When the call is coming from inside the house

Something funny I saw today –

One of those young kids who, not only is absolutely terrible at the game, but also can’t stop himself from saying some of the dumbest stuff the whole time in an attempt to appear like he knows what’s going on.

All while playing like 80% of the hands.

He told a kid about a bunch of physical tells he had on him.

Multiple times, he claimed to have mucked the winner by accident at showdown.

Complained that he hadn’t doubled up in awhile, then proceeded to open jam aces preflop into an unopened pot.

Some of the most delusional plays I’ve seen in a long time.

To everyone on the outside it was painfully obvious where this guy was at.

But to him?

I’m quite sure he was in complete denial that anything he was doing was bad. That all the stuff he was saying made him appear like he knew what was going on. That he could use his loose image to get paid when he opened 95 offsuit and connected (…he didn’t get paid).

Truly the worst player in the poker room at that moment by a wide margin.

I’m confident everyone else in the room would have agreed too.

But when you’re the one on the inside, it’s nearly impossible to see.

——————–

When it’s your own emotions that start flowing, and the thoughts start to get a little crazy?

You might look a lot like that kid.

Maybe not for the whole night, but it only takes you believing a few thoughts that aren’t actually true for things to go off the rails. It’s always clear once the emotion has passed and you’re back on the outside, but up until then, you can be convinced of some real wild shit.

It’s all clear in hindsight.

But hindsight doesn’t get the money back.

It only matters if you can recognize what’s happening internally in the moment, in real time.

If you can’t?

Then you and that kid really won’t look too different at times.