The Hero's Journey

In 1949 Joseph Campbell published a book called 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces.'  In it he carefully sets out how a lot of different cultural mythologies going back to our earliest memories as a species share the same archetypes and patterns.  He showed how these still resonate very deeply with us to this day.  Hollywood in particular has proven skilled in using the ideas of the hero's journey to help audiences connect with films.  A whole host of cinema taps into this mythological well with 'Star Wars' and 'The Matrix' being several of the most classic examples, detailed in the Christopher Vogler book 'The Writer's Journey.'  If one plays poker for long enough you will see a group of players who never improve, never grow but always keep playing.  I have been trying to fathom what people get out of it to continue playing in this manner.  It recently struck me how the psychological resonance of the hero's journey fits in well with many of the levels of enjoyment people gain from playing poker.

Joseph Campbell

Whilst watching poker on TV can be fun the essential pleasure of poker is that you are a direct participant and control all the key decisions.  In this respect it is not unlike a video game.  Many people prefer this kind of 'active' entertainment to more 'passive' ones like watching TV.  So in your own poker journey you are very much the 'Hero' and control all the decision making of what that will entail. It is psychologically interesting  that when analysing hands the opponent is always referred to as the 'Villain.'  Normal life can be quite a drudge sometimes.  Getting up and going to work day after day to earn what small pleasures you can obtain can be hard. This is especially true if you don't enjoy your job, or are troubled by other issues of the sort that life enjoys throwing at people along the way.  Against this 'Ordinary World' background poker can seem like a big exciting challenge, a 'Call to Adventure'.  There is drama, intrigue and exotic locations.  There are superstars and there are parties.  When people first discover poker it can be like finding out a little bit of the Wild West still exists, that ordinary life can take extraordinary turns.  It can be Rock and Roll, and you don't even need to be able to play the guitar.  Of course the daily reality for most us that enjoy the poker lifestyle is anything but, however the image and the perception is strong and occasionally little bits of the magic are genuinely there.  The dream of winning the World Series of Poker Main Event is not unsimilar to those who dream of winning the lottery.  It is an escape, it is freedom, it is adventure... and above all it does actually happen to a lucky few.

It Could Be You ;)

The idea of being the hero in your own poker adventure is very much tied into the concept of ego.  It is easy for bad players to carry on when as a species we are very good at being egocentric.  Most people have a strong view of themselves, some are better at self analysis than others.  There is a small percentage who see themselves in a way that is quite at odds with reality.  There are always examples in the forums I frequent of players who burst into their first post decrying a flurry of bad beats.  'The site is rigged', they would win 'if it wasn't for the donks'.  They 'never have any luck'.  99% of them have never even stopped to consider that what is holding them back is their own play, their own lack of ability, attitude or understanding.  Their own sense of ego and bloated self worth stops them from questioning this.  They may have only been playing poker for three weeks but they are the next Phil Ivey.   They will play Tom Dwan heads up for rolls.  They will win the WSOP Main Event this year.  Self belief is important in this game but it must be moderated with either a large dose of hard work, or of pure enjoyment, to keep the ego in check. 

Poker is getting tougher all the time, smart people are developing the game with smart concepts and analysis.  I am not ready to jump ship just yet though.  Whilst the good players get better there are too many egotists out there on their own hero's journey too unwilling to engage with reality.  It is why there is still so much value in the fields at the WSOP.  It is why Chinese business men are throwing away millions of dollars to the high stakes pros in Macau cash games.  It is why poker is not yet dead.  Enjoy poker and be the hero in your own adventure.  Unlike the egotists though pay attention to other facets of the hero's journey.  Make use of 'allies' and 'mentors' to develop your skills.  If you receive a 'boon' or 'reward' make the most of it, do not squander it.  Eventually, if you are really lucky, you might be able to return to your ordinary world from your adventure with knowledge that will make a difference to your day to day life.  Maybe you will be more confident, maybe more zen, or perhaps you will just have won yourself enough money for a really cool holiday.