...i love poker...to me it's the equivalent of being in the Old West and being a gunslinger of sorts, such as the likes of Wyatt Earp, or Doc Holiday or the Rifleman...you can go 'mano y mano' with the best... and who will win consistently in the long run? The man with the best character.
I sat in a live NL tournament in Ky not long ago, and saw a highly paid surgeon go on tilt and start drinking heavily after a small bad beat, and started cussing and berating other players...i saw a politician act like a 5 year old child, whining, and another 'wealthy' real estate man in his 70's, cursing like a drunken Brazilian sailor, trying to bolster his ego...and then i saw the cool calm Rifleman or Gary Cooper type sucking it up after a beat, not whining, not crying, but living to fight another day (play another hand), and boldly, courageously put it ALL on the line and look you right in the eye without flinching, you standing there with a hog leg on your hip (top 2 pair) and them standing right in front of you, the cool calm patient player with a well hidden made straight and getting called by the 'tilt' players.
Poker can teach you how to live your life and offer valuable life lessons...IF you're willing to let it, and keep an open mind, and stay calm and humble and learn... It can teach you how to be responsible for your actions, how to shake off adversity and bad times, and bounce back, how to handle good times too...
Poker exposes character.
It can teach you how to be a man.
...i love poker.