Don Roach

Today, the overconfidence of the Democrats will be put to the test in Massachusetts. Sentor Ted Kennedy – the Ted Kennedy – must be looking down on the situation with consternation. Martha Coakley who seemed like a shoo in for the seat only a few weeks ago has seen her lead evaporate to a pick-up truck driving state Senator.

In one of the most liberal states in the nation, a Republican has not only not lost ground but he’s made great strides against his opponent. Admittedly, I haven’t watched the race very closely and there are much more informed sites out there that can give you the play by play. What I will say is this, the theme of the “common man” resonates with voters especially during these unprecedented (at least for our generation) economic times. One of the reasons I voted for Obama over McCain was because I felt he related more to me than McCain.

Brown certainly comes across more “common” than does Coakley. Further, you know you have the opposition on the ropes when they try to rally the big guns at the last minute as evidenced by Obama’s impromptu arrival this weekend. What’s worse Coakley’s & the Democrats are pinning their hopes against Brown with Healthcare commercials and anecdotes. Healthcare? In a 2008 CNN Poll, the economy was the number one issue for Americans coming in with 49 percent while healthcare was far behind with 14 percent.

So if the Democrats are riding their healthcare pony, congratulations Scott Brown – your next US Senator from the state of Massachusetts. As savvy as Obama was in understanding the mood of the American people, it seems that Democrats have lost their edge and instead are seeking to push Americans into coming along with them as Democrats go much further to the left than Americans want to go. And that overconfidence will either be rewarded or sent a shocking blow today.

Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve updated the blog. There’s been good reason – at least as far as I’m concerned. Sometime in July I had the bright idea of becoming the next poker stahhhh!! Seriously, I’d been playing for free for years and recently had a modicum of success that inspired me to try it out for real. I found a site where I could buy-in cheap, $10 dollars cheap, and opined, “If I can win with this $10, then I’m good. If not, well at least I gave it a shot.” In the ensuing months I took the $10 to $202 as recently as three weeks ago. I am now down to about $29, such is the life of a poker player, no?

During my six month Odyssey on the felt, I’ve really discovered how much of a skill game poker is. It’s all about getting your money in ahead, riding the ups and the downs and getting used to the occassional “bad beat”. Imagine you have pocket aces and some guy calls you with 72 off suit – or suited – and the board comes out 777. Hehe. You’ll find many players completely angered by such situations but I’ve taken the same approach with poker as I have with life – I will not be denied. Bumps are going to happen but if you stay focused on the goal…your talent and skill will prove if you’ve got it or not.

I strongly recommend people try the game of poker, in much the same way I vehemently suggest people try chess, you learn a lot about yourself in these games. What I’ve learned from poker is this, patience is paramount, and while I’m generally a patient guy I have lapses and those lapses are the reason I’m no longer at the $200 I was at just a few weeks ago but is also the reason I know I’ll get back there over the next couple of months.

In life, I tend to play it very patiently for the most part but when I lose that patience there I tend to do stupid things. Example, circa 2003 I was in a difficult living situation and I punched my windshield. I ended up cracking the windshield costing about $1400 to replace. Not really a wise move.

I say all this to say, poker has afforded me a window into my best and my worst – tempered zeal with patience is perhaps my greatest strength. Unrestrained aggression being my worst and most closely hidden weakness. As you play the game of poker you too may learn about yourself and use that information to face and overcome the different challenges we all face.