A very good piece. Patterson hits on his problem, why he calls himself a coward. His fear of losing outweighed his desire to win. You could see it in his fighting style, the "Peek-a-boo." That's something that separates the true champions from the rest. You don't want to be stupid, but sometimes you have to put your chin out and take a risk.
I had the same problem when I started playing poker regularly. I was too cautious, I didn't want to be one of those brazen macho guys who'd push their whole stack on a bluff or a draw. That all just seemed like posturing, dumb risk to prove something. But then I realized that guys willing to do that were eating my lunch at the table. So I decided to not worry so much about looking like a chump if I pushed my whole stack on a hope and a prayer and lost. And not only did the world not end, but I started winning more, and I started playing better. I started sitting at tables not worried about what I could lose but anticipating what I could win. And even when I'd put it all out there and get creamed, instead of storming away from the table, feeling like a fool, I'd just push back and say "I guess the poker gods aren't with me today, time for a drink."
Good stuff, thanks for posting, Dublin.
