Poker fish and Fish in the Tank

Poker, a game of skill with an element of luck thrown in, and frowned upon by the strait-laced, has enjoyed resurgence and a huge following over the past decade or so. While the older generation across the world still play poker as a pastime, the younger generation in the US and in Europe have been driven to studying the game more seriously with some turning it into a profession mainly attracted by the huge prize money pools winnable at various major annual tournaments held in the West which have made winners of the main events instant USD millionaires.

Because of this instant wealth attraction and the pervasive marketing strategies of poker dotcoms, a number of youths in the Western Hemisphere have been seduced to drop out of their degree courses to spend more time playing “No Limit Texas Hold’em” poker either online or in live games. By dropping out, these particular youths would have dashed the hopes of many a parent whose wish that their adult children could obtained a tertiary education and the ability to earn a steady income therefore having a comfortable life going forward.

With the advent of YouTube, and available live and recorded video broadcasts of these major “No Limit Texas Hold’em” poker tournaments on the internet, the younger generation in Asia has also been similarly attracted and influenced by the various successes of the twenty-somethings who have had won the annual World Poker Championship held in the US over the past few years and the huge prize money of USD multi millions (pooled by the large field of participants and the USD 10,000 buy-in for the prestigious main event).

The recent 2012 main event tournament was won by a 24 year old American who as the world champion took home the staggering prize money of USD 8,527,982. The past few world champions were even younger when they won this main event of “No Limit Texas Hold’em” poker.

Recorded and repeated scenes of renowned poker professionals flying in private jets and chauffeured in stretched limos to the tournament venues at five stars hotels and their plush settings are constantly flashed to remind viewers of the opulence and high living that can be had by successful players in pre-recorded video broadcasts of major poker tournaments. Which young impressionable teenager or twenty-something would not be enticed by the glamour, prestige and excitement in playing live poker tournaments staged in five stars hotels cum casinos across the world and where champions become instant millionaires with bragging rights to boot?

With the huge popularity and the hundreds of thousands playing tournament and cash poker online 24/7 and the thousands playing in live tournaments and cash games, the professionals have coined certain relatively new poker terms for easy reference among the community.

While players who do not know how to play poker well were a few decades ago known as greenhorns or rabbits, the professionals now called them: Fish. Perhaps a better description since fish is food to both humans and predators as part of nature. And poker professionals are sometimes referred to as sharks (predators).

Tank in poker terms means a player in deep thought taking time to think whether to call or re-raise a big bet by another player on the same table. Sometimes Tank is equated to the usual meaning of aquarium by poker players.

By coincidence, the at least three millennia old classic – the Book of Changes – also contain hexagram lines that pronounce there is “Fish in the Tank” and “No fish in the Tank”!

Does this coincidence mean that the Holy Sages who wrote the Book of Changes also have the prescience on what is to come a few millennia later?

If readers wished to know more about the phenomenon and the profundity of the ancient classic, read the follow up article on both lines which recently appeared as prognostications for a young man considering taking up poker as a career; therefore making them clear as day even to a beginner of Yijing studies.

If your teenage or adult children are also considering dropping out of their degree courses to make playing poker their profession, do not despair; read on and see what the Book of Changes has to say. If applicable, you can also ask your children to read this particular topic which could be of interest to them before they commit to be a poker professional.

More will be revealed and discussed in the next article.