Egon Towst
Cardschat Elite
Silver Level
The Door Into Summer
(What cats don`t know about poker.)
Among the works of the late novelist Robert Heinlein is a book called “The Door Into Summer”. The title arose from Heinlein`s observation of the behaviour of domestic cats.
When a cat goes to leave the house by the back door and discovers that the weather is bad outside, he will often go and investigate the front door instead, apparently hoping that there will be better weather there. He is looking for the door into Summer.
I was reminded of Heinlein`s book when I saw one of my own cats display this behaviour today as, in fact, I have seen them do countless times before. Those of you who are cat owners will likely have seen the same yourselves.
“Easily explained”, you may say. The cat is a dumb animal and cannot understand the mechanisms behind the weather. We should pity him for his foolishness.
But hold on a moment. Cats are among the most intelligent of creatures. Tests and observations have shown that they dream and have cognitive function, that they have an internal representation of the physical world, that they comprehend at least some physical laws (for example, that objects don`t cease to exist when out of sight), that they have a good sense of the passage of time, and so on and so forth.
It is highly likely that the cat knows that his chances of success when looking for the Summer from another door are low. He may not understand how climate works, but he almost certainly can recall that he has tried this procedure before with disappointing results.
So, why does he do it ? Well, don`t we humans also allow hopeful emotions to override knowledge and experience. Don`t we sometimes (often ?) allow our optimism to cloud our judgement.
We buy lottery tickets hoping they will make us rich. We know that, more likely, we just wasted our money.
We buy Diet Coke hoping it will keep us slim. We know that we should get down to the gym and do some exercise.
We call the all-in move from that tight player. We know he hasn`t played a hand in the last half-hour and probably has a monster, but maybe our pocket 7`s are good. I mean, they could be, couldn`t they ? And, if we take his stack, we will have a strong position in the tourney. We have earned it. Maybe it is meant to happen. Maybe the summer will be outside this door this time.
Stop. Think. Don`t do it. Your hopefulness has no effect on the cards, just as the cat`s has no effect on the weather.
When you are at the table, be like a cat by all means. Copy his patience, his alertness. Observe your prey closely and choose your moment to pounce. Copy his aggression, destroy your opponent without mercy.
Don`t copy the leak in his game.
Your emotions don`t belong at the poker table. However much you want it, the Summer isn`t out there. Always pick your moment based on your logic, your analysis, not your optimism. Summer comes around in its own time. You can`t rush it.
Miaow. :icon_cat: