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“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but from playing a poor hand well. “

Denis Waitley

In the 1976 World Series of Poker Main Event, after surviving a field of competitors which included some of the best poker players in the country, Doyle Brunson, affectionately known as “Texas Dolly”, and Jesse Alto were the last two players standing. As the two poker veterans faced off in a head to head battle for the illusive title of World Series of Poker Champion, the last thing they could have imagined was that they were about to shape poker history. On the last hand, Alto was dealt an Ace and a Jack, a powerful starting hand for heads –up play, while Brunson was dealt a far weaker Ten and Two of spades. Alto placed a standard bet before the flop because he held a strong hand, but Doyle Brunson, who had substantially more chips than Alto, called the bet with his weaker hand because he was in a strong position. The first three community cards were turned revealing an Ace, a Jack and a Ten. Alto now had the top two pair while Brunson had just a pair of Tens. After Alto placed another standard bet, Brunson moved all in hoping to scare his opponent away, but instead Alto called the all-in. After the final two cards were turned revealing a Two and a Ten, Doyle Brunson was crowned the tournament champion with a Full-House, Tens and Twos.

Remarkably, the following year, after surviving yet another intensely competitive field of some of the best poker players in the world, Doyle Brunson repeated his victory by defeating legendary poker player, Gary “Bones” Berland, becoming the first player to ever win back-to-back World Series of Poker titles. As if being the first to win this coveted championship in consecutive years wasn’t enough, what made Brunson’s repeat victory even more remarkable was that he won the second tournament with the exact same hand, the seemingly weak Ten and Two – a hand that from that day forward has been respectfully referred to as “Texas Dolly”.

We’ve all been dealt a poor hand at one point or another in our lives. The current recession certainly isn’t helping. For many people struggling in this economy, the hands they’re being dealt seem to be getting progressively worse. The fundamental truth we must never forget, however, is that the final outcome does not depend on the quality of our hand, it depends on how we play the hand we’re dealt. If only the players with the strongest hand were to win poker tournaments, then there would be no merit to the game. There would be no creativity, imagination, or innovation. In fact there would be no skill involved whatsoever. The game would lack the “human factor” – that unpredictable seed of hope which helps us to rise above adversity and hardship, and inspires us to succeed against all odds. We’re all capable of it. Each and every one of us, by our very nature, has the ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and succeed whether others expect us to or not. What many people do not realize, however, is that playing a poor hand well and succeeding despite adversity is a matter of perception – and that is, perhaps, the biggest challenge of all. If we can only adjust our attitude toward the problems, mistakes, and failures we face, and turn them into what author, Steve Young, calls “steppingstones to success”, we will realize that success is a byproduct of our response to whatever situation we may face – be it good or bad, difficult or pleasant. In his book, Great Failures of the Extremely Successful, Steve Young tells the story of Sir Edward Hillary who wanted to climb Mount Everest and, after three failed attempts, finally succeeded. People said, “You’ve conquered the mountain,” and Hillary said, “No, I’ve conquered myself.” Remember, it’s not the problem we face, it’s how we deal with it that determines whether or not we will ultimately be victorious.

There are plenty of examples of highly successful people who endured countless setbacks. Oscar-nominated actor, Harrison Ford, was told by the vice president of Columbia Pictures that he would never make it in Hollywood. Multiple Pulitzer Prize winner, John Grisham’s first book was rejected by 12 publishing houses and sixteen agents. A young Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagination and had no original ideas. Even Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade. But perhaps the best illustration of playing a poor hand well comes from Steve Young’s book:

Abraham Lincoln’s Road To The White House:

• Failed in business in 1831.
• Defeated for Legislature in 1832.
• Second business failure in 1833.
• Suffered nervous breakdown in 1836.
• Defeated for Speaker in 1838.
• Defeated for Elector in 1840.
• Defeated for Congress in 1843.
• Defeated for Congress in 1848.
• Defeated for Senate in 1855.
• Defeated for Vice President in 1856.
• Defeated for Senate in 1858.
• ELECTED PRESIDENT IN 1860.

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