He asks not if you won or lost ...

... but how you played the game. Is how you play the game more important than whether you win or lose ? Most people would say of course not. Most people, in this post-Thatcher world, would mock someone who said that. Would you ? Listen up before answering …

I used to play a lot of cricket. I suppose it was my main hobby, much like poker is now. However, when the game became full of oiks with no respect for their opponents, their team-mates or themselves, I lost interest (hmm sounds familiar). Now I look back on my cricketing “career” (in quotes because I really wasn’t very good at all). What do I regret ? Losing this game, being relegated that season ? No. None of that matters now. What I regret is that we had a bent umpire and we never did anything about it. I’m still embarrassed about the cheating that went on, to my benefit. It got to the point where I would never appeal unless it was stone plumb out but that wasn’t enough. There were reasons, or should that be excuses, as to why I didn’t stand up to it. The guy was in his eighties I think, he was a lifelong member of the club, there were pictures on the wall from 1927 (for once I am not exaggerating) with him in them. In fact he passed away shortly after I left the club. Anyway, that’s what I regret. I think of the times when opponents would as much as call us cheats, and we couldn’t say anything, because it was true. And I hang my head in shame.

I hope that when I look back on my poker playing I will have a clearer conscience. Incidentally the other thing I regret (though a lot less) is that I didn’t just stop worrying about what people thought, whether I was good enough, whether I would be dropped next week, and just PLAY. Do my best and nuts to what anyone thought. I’m still working on that. Getting there though !