The Pleasures of Sharing Information

“Are you going to raise my blind every time, son?” My dad would say that every time he saw my face, while playing online poker. He’d say it with his mouth full of our dinner, if he thought I’d hear him. A lot of times I’d close my eyes, though I could still hear him though my ears. The eye closing thing never quite paid off. My father said it over my cradle, before I even knew what the words meant at all: “Are you going to raise my blind every time, son?” He said it to me in sign language at the casino online. He wrote it on notes in my lunchbox. We never even played cards. My dad was horrible at gambling and online poker. He’d lost a lot over the years. By the time I was a teen, each week he got his paycheck and went and stood with it at the poker table, behind all the men who had not made the promise he had, to my mother, about how he’d never play again. “Are you going to raise my blind every time, son?” in my sleeping. “Are you going to raise my blind every time, son?” carved into the paint on the first car I ever got. Sometimes at night I’d come in and find him with play chips at the dinner table, trying to get the stuffed animal to reraise.

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The Wish Lantern is a beautiful thing to behold, but it is also an interactive form of art. In that case what are they doing hanging out in warehouses in wimbledon, when they should be displayed in the spaces of the Tate modern? Wish lanterns would make truly sensational pieces of artwork. They combine many different art disciplines, from sculpture (ther are three dimensional), to fine art (you can draw on them with highlighters- carefully!), to light installations (they are lanterns after all). If you were to get a few well known artists together, and give them each a lantern upon which they can go to town. They must of course be told beforehand that they must handle the delicate rice paper with the utmost care. This should not be too difficult for men and women whom are probably used to handling all manner of different materials.

Once Anthony Gormley and Tracy Emin and whoever else had created their masterpieces, the lanterns could be set off in a ceremonial launching, with a few important guests invited to watch. Once the lanterns had floated naturally back down to the ground, they culd then be auctioned off to raise money for a worthwhile cause- that hasn’t be worked out yet. It would be a triumphant event.

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You heard right, poker training. It’s a little secret that the pros know, that the average player probably doesn’t. It involves getting oneself ready to play in the longer sessions. Think of it just like a marathon. You can’t jump right in and run a 10k, if all you’ve done is laid on the couch for the past six months and ate potato chips.

Likewise, poker is no different. Don’t expect to play in a six hour power session, and be playing at the top of your game the whole way though, if you’ve never done it before.

Poker is a game of the mind, as much as it is a game of probability. And when you’re mind isn’t there, your play suffers. So the following are some tips to help you stay on the top of your game, even during those grueling sessions that go in for what seems like eternity.

If you know you have a long sessions ahead of you be sure to rest up the night before. Just like anything else, you’ll play better if you’re fully rested. Try to get a full 8 hours.

Eat well the day of. Since food gives you energy, and you’ll be using a lot of brain power, you’ll want that extra energy. Some people swear by caffeine. And it has been proven to raise cognition ability.

Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Now of course the alcohol thing isn’t a necessity, if you’re just playing to have fun, as some people like having a drink or two during a game. But if you’re looking for a long session, be wary as alcohol will slow down your play, and make you tired much sooner.

Get up from the table from time to time, go stretch our, and clear your mind. You’ll likely get into a habit, and if you’re playing bad when this hits, then you’ll want to get up to break it. Kind of a way to get away from the monotony.

And work your way into it. When you start to feel tired, taking a break doesn’t help, then it’s time to call it a day…or night. If you continue to play and you’re not all the way in it, you’re prone to make some mistakes you wouldn’t make when you’re fresh.

And finally, condition yourself to get used to playing longer games. You don’t have to jump right into a 12 hour monster stretch of a game. Maybe start with 2 hours and work your way up. You’ll eventually be able to sit at those marathon games with the best of em.

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Playing your first game of poker against complete strangers can be pretty stressful. Since you know nothing about the other players, it is pretty much impossible to predict what is truly going on with their set of cards. That’s why in the beginning of the game you should be very cautious, and take some time observing your opponents. First get a feel for how they play the game, and then you will be able to play accordingly. Identify the weak vs. strong players and the strategies they employ.

The most effective play is to make money off the weaker players while not allowing the more skilled players make money off of you. Don’t expect to be invincible because the chance that the better poker players will lose to you is slim. It’s best to let them be, and avoid being their bait.

Being in the right state of mind is also very important to playing a good game. If you are tired it can be very hard to focus, and focusing on the game is key. If you are upset, just keep in mind that it is irrelevant to the game and don’t let it affect your playing. To be in control of the game you have to be in control of yourself first.

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