Nerds and Gamblers

I was reading thru the posts in Pokermanila about how different people got their starts in online poker or what they spent their time in before they got addicted to poker. Some were Counterstrike players. Some played Ragnarok and other MMORPGs. Justin Bonomo and a bunch of others came from Magic the Gathering. There was a different group of people who where exposed to gambling games early on in their childhood whether it was pusoy or blackjack or sabong.

As I clicked thru the different posts, it was like looking at eerily similar backgrounds. And I came to the realization that poker seems to have a tendency to attract 2 kinds of people. The Nerds and the Gamblers.

I know I'm generalizing a bit, but work with me on this. Next time you play poker, please look at the people around you. I am sure you can easily categorize them into one of the two groups I mentioned above. They're either middle aged men/women who were casino regulars before who have now migrated to poker - GAMBLERS. Or they're part of the new generation of guys who were weaned on computer games and tried poker and got hooked - NERDS. Some were exposed to poker at a young age either by an uncle or a father who played - could be a NERD or a GAMBLER. Foreigners who have money to burn and call with anything under the sun - GAMBLERS, well dumbass gamblers but they still fall under gamblers. =)

One way or the other, they're either Nerds or Gamblers. And when I say nerd, I don't mean the usual negative connotation of a guy with glasses covering half his face, wearing high waisted pants, with ballpens in his pocket and stutters when he's talking to a girl. The updated wikipedia definition actually sounds correct.

"Nerd refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. Stereotypical nerd qualities have evolved in recent years, from awkwardness and social ostracism to a more widespread acceptance and sometimes even celebration of their abilities. This is largely attributable to the rise of the computer industry, which has allowed many "nerdy" people to accumulate large fortunes and other measures of social prestige. Some measure of nerdiness is widely considered desirable, because it suggests a person who is intelligent, respectful, interesting, and able to earn a large salary. This evolution has dovetailed with waning emphasis on the social awkwardness of nerds, with more attention placed on their intelligence and academic enthusiasm."

In a way, its actually now socially acceptable to be a nerd. Attractive girls now prefer going out with the school nerd because he has the potential to be the next Bill Gates rather than the jock who will most probably end up behind the counter at Mcdonalds.

So what's my point ? Basically I am saying that if you love poker. You either love the rush of going all in with your gut shot straight draw and winning that big pot of cash which makes you a gambler. Or you are part of that other group who is intelectually challenged with figuring out the correct odds and gets intense satisfaction out of making the mathematically correct move which makes you a nerd.

Some people might say that they love to play poker but they're definitely not a nerd? Why ? Because you go to the gym and you dress cool. Heheh. Sabi ko nga. If you think you're not a nerd but you enjoy playing poker, then you're a gambler. It's either one or the other. There is no such thing as a successful non-nerd non-gambler poker player. You win big because you play using the correct math or you were willing to risk everything you owned in that 2 outer and you got lucky.

Looking at it the other way. If you're not a nerd and not a gambler then you will definitely not enjoy poker. Simple as that. You may be part of that group of people who try out the game since it is gaining popular recognition among your friends. But you will eventually drop out of the game because there is no satisfaction involved for you if you are not a nerd or a gambler.

As for me, I am a self confessed nerd. Ever since I was a child, I loved playing video games and my favorite subject was Math. Sure, I could be considered a semi-jock since I played high school ball. But given the choice back then, I would rather jump and bonk my way into the castle to save Princess Peach from Bowser than go out in the hot sun and practice my jump shot.

Note : if you know who Princess Peach and Bowser is, then you're definitely a nerd!

Bugged Out

I came down with some kind of nasty flu last week, hence the lack of updates. I was coughing and hacking and my temperature was in the 39s. It was so bad that I didn't even have the strength to play too much onlike poker. And that's saying a lot.

Do you notice that as time goes by, illnesses take longer and longer to go away. Where before, you'd usually just shrug off a cold or maybe take a day off and the next day you'd be all hunky dory. Now I was totally incapacitated for 4 days and even now a week later, I still have this persistent cough that doesn't want to go away.

It's like its getting harder and harder to kill the bugs that invade our immune system. Some people blame it on the use and abuse of antibiotics and I really think they have a point. The bacteria just develop immunity to the antibiotic and no longer respond. Even if the drug companies come up with stronger and stronger antibiotics. We all know that this is not sustainable and eventually a SUPER BUG will come out that will be resistant to all known antibiotics and then we're in big trouble.

Anyway, I did manage to play a little bit during the latter part of my illness. And I was lucky enough to get 2 qualifying tickets. I got a $200+15 Pokerstars ticket thru the steps qualifiers so now I'm ready to take another crack at the Sunday Million. I also got a $150+15 ticket to the 100K Guaranteed Tourney at Cake.

Both of these big tourneys fall on those godawful early Monday morning skeds our time and I don't see any long weekends or holidays coming up, so I may need to skip work one Monday to play these tourneys simultaneously.

By the way, oluaris over at Pokermanila was asking the other time whatever happened to my objective to play in more live tourneys this year. Well, believe it or not, I was actually going to do something about this lack of live play experience. I was seriously planning to play the Metro Perfect 10. Yep. I had my buy-in prepared (cashed out some online profits) and was already preparing a leave form for Mar 12-14. And then last week I find out that our China supplier decided that they will visit our office on those days. Since I am essentially the point man for some of these joint projects, I cannot be away when they come. And that's pretty much the end of that.

I don't know if I should be disappointed or relieved. Disappointed because I've been itching to play a really good live tourney for quite some time now. Relieved because I think I save myself 25K as I'm pretty sure I will probably bust out early on some donkey ass play. =)