Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. – Anais Nin
I was talking to a successful young pro. He has come a long way since Grandmama taught him to play, those many years ago at the cabin in the woods by the lake.
He is winning comfortably, the bankroll is growing, the bills are paid. By most measures, life is good. But what happens, when going good isn’t good enough? When you are paying the bills and want more… and you want to grow, you want to improve?
I honestly can’t remember who said it first…okay, it was me. He was chatting, I was working.
I am always working when I have a conversation with a client. I can’t help myself. I actually care.
“What next?,” I asked.
“What do you mean?,” he asked back.
“Well,” I responded. “If you are not moving forward, you are falling behind.”
“Really?”
“Not always, but usually. Good to keep in mind.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“Heads-up cash,” I offered.
Silence.
Eventually, the inevitable question. “HU cash? Really?”
So, I explained. I had been watching Poker After Dark. Ali Nejad remarked that three of the four remaining players made their careers playing heads-up cash online.
Durrrr, LuckyChewy, Melanie Weisner…not a bracelet among that trio, yet they are all sponsored pros, wearing Full Tilt logos, on television. We’re talking The Big Time.
Makes me think. Perhaps winning HU cash games might be a more efficacious avenue to The Promised Land.
Isildur1 comes to mind immediately. OMGPhilGalfond.
To become successful, you have to become uncomfortable first. And I don’t mean the discomfort that comes from grinding and multi-tabling donkaments every week. Week in, week out. Face it…that’s what you know, that’s what you’re doing now, that’s where you are most comfortable.
“I admit it. Heads-up cash is more than a little scary.”
You are already looking at the negatives, I told him. You are afraid of what might be lurking in the dark. Put on the light.
Think about the positives. More money, more time for fun away from the table. Maybe fame, maybe even one of those stick-on logos I suspect you covet.
“Geez, I don’t know.”
Try this, I suggested. Set aside a part of your bankroll, a small part of your next big score even, and think of it as tuition for your new studies. Start real low. Maybe play two-man sit-and-go’s, if that seems more appealing to you. Just give it a try.
“I’m doing so good right now.”
You are doing better. You are doing, some might say, well.
But, you are not yet where you want to be and it’s my job to get you there.
I am telling you…again. Get uncomfortable
Published: Jul 3rd, 2011 at 06:35 PM