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The what is poker, the where is some seedy underground New York City venue and the when is December 2009. The who…we’ll get to that in a moment along with the why.
First, the three-card flop hits the table and the mind starts racing
with all of the mathematical possibilities. For all of poker’s entropy
and chaotic randomness, it’s still a game ruled by probability. Bringing
order to this order-less ordeal is a valuable skill in a game in which
the field of play changes with each passing turn. Take into account all
of the variables, analyze the given data and formulate an adaptable
strategy. It almost sounds simple until someone catches a face card on
the river.
But that’s how Collin Slattery, 28, survived. He didn’t beat you with
his cards when he began playing in underground poker games at 15; he
beat you with his mind. And it wasn’t about it his ego, it was about his
empty stomach.
“I played to make money, though it was mostly a side
hustle,” Slattery told me. That’s quite a part-time gig for a teenager.
But when you come from an impoverished single-parent family, you get
creative. “For all of poker’s luck, it’s still a game of statistics and
skill. It’s data driven.”
Slattery isn’t a Rain Man counting cards or
a grifter with an ace up his sleeve. He’s just an intelligent guy with
an analytical problem-solving mind. It’s what enabled him to beat
seasoned poker vets as a kid and it’s what he hopes will win him the
title of Mayor of New York City come November.
Wait, what?
Click here for the full article.
Source: Observer (via The Empire Report)
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