All these considerations led me to think how much poker is kind of a microcosm which reflects perfectly our society. Think carefully:
- An enterprise atop, who constantly earns money from players, no matter they win or lose.
- The vast majority of them have been hijacked and keep playing for the reasons explained before. But here's the thing, they bring money and without them, the entire system would collapse. So they must have some incentive to keep their hopes alive, and that's where marketing operates.
- The small percentage of players who end up making break-even (which means they must win enough to overcome the rake) have to be considered as the glue that keeps everything together. They aim to be successful, therefore they keep doing it, as well as they are a comfortable term of comparison for those who progressively lose their money.
- The few winners, who usually do it professionally, get the best from the system. They are sharks in a sea full of smaller fishes, but they still depend on it. As long as the system remains stable, they keep having their privileges. Not much unlike from an Orwellian society, let's say.
Briefly, people speculate on each other, but for most of them, it's just an illusion. And I ended up working in a field with the exact same patterns I was trying to fight, every day, sometimes concretely and sometimes just inside my mind. That said, I still work on media and play regularly under stacking, which means somebody is investing in my skills as a player and share the profit. It's my job, so far.
But the more I think about everything, the more I ask myself: do I really fit in it? What would I like to write about if I'd have more time and don't have to care about money? Writing stories, making music reviews or maybe even restart playing, who really knows.
I'm a Steemer since a few days and the idea to do what I like and have a reward for what I bring to the community has been the very spark that led me to start writing a blog. Again. Who knows, maybe Steemit will be a chance to take back some time I gave up to do what I really wanted to, but right now I'm just enjoying writing and Steemit has been a good excuse for that. Hope you enjoyed reading it too.
For part 1 click here.
For part 2 click here.
Note: All pictures in this post are part of the hundreds I took at the last World Series Of Poker Europe, in Berlin, which is my hometown since almost two years.
I would advise you to continue on your path of passion...and I would STRICTLY advise you against doing anything else. An income can always be made, but a life cannot afford to be lost.
Whatever you precede t o do in the future, always bring your awareness back to the moment.
Your actions you take in each moment dictates your future.
And remember; THINK POSITIVE!
Good luck with the steem generation