Life, Poker, And All That Jazz…Part 1

Often on a Friday night my friends and I meet up for a game of poker. Usually when I tell people this they instantly make their minds up that I must have some sort of gambling problem.

I want to assure my readers from the offset that this is not the case! 🙂 I have only been in a casino once in my life and on that occasion I only lost a tenner! I have been to Vegas and not lost…much! 😛

For us though, Friday nights are something much deeper. Poker, to me, represents life and a spiritual journey! ( I can hear the groans already but stay with me.)

In the game of poker, you’re dealt a set of cards, not always the cards you want but never the less, once they’ve been dealt, it’s up to you to make the most of them.

The same goes for life too in the sense that we often end up in situations that we don’t always like the look of at first but there may be more to come so you have a choice to fold, or continue your game and see where you get to! Note, at this point, that you did have a choice.

Say you were dealt a 2 of spades and a 4 of hearts, it may not look like much at first so the natural instinct is to fold. However, if you carry on playing, there is a small chance that more 4’s and 2’s will end up on the table so who knows, you may end up with a full house, but if you don’t continue you might never know what might have been.

The other players represent the other people and circumstances in your life. This could be work, friends, relationships, your social life, all playing off against one another competing for time in your heart.

This process makes, making decisions a difficult process don’t let one particular facet take control of your life, you are the decision maker, not your circumstances. They will leave and rejoin the game as they please but it’s up to you to keep them in check.

You can never be sure of the outcome, you can only use your best judgement and don’t expect miracles or specific outcomes. As soon as you place expectations on your hand, you have already lost.

The bet that you place represents the effort that you put into life; the more you put in, the more you can potentially get back. It’s almost like risk taking but those risks can be rewarding.

With each new card dealt comes a new challenge and fresh decision to be made. You’ve learnt more about the situation and so are in a better position to make a more informed decision. You can still bluff though!

I see bluffing as a way to pushing yourself that little bit further knowing that deep down you have nothing to lose because ultimately we started on this earth with nothing and we leave this earth with nothing!

When you get to the final bet you’re left with the cards in front of you and your poker face. You show each other your cards but as you do, let go of the moment and just remember that part of your life is but a small segment of the massive overall eternal spiritual journey.

Remember: Life is like a game of poker, you never know what you’re going to be dealt.

That’s my attempt at showing that life can be looked at in various ways but in general, the Friday night poker sessions are something that we look forward to as it gives us time to bond, have a laugh and strengthen our friendship. I recommend starting a poker night with your friends and see what it ends up being for you!