My failure as a pro poker player
A failed poker experience at 23 taught me that even when you play it right, you can lose, but with an edge, you'll eventually come out on top.
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When I was 23, I failed at becoming a professional poker player.
On a Friday Night, with the casino slot machines sprinkling cha-ching’s in the background, I placed my hand on top of my chips, and pushed all in. $2000 in the pot. For a new college grad making $60k per year, it was a lot of money.
I had two Aces, which meant I had the best odds of winning. As the dealer flipped each subsequent card, my heart thumped like a beating drum. As the last card flipped, my heart sank to my stomach. My opponent landed three ten’s, which beat my two aces.
The odds were in my favor. I played my hand correctly. I had the edge at the table. But I lost.
There are hands you win and there are hands you lose. If you play correctly and have an edge over your opponents, over many, many hands, you’ll come out on top. In statistics, this is called “the law of large numbers.”
It taught me a valuable lesson: you can play the right way and still lose. And that’s OK. But the key is if you have an edge, you’re going to come out on top, over a long enough time frame.
In baseball, hitting the ball 30% of the time will make you an allstar. In VC, you just need one home run out of 20 investments, to be successful. In sales, you’ll get rejected on 80% of your pitches. When interviewing for jobs, getting an offer 50% of the time is really, really good. The key? Having an edge over your competition.
In dating, you’re going to fail most of the time. So, what’s your edge?
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