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Pronunciation: (flok”su-nô”su-nī”hil-u-pil”u-fi-kā’shun)
Meaning: the estimation of something as valueless or worthless.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc.
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I don’t know if it’s the longest word in the English language, but I’m very comfortable in describing it as the ‘weirdest’ word in the English language: ‘floccinaucinihilipilifcation’.

And, while Random House provides it’s meaning (the act of estimating as either valueless or worthless), I’d like to add that any attempt on my part to properly pronounce the word comes as close to valueless or worthless as is possible. Maybe it’ll be easier for you!

Yet, as the word potentially relates to poker (and, oddly, it does), it’s definition is ‘true’ on some occasions, and ‘false’ on other occasions.

However, while I clearly concede that Dr. Ferguson (Chris “Jesus” Ferguson), an unquestioned authority on ‘game theory’, would never agree with my last sentence, I would, none-the-less, like to use this Article to demonstrate the validity of the assertions I’m taking the liberty of introducing: ‘sometimes true’ and ‘sometimes false’.

But, prior to offering up these assertions, it’s imperative that I get all of you to steer clear of any individual, WASABA member or otherwise, who tries to involve you in their belief that luck is a dominant factor in the game of poker….it ain’t true.

And, there have been countless times when I’ve been witness to Dumbo, Pinhead, and Bozo attempting to convey their ill-founded belief about luck’s pre-eminence in poker to other players.

Avoid these ‘Farm Animals’, and ignore their words; they’re fundamentally ‘stuck on stupid’ (SOS).…they just don’t know it. Their ‘SOS’ is a by-product of their flawed approach to the game.

They neither seek knowledge from the countless ‘tutorial’ books on how to play the game, or they fail to attain knowledge from their own experiences while playing the game. Their inability to ‘learn’ has destined them for the ‘Farm Animal’ domain….too bad; it’s their problem. We’ll just let them slop around in the dung that surrounds them.

Most problematic for these ‘whine and cheese’ cry babies is that they’re involved in way too many hands….playing without regard to the PPM.

As a result, they often encounter a turn card, or a river card, that shoves them in the direction of the ‘alpha bull’. When, in fact, it never should have happened to them in the first place….they didn’t belong in the hand; they should not have played the Negative Expected Value (-EV) pocket they were dealt.

And, if these WAFABA members continue to play in conflict with the fundamental rules of winning poker play, they’re often going to see Lady Luck put forth cards that benefit the opponents they’re up against….and, when that happens, especially given the frequency with which it happens, they come to believe that the Lady plays a much larger role in the game than she actually does….they’ll even believe that her ‘poison pill’ cards are solely directed at only them. And, Lord knows it’s tough to get someone off  ‘Stuck on Stupid’.

However, the above is not meant to say that luck is not a factor in the game. All of us know full well that we’ve been the recipient of ‘good fortune’ on multiple tables and in a variety of hands.

We also know full well that the very same ‘good fortune’ has been gifted to our opponents on many more than a few occasions. But, each of us is intelligent enough to understand that the process of dolling out luck is random….it’s not pre-ordained.

Lady Luck does exists….as a figurative being, not as a literal being. And, she holds the potential to ‘blast’ many of our best laid plans, tactics, and strategies into oblivion.

Her presence at the poker table is inevitable, and she can’t be ignored. But, for Dumbo, Pinhead, and Bozo to suggest that she controls the game is bordering on insanity.

And, as an alternate, let me suggest that her presence is properly bordering on serendipity….a fortunate accident.

Her involvement in the game, over the long-term, is completely neutralized by time. Ultimately, the ‘good’ she does, and the ‘bad’ she does, is 100% balanced….for all of us; that includes both the ‘advantaged’ players, and the WAFABA members.

Granted, as previously explained, the WAFABA’s will experience a lot more of the ‘bad’ that she doles out; solely because they’re playing pockets that they shouldn’t be playing. Yet, I still refer to that as 100% balanced….it falls in line with the adage “you reap what you sow”.

Thus, what becomes most important to us, is to learn the ways in which we can minimize the effects of the ‘bad’ she tosses at us; who cares what she dumps on the WAFABA’s. And, minimizing the ‘bad on us’ is undoubtably something that all of us as ‘advantaged’ players can accomplish.

On occasion, our use of Pot Odds will be ‘blasted’ by her….that renders the act of estimating as worthless. Conversely, on occasion, our use of Implied Odds will be ‘blessed’ by her….that renders the act of estimating as meaningful; and, therein lies the premise I cited above: ‘sometimes true’, ‘sometimes false’.

But, as stated in the previous paragraph, we can minimize her involvement….especially as it relates to the potential for large loses.

If we were holding pocket Eights, and the flop showed 3/8/J rainbow, we would deploy our very profitable ‘slow-play’ strategy. And, after our ‘check’, after an ‘alpha bull’ associate pushes out a bet, after Dumbo and Pinhead call, we are rapidly progressing toward a ‘sweet and special’ moment with the Mystical Lady.

Clearly, she ‘blessed’ us on the flop, and, for now, we’re perfectly content to continue our ‘slow-play’, and only call the bet….no raise.

For good reason! The 3/8/J that hit the board was not a ‘dry’ flop….was it? No way! The Eight and the Jack have the potential to ‘undermine’ the ‘blessing’ that Lady Luck bestowed upon us.

Because, any one of the 3 other players in the hand could be holding pocket 9/T. Which gives them 8 outs on both the turn and the river….the 4 Sevens, and the 4 Queens. Or, stated with more clarity, the player who’s holding 8 outs needs Pot Odds of 2 to 1 to attain ‘break-even’ status, and, he’s actually getting Pot Odds of 4 to 1.

Additionally, it’s possible that one of our three competitors is holding pocket Jacks. And, if that’s true, what we originally thought of as a ‘blessing’, was really a ‘blasting’; simply disguising itself as a gift from Lady Luck.

In either case, the potential for 8 outs to a straight, along with the potential for hidden pocket Jacks, puts us in the position of validating the eficacy of our ‘slow-play’ strategy.

We don’t need to finalize this hand. My point about ‘sometimes true’ and ‘sometimes false’ has been made. Lady Luck can ‘bless’ us with pockets, flops, turns, and rivers….and, in opposite fashion, she can ‘blast’ us with pockets, flops, turns, and rivers.

Moreover, she can do both to us in the very same hand; as might have happened in the hand described above.

So, again, I’ll say, “we need to learn the ways in which we can minimize the effects of the ‘bad’.

1. First, unless we hold a ‘nuts’ hand, we don’t ever go all-in.
2. Second, we employ ‘slow-play’ on a near constant basis.
3. Third, we abide by the Playable Pockets Matrix.
4. Fourth, we analyze the texture of every flop.
5. Fifth, we always asses Pot Odds and Implied Odds.
6. Sixth, we play cautiously against a Big Blind limper.
7. Seventh, we never drop our Consistency of Focus.
8. Eighth, we avoid playing hands against low stacks.
9. And, ninth, we limit our aggression and bluffing until post-bubble.

Plus, while it doesn’t necessarily ‘minimize the effects of the bad’, we are required to keep our emotions in check. What many of you might call a ‘bad beat’ was delivered to you by Lady Luck; the very same Lady who often ‘blessed’ a similar hand on your behalf. She doesn’t know that she was doing it to you, she acts randomly.

Thus, our commitment to Emotions Management is an additional tool that minimizes the effects of her ‘blastings’….and, whenever I’m asked, I’ll answer that there is no such thing as a ‘bad beat’. Without any hesitation I’ll respond, “the Lady has a binary RNG, it was his turn for the positive, my turn for the negative”.

In the end, it’s poker! That being true, she’s gonna’ be around. Her presence will be made known in many hands, and we’ll never know when she intends on showing herself.

Yet, we do have the ability to play the game with a distinct ‘advantage’….whether she’s around or not around. We have developed a ‘winning’ game, and the talent to win money.

She’ll never have what might approach an even ‘minor’ impact on our game play….thus, I’ll choose to think of her as a friend, and keep her closely associated with the word ‘serendipity’.

I’ll ask you to do the same. Plus, I’ll remind you to ignore the ‘stuck on stupid’ (SOS) crowd who believe that she is a big-time factor in the game; they would lead you to the untruth  that she has as much as a 90% effect on the game.

And, they’re wrong. They’re living in a pasture, eating grass, passing gas, and breathing foul-smelling air. When was the last time they were right? I’d say “twice a day….like the broken clock”.

Of note, you’d have a very difficult task if you tried to get any professional poker player to admit that Lady Luck has more than a 5% influence on the totality of the game.

When was the last time they were right? Well….keep watching the replays of major tournaments on television. It’s all-too-frequent that the very same Professionals end up ‘in the money’, and, often, ‘at the final table’. How much more ‘right’ could they be?

Yes! The Lady has a dramatic influence on many hands in the game. But, long-term, she disperses the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ with absolute fairness; she’s unable to do it any other way.

Best of Luck at the Tables,
Michael.

Related posts:

1. “NoPayPOKER is the only place to get free poker and real cash!” – True or False?
2. Advanced Poker Strategies Article 1 of 7 – Bluffing: Conditional Mandates for Success
3. Advanced Poker Strategies Article 2 of 7 – Aggression: An Absence of Reckless Abandon
4. Advanced Poker Strategies Article 4 of 7 – Folding: Laying Down a Once Powerful Hand
5. Advanced Poker Strategies Article 3 of 7 – Slow Play: Make a Habit of Accepting Donations