And now your neighbors all know!
Posted on 01/31/2016 4:12:29 PM PST by Hojczyk
Heres how the principles of Texas Hold Em explain Trumps early success
Be unpredictable.
Trumps campaign seems guided more by emotion than reason, though clearly there’s a method to the madness. His erratic behavior makes it difficult for opponents to formulate a plan of attack.
Be aggressive.
There are two ways to win a pot in poker: hold the best hand at showdown, or force your opponent to fold.
As a result, most of his opponents have decided that its safer to fold than to risk it all—and the timid approach left Trump in the catbird seat.
Play the man, not the cards.
This axiom is a corollary to the principle of aggression. You dont need a strong hand to take a big pot; you just have to sense weakness in your opponent and concoct a strategy to exploit it.
Play in position.
You rarely see him commit chips to an issue when he doesnt sense an advantage, and he redirects dicey topics toward friendlier ground.
Know when to change speeds.
With a late lead in the polls, he decided to try to run out the clock in Iowa by skipping Thursdays debate. A candidate in permanent fight-mode wouldnt have made that decision, which forced Cruz to absorb Trumps share of slings and arrows.
In order to live, you must be willing to die
because a loss puts a politician’s future in peril. Trump, on the other hand, has a billion-dollar business and a penthouse atop Central Park to return to, and so he campaigns like a gambler. The decision to forgo the final debate before the Iowa caucuses is a case in point. Trump saw an angle and pushed his edge. Now it looks like it may pay off.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
And now your neighbors all know!
If Trump was playing poker would he be the Phil Helmuth at the table?
Time - it’s America’s favorite news pamphlet.
And tripe like this is the reason why.
Two words:
Gus Hansen
Phil Ivy brain, Phil Helmuth mouth, Gus Hanson recklessness.
Didn’t like the article.
Be somewhat predictable, then selectively exploit your perceived unpredictability is much better than just being unpredictable.
Selective aggression encompasses more than just play the player.
And they didn’t mention the big stack game. Trump definitely falls under the big stack game.
Poker doesn’t explain it.
PISSED OFF VOTERS DO!!
We are done with slimy politicians who get rich while eating from the government trough (yes, you too Teddy), making laws that they don’t have to follow, while lecturing us on what is “American”.
Note to the elitists who live in the Beltway and are fully out of touch: We will elect Trump to disassemble the empire you gave put in place. If you manage to screw us again thru a proven fraudulent vote count, we will resort to other options. This is not a threat, but merely one of the pissants in flyover country telling you we are done with business as usual.
If this were a pro-Cruz article you wouldn’t be so critical of the periodical.
Believe me, I would mock Time as a repository of leftist hackery even if they endorsed Cruz for King of the Universe.
“If Trump was playing poker would he be the Phil Helmuth at the table?”
A donkey is more like it.
Agreed.
Donald the Disruptor.
Not Gus, more like a hybrid Phil Helmuth (smashmouth) and Daniel Negreanu (crafty), and definitely not that muzzie lover who won so much last year.
Not just a big stack game, but a big stack game at a full table, not a heads-up table. He picked-off everyone in the game with that big stack.
But his big stack should put away the others at a short table and heads-up table, too.
It’s a fair assessment of what Trump is doing.
Of course he’s playing it to maximize his position. Engage on topics that are of a benefit to him, check or pass on those that don’t.
Bet when he;s strong, pass when hes got garbage, and bluff when he senses weakness even though he doesn’t have the strongest hand and win.
Why is this a problem? Any intelligent business person operates in this manner.
Actually the poker analogy is pretty good.
It’s either that or Sun Tzu and it’s not very likely that Time’s readers, nevermind their writers, have ever heard of him.
Excellent article thanks
Trump, Mr Single payor 2000.. he is in to protect obamacare or worse, implement single payor.. it isn’t poker.. he has,been a dem for years. He is going to force Israel, force apple... cities have the right to condemn deal maker... Bob doles guy.. um not just no.
You clearly don't play high stakes hold-em poker or are not proficient at it or you would see the truth presented in the article. It is about tactics, not the political mood of the country!
All of the other candidates are subjected to the same background mood but only Trump has knows how to bamboozle his opponents.
Show me a man that is good at hold-em poker and I'll show you a man that is good at life.
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