We Are Not Fortunetellers
Every day we are faced with making decisions. It doesn't matter if we are playing a casino game or going about our daily routine. We don't know the outcome of our decision until after the fact. Unfortunately we are not fortunetellers and our decisions don't always work out the way we had hoped they would. We also are victims of "selective amnesia." We tend to remember all the times a different decision could have brought about a favorable outcome, but forget about the times that our choice was correct. Here are a couple of common examples I see all the time.
A poker player playing Texas Hold'em throws away his starting hand that consisted of two little cards of the same suit. Sure enough the flop (common cards) brings three more cards of the same suit. He laments that he would have had a Flush if he had stayed in. The fact is he made the right decision. He forgets about all the times the flop would have brought garbage and he would have lost to the player with a better hand.
A blackjack player has a 15 with the dealer showing a ten up. He surrenders his hand according to basic strategy. The next card dealt to the player next to him is the six. He laments that he would have had 21 if he hit. The fact is he made the right decision. He forgets all the times the next card would have busted his hand.
A video poker player is dealt an ace and ten of the same suit when playing Jacks or Better. He throws away the ten according to correct strategy, hits the draw button and sees the king queen and jack of that suit appear on the screen. He laments that he would have had a royal flush if he kept the ten. The fact is he made the right decision. He forgets all the time he draws four aces or some other winning combination.
These are examples that happen in the casino but there are other instances I see in my daily life as well. Many of my friends and co-workers regularly trade stocks. Its not uncommon to hear someone lamenting that they sold a particular stock only to see it jump five points the next day. These same people complain that they should have sold when they see the same stock drops to below the price they paid when it was originally purchased.
Have you ever cleaned out that garage or basement only to find that an item you look for the following week was thrown out? You lament that you should have saved that item for the future. The fact is it probably would have gone unused for the next ten years if you had saved it. You are not alone.
Its human nature to look at the outcome and lament on what would have happened if we made a different decision. You have no control over what will or will not happen. You DO have control over your decisions. You have to make your decision based on all the available facts that you have at you disposal and be confident that you making the right choice. Sometimes this will not always bring about the desired outcome but you have to learn to accept the fact that you made the correct choice and then move on. They always say hindsight is 20-20.
We are only human. Sometimes we make a wrong decision. When this happens we need only ask ourselves if it can be corrected. If it can, we correct it. If it can't we learn from it, we accept it, and move on. Exhausting resources by worrying about past events that cannot be changed will serve no practical purpose. It will only make you crazy if you dwell on it and if you let it bother you it could affect your future decisions. It doesn't matter that twelve years ago I forgot to double down with my A7 against the dealers six while playing blackjack at Resorts in Atlantic City.
You are not a fortuneteller but you are an intelligent person. Make all your decisions in life based on the facts as you know them. Understand that the outcome will not always be as you desired by that's a fact of life we all accept. Play your game to the best of your ability and be happy.
Until next time, remember:
"Luck comes and goes...Knowledge stays forever."