Punching holes in cards
The game of poker has been given a lot of metaphors over the years. It has been likened to a war because it has hours of boredom interspersed by flashes of pure terror. It has even depicted romantic comparisons, wherein poker is compared to romance – everybody assumes that they are the best while others do not know what they are doing. What about a metaphor that is related to boxing? A bout is like a poker tournament: you dance in the early stages, exchange a few jabs, then end the match with power punches as your opponents are exhausted.
When you start a boxing match or a round of poker, the trick is to size up your rivals. It’s similar to shadowboxing where you prepare yourself for intense action later on. While you or your opponent may land a few punches in the early stages (in the case of poker, you would bet a huge hand every now and then), you won’t experience that much fatigue early on. You will still be feeling out your opponent, not taking huge risks or letting your guard down.
As the poker game (or boxing match) progresses, you start to open up your defenses and become more offensive. As your opponent will try to catch you off guard by either bluffing or blindsiding you, you will either recover or stagger from the blows if they hit as hard as Manny Pacquiao. Both activities will eventually force you to take risks, mixing up your jabs and power punches (or bluffs and big hands). When a boxer starts to feel the heat with all the punches traded, he or she backs off a bit to recuperate. A poker player on the other hand will make small bets and announce a call or drop to stay in the game.
When the event is about to end, you have to give it everything that you’ve got, whether you are executing power jabs in boxing or raising the bets in a poker game. You have to make more wagers and look for an opening. Your bet may or may not work the way you wanted, but at least you will let your rival know how formidable you are, win or lose. Antonio Esfandiari from bwin’s partypoker believes that a player or athlete has to be confident, believing that he or she will win the in every situation.
These factors illustrate how the professional sport and the social game of poker are very much alike.
