You are a poker player. You are playing in a tournament. You are doing everything the right way. You are acting in the right way. So why do you get your butt kicked then? Why do you get your butt kicked? Why do you deserve it?

Let me tell you something that I have experienced first hand. I am a very aggressive poker player. I am aggressive in the way that I bet, in the way that I defend my pots, and in the way that I exploit my opponents. I do this all in the hopes of making a big score and kicking ass.

But, there are going to be times when I get excited. I guess you could say that I am a thrill seeking individual. I have no problem blowing money on a vacation or a car rental. But I will always strive to be more aggressive than my opponents. Sometimes this means that I will lose money. But it can also mean that I will win money. It all depends on the situation.

I am trying to be a better player every day. In fact, I am actually learning a new game called bridge. I read a book once about how to successfully bluff. I threw away a couple of bucks on a couple of nights of bridge games. Then I started playing with the guys at my club. We started drinking a little more, were a little more reckless, and I took more chances. But I was earning more money in a short period than I ever did playing with those cheap college books.

The next thing I tried was to get the women to play with me. I live in a very “trendy” area of town and there are more than a few single women walking around. Many of them are in bars and looking to have a cheap “pHour” to play poker. I lead them to the cheap lounge and we start “tabling” (playing multiple games at once).

This tactic here works great. The women instantly improve, because they are very distracted, and more likely to call an all-in with a marginal hand than a premium hand pre-flop. Less hands are played. Money is saved.

But here’s the thing. The women are distracted. They cannot concentrate. They are a factor in the game, but not nearly enough to matter. They are going to miss or fold more than once or twice, more than six times.

And, when they do call your all-in bet with a premium hand, they are not going to realize that they are handing you their entire stack.

In other words, once you have women at your table discounting their hands, once you have them where you can threaten their entire stack, monetary victory is within reach.

So, the next time you consider taking a shot at a tournament, considering women to be a significant factor, keep the powder dry until proven otherwise.

Good luck in the next tournament!