Zen Poker

I love the concept of Zen. Its everywhere. Its other worldly, but its something we experience and witness all the time.

When a typist zips across the keyboard at 100 words of minute. He's experiencing Zen. When a cabinet maker cuts a plank of maple, she's experiencing Zen. When a major league batter hits the ball, he's in Zen.

The mind becomes blank. The body takes over. A flow comes over you. Things become crystal clear. You can almost see the results before they happen. A peaceful feeling permeates. A focus relaxation is achieved. I love it. I just love it.

And, of course, Zen happens in poker. It just happened to me yesterday as a matter of fact. It was like each of the players had their hole cards pasted on their chest face out. I KNEW what everybody was holding. You know what they are going to do. You know if you have are ahead or behind. I wasn't reading tells. I wasn't thinking about the betting patterns. I just knew. As a result, I had a big winning day.

Its really hard to intellectualize what is happening when Zen is occurring. Practicing an art, game or sport has something to do with it surely. By training the body and mind to react rather than think, Zen is developed. But its more than that. Things come together. You're in a zone. The Zen Zone. Maybe it has something to do with intercepting brain waves. Being at one with all the signals. Being a super receptor. You're apart of the world rather than an observer. An intricate piece of the puzzle. Your letting yourself go. Someone or something else is at the controls.

When it happens, its a great experience. And when it happens at poker you feel like a mind reader - a mind reader with a few more dollars in his pocket.