategy you will need in your full buy-in cash game. If you are a bad tactician, learn game theory, so that while you won't be ahead, at least you won't be far behind.

Once you've learned it all, start all over again. By the time you got there, the game changed, the people changed, and the rest of the world too. Adapt too fast, and you'll be yet another species that tried to out-evolve the world. Don't adapt, and you'll just be a speed bump in others' road.

Like everything that is worth doing, it is quite a challenge, and you need more than just the desire for a quick buck. The most important part, however, is not what happens at the tables, but why you do it, and how you'll use this knowledge away from the table.

'Dad, how long does it take to learn poker?
- Your whole life, son.'