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Discipline,
Character & Consistency An old cowboy went into the Fontana Lounge at Bellagio and ordered a drink during the recent National Finals Rodeo in Vegas. As he sat there sipping his Kentucky sour-mash bourbon, a young lady sat down beside him. She turned to the cowboy and asked, "Are you a real cowboy?" He replied, "Well, I've spent my whole life on the ranch, herding horse, mending fences, and branding cattle, so I guess I am". She nodded her head, and said, " I'm lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about women. As soon as I get up in the morning, I think about women. When I shower, watch TV, everything seems to make me think of women". A little while later, a couple sat down at the bar on the other side of the old cowboy and asked him, "Are you a real cowboy?" He replied, " Well, I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian". In
Part
I , we
looked at:
ü
Playing
your best game all of the time.
ü Keeping
things in perspective and accepting small wins.
ü Learning
as much as you can about this game, and then using it.
ü
Planning
your work; then working your plan. Before
we proceed, I have to ask you a question. Are
you prepared to put in the necessary effort that is required to succeed? I
didnt just walk into a casino one day and decide that I would make it into a
lifestyle-changing career. It took a lot of
hard work. Most of that hard-work is made up
of discipline,
character and consistency. Hard
work pays off in the future. Laziness rips you off now. If you
are looking for an easy way to do this, I have a reply for that too. There is no easy way. This is
all about discipline, character and consistency. And
first we have to determine how much of each that we have, then well look at how to
top-up our levels. To do that, well
have to take an inventory. Lets
look at a scenario. Lets say that:
ü
You just
walked into the casino.
ü
You just
walked up to the table.
ü
You just
reached into your pocket for your bankroll.
ü You just
peeled off $300 for your buy-in.
ü
You just
tossed it onto the table and asked for change.
ü You just
placed a bet on your favorite spot.
ü
The dice
are in someone elses hands.
ü The
shooter is not a Precision-Shooter.
ü
The
shooter just threw a number that wiped out your bet.
ü You just
shook your head, and thought to yourself that this is not a good way to start a winning
session. Gee, what
went wrong here? EVERYTHING!
ü When you
walk into the casino, DO NOT make a bee-line for the craps pit. Go to the washroom, wash your hands, and take in
the general ambiance of the casino. Get your
heart-rate and your anticipation down to a controllable level. Dont act like an anxious kid on his first
date.
ü
Take your
time as you approach the craps pit. Its not a race to see who can get there
first. The first pioneers of this great country were easy pickins because they
were unfamiliar with what they were getting into.
ü
You have
to acclimate yourself to the climate at the tables. There is no cost to watch what
is happening. That preparation time will give you a sense of where the game is
going. You can politely ask someone what has been happening at the table, but you
can also survey it all for yourself. I wrote an insightful article on that subject
called,
And The Survey Says.....
If you dont know where you are going, you probably wont get there.
ü
Once you
find a table that suits your game plan, then, and only then should you reach into your
pocket for your bankroll. If your buy-in is, lets say $300; then you should
have it separate from the rest of your cash. This not only shields the rest of your
money from larcenous-eyes, but it shows a certain level of determination, professionalism,
and dare I say, discipline. Its discipline because you are not wishy-washy
about the amount of buy-in. Your game-plan determines that. Now you have to
have the discipline to stick to it. Thats one small incremental step forward.
ü Dont
be too anxious to place your first bet. Youve
already sized-up some of the shooters. In
continuing to survey the table, you are determining in real-time what is
happening, and how your betting method will best suit those events. Only then should you be putting money at risk.
ü
If the
dice are in someone elses hands, and they are not a Precision-Shooter; then you have
to be extremely cautious. I personally employ the Captains Five-Count, and if
the shooter seems erratic, then my reluctance to gamble will prevail, and I
may take a pass on that shooter altogether.
ü Your
first series of bets at the table are risky ones. They are risky for two
reasons. The first one I explained above. Since you are not as in tune with
the game as you would be if you were involved with it for thirty or more minutes, your
decisions are based on incomplete information. Second, that first series of bets
will sometimes set the mood for the session. You dont want to start it in a
negative mood, or with a major dent in your bankroll. Either of those two things
will sometimes sway you from your disciplined game-plan. I guess its like a
boxer. Everybody goes INTO the ring with a game-plan. Its what you do
after you get unexpectedly hit, that determines where you will take it from there.
That is what separates a true professional from a club-fighting Palooka. In Part
Three of this series, well look at exactly how to employ a Game Plan that will help
you:
ü Build
character at the tables.
ü
Rely on
consistency instead of luck.
ü Apply
discipline to your game-plan. Until
then
Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables
and in
Life. The Mad Professor
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