Respect the Game

This has been a tough week.  On Sunday I lost a personal friend who died unexpectedly and way too young.  It has also been a busy week, with more than usual routine "errands" to deal with.  I have ended up coming home late in the evening, logging on to PokerStars, and escaping reality for a while.  Last night, I was tired but logged on and played anyway.  It is relaxing to get your mind away from the affairs of the day.

Well, it turns out that I was so tired, I actually turned my brain off (which on some level was probably good under the circumstances) and played poker in a mindless escape from reality.  In recent nights I have played well, gotten some good hands, been patient, and turned $1.36 into over $20.  Last night was different.  I had been at the funeral home, and it was difficult.  I logged on out of habit and hopeful to return to my recent success at the table.  After all, I had to miss my weekly Wednesday night home game because of the funeral services.  Anyway, I played until I was dozing off to sleep and had mindlessly gone through seven $1 re-buys at the same table before I woke up and logged off for the night.

Poker is a solace at times, and occasionally luck can make winning easy.  However, as I have found in the past, playing poker as an escape from reality clearly does not pay; in reality performance and mental sharpness matter, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill.