Even though he has won millions from poker and is one of the most recognisable names and faces on the planet when it comes to Texas Holdem, you still do not wish the bad beat like the one suffered by Daniel Negreanu on anyone. His opponent, eventual victor Barry Shulman needed an Ace and only an Ace to save him in an all-in confrontation. The river duly obliged, with one of the two remaining Aces left in the deck. We eagerly awaited Daniel to update his popular online Blog so we could get an insight into how he was feeling after missing out so closely on winning the WSOPE Main Event.
Although I can find it difficult at times to feel very bad for someone who is worth millions of dollars and has a lifestyle most can only dream of, I do reflect on how bad I would feel if the beat had happened to me. You always get a feeling of foreboding when the last card is about to be dealt on an important hand, it is almost like a universal force is willing the last card to be the one you dread. Had Daniel won the event it would have been an amazing peak of what has been an amazing poker career, but alas he will have to do it all over again. Judging by how many “we never expected it but it has happened” moments this year in Poker, perhaps backing Daniel to win a major event next year is not so unlikely after all.
Daniel comments in his blog that his mother, who is recovering from a serious stroke, was very pleased with his second place. I applaud that attitude. It would have been easy to be extremely negative about the fact he almost won, rather than celebrate yet another $1 million cash. It is a lesson that we can all take from his reaction, there are always more important things than poker even if it does not feel that way at the time. Bad beats hurt, but we can always play another hand and another poker tournament.
I am sure that Daniel would have a lot more of a tough time putting the beat into perspective if this had been his first major tournament. He could not be criticised for being extremely upset about the beat, and the fact it has taken him over a week to post his feelings suggests he took it rather hard. We can also take heart over this. There is nothing wrong with feeling bad about a bad beat. If professionals feel the pain then who are we to bounce back with zero effect? It is a natural human reaction to berate the bad luck, we must learn to accept this as part of winning poker.
Feeling badly over a piece of bad luck, usually ill-timed (but when is there a good time for a bad beat?) reminds us that poker does harbour an element of luck that if we removed then the only differentiating factor between us and players like Tom “Durrrr” Dwan would be the skill in the game. That would put the majority of us at a disadvantage similar to that of an amateur taking on Roger Federer on a Tennis court. Luck allows us somewhat of a level playing field whilst we seek to improve our Poker.
Without a doubt, Daniel Negreanu will be back to win more money, more events and he has side businesses like Full Contact, PokerVT and his book publishing to keep him in the style to which he is accustomed. He reminds us in his blog that family, health and a positive approach to life are important. There is always the next tournament, so try really hard to put any bad beats behind you and dominate the next time you hit the real or virtual felt when playing poker.
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