Sometimes there simply is no play

I recently decided to re-watch season 2 of Boardwalk Empire in anticipation of the new season coming out soon.  One of my favorite characters in the show is Arnold Rothstein.  Rothstein was a gangster and gambler most famous for fixing the 1919 World Series known as the Black Sox Scandal.

I just watched an episode last night where he makes the following speech to Nucky Thompson about how to handle his troubles, using a beautiful gambling analogy.

Whenever I am at the poker table and things are going poorly--for example I am missing every flop, getting dealt rags all night, and just flat out not winning--I can watch this scene and be energized knowing that if I am indeed patient the situation will come along where I can bet it all (my stack) and have the best of it.  So, like Arnold Rothstein advises...I wait. Patience and Discipline are my number one priorities in poker and they serve me well.  Last night I was losing for almost the entire session, hardly picking up any playable hands, and then I won one big pot with a big pair and ended up cashing out up $160.  I hardly won a pot all night and still managed to book a decent win. I hope the gambler in Rothstein would be proud.

Boardwalk Empire is not really about gambling, but if you like gangster movies and TV shows like the Sopranos, I highly recommend you check it out.

Disciplined Degenerate