When I first came online in August of 2009 as a poker coach, I felt like I had just stepped into the Huxley novel, Brave New World. The Internet was dehumanizing and the technology was advancing at lightning speed.In the midst of this blaze of ever-changing electrons, I was sure of only two things.
First, by being true to myself, I knew I could make a difference for poker players. I knew I could help them with their both their poker game and their lives.
Second, I knew I needed help figuring out how to reach them– how to attract and connect with like-minded people.
Since I was stepping from in-person poker and life coaching to the virtual world, I believe I had similar insecurities that many online poker players are having today. I'm hearing about doubts and fears as poker players venture from online play to live poker rooms.
Online poker to brick and mortar poker rooms… face-to-face coaching to the virtual arena… it's all the same. It's not really the venue; it's about leaving our comfort zone. Human beings innately do not like change.
When I realized I was experiencing fears about making this leap to the virtual world, I sought out the best training available to update my skills. I made a major investment of time, energy, and money in my personal training.
Yesterday, a perfect stranger reached out to me on Facebook and effectively told me that I had made correct decisions seeking this training. I'm just like every other poker player. I need feedback and loving mirrors. I'd like to share a portion of our conversation:
MH: Just wanted to thank you, Donna, for the e-mail poker coaching "tips" — very helpful! I know that they are auto-generated and you have no idea who I am – but they are great!!!Donna: Thrilled to hear from you M! Even tho' they are automatically sent, I appreciate the fact that you feel the love and care with which I created each of them. They are effectively my hand reaching out to you. Which series are you getting?MH: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" ~Leonardo DaVinci… Your poker lessons are just that — you break the pot odds series into "bite size" pieces keeping it very easy to understand and retain! I know that poker will be a life long quest and series of learnings, and I love being on the journey.
If you are experiencing doubts and concerns about making a transition from online poker to live poker, whether cash or tournament, I am putting together a program to help you make a smooth transition.
The bottom line for a smooth transition: You must update your skill sets and shift your mindset.
Until next time, remember my motto.
For me the anxiety and fear about moving from online play to live play has to do with the travel to and from the poker room and with the exposure to other player's health issues at the table.
On my way to the Card room the other day, I was nearly wrecked by a driver who suddenly cut right in front of me from the left lane to make a right hand turn. You could say they "snap called" a right hand turn from the left lane. Luckily my defensive driving paid off, I am always expecting the unexpected, so they missed me but not by much. The only thing I had to worry about when playing online was to be careful not to trip over the cat on my way to the bathroom on the 5 minute break!
I have also been exposed to some kind of a bug, flu, or something and I have had a sore throat, stuffy head and a cough. I am sure that I picked it up from a player with the sniffles at a tournament in Sarasota.
At a cash game the other day a player sat next to me and he had many bleeding sores covered by bandages. It was, to say the least, unsettling. He busted out rather quickly and didn't re-buy. I can say that I never caught a cold from another online player.
Other than that I have little anxiety about playing in live venues. I look at it as an opportunity to dust off Caro's Book of Tells and use some applied profiling such as one will find in Joe Navarro's book "What Everybody is Saying". Playing vs live players adds a personal dimension to the game and an additional challenge in that profiling is required for success. It has opened yet another field of study to add to my tool-kit in my attempt to master the game of Poker.
Thank you Sara for bringing up both health and safety issues! I will include strategies to protect yourself in those areas in our upcoming training.