A good poker player is analogous to a confidant man who can game women. You need to approach things logically and not get caught up in what's at stake. That is to say, irrespective of whether she's a ten or a beer goggle beauty you need to advance things logically and not let your emotions lead you astray.
In both games I think success is determined by both luck and skill. Some days your hot, lady luck is on your side and you can use that glowing confidence to your advantage. When your on a roll, nobody can stop you. Other players are intimidated by your high stack (alpha male) status. Playing with confidence draws in for the big pots (9s/10s) while your overwhelming chip count (success and confidence) helps women gravitate toward you. Enjoy the it while it lasts.
Other times, the game will be cold and unforgiving...there's little you can do to change the hands your dealt. You can bluff your way through (liquid courage...aka alcohol), but more often than not people will see through your bullshit facade. In times of famine, ones low stack status (beta male / AFC) will lead to "all in" behavior or "tilt" as they call it in poker. The hit or miss hail Mary scenario where you drunk text, call too much, or the mother of them all: propose.
I've been playing both games for a while now, and though I'm no WSOP/PUA guru, I can tell you that you can't use cold cards as an excuse to stop playing the game or play irrationally. If you step back and look at the bigger picture, it'll become apparent that the outcome is not determined explicitly by the cards you're dealt but how you choose to play them.
You need to step up with confidence and know how to go about using your skills and attributes to your advantage. So you weren't born a Trump, Gates or Slim; you're not smooth like Don Juan or Casanova; and your intellect stems nowhere near that of Nietzsche, Kubrick or Einstein.
You may be none of these things but you are a goddamn man. A long time ago, not long after you were born into the world and became aware of the life around you. You had dreams, you had aspirations, you had an imagination of things you could accomplish and the cognitive innocence to believe nothing otherwise.
Some old Auntie who you'd never met, and wore too much makeup would come over, rub your cheeks with a gleeful smile and ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And if you only had the vocabulary you have now, it would have been, "A motherfuckin' policeman." verbatim. You probably said a police man, or a pilot, of a fireman or something to that effect, because it those days you could have conquered the world and pwned Skeletor in the same day if you wanted.
Man, when you're young, you genuinely think you can accomplish whatever you want, be exactly who you want to be. Somewhere along the way life gets to you and you begin to think otherwise. When you're a child you are full of emotion and being brought up into a man you learn to hide them. I think a consequence of this action is the relationship between our emotions and aspirations. The feeling you'd get while being a bad ass ninja fuckin up crackheads with ninja stars. Being Rambo with nothing more than you're dads handkerchief and an imitation Nerf gun that shot ping pong balls cuz that shit was expensive.
The point is, I think a lot of success comes about by staying true to yourself and being aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Analyze what you are doing and study what gives you the best results. Like anything in life worth doing, you have to push yourself until you see a satisfactory result. The transition between child and adult is filled with a surplus of corporate hegemony and media saturation, trials and tribulations, naysayers that bring you down and many other problems that I and no one else could know better than you.
Because so much has changed in yourself between now and then, because the part of you that is still Alpha is directly proportional to what's left of Michael Jackson's nose - I have taken it upon myself to remind you as Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross would:
You have a big set of balls between your legs. Walk down the street with an air of confidence like you just arrived in the Ferrari, fucked Adriana Lima and won the Pulitzer Prize. Do what you have to do to give you that smile of assertion, that sanguine of seduction. Smile while talking to a girl knowing that in the end it really doesn't matter.
The game of dating is a universal conundrum. How do you choose to acquire your catch. Should the would be fisherman guide his passion via the experience and patience of the ol' rod and lure or enjoy his hobby redneck rambo style with a stick of dynamite to put the odds in his favor?
Dating a girl usually means you end up in one of two scenarios: trapped in the friend zone or hierarchized as something worth more among the plethora of other men she hangs about. The former means you start dating a girl and end up bating yourself as you become enrolled by infatuation and 'onenitis'. You compound your thought process debating whether to push further or step back. The divider between these two states is measured by your ability to walk the fine line of ambitious flirtation (good game) without looking needy in the process.
They say women are ones who become 'clingy'...emotionally attached. Some argue this from a genetic and evolutionary perspective. A woman may reproduce once every nine months while a man may spread his seed like a wildfire if he so chooses. Science has changed the name of the game and women of our generation can have sex as often as they like. Women are no longer clingy.
Women of this generation are quickly learning that they can control who and how many men they see and when the coital gates of heaven will be opened to the said wooer. Where as a woman 200 years ago would attach to man for physical, emotional, financial, and environmental security, the modern day woman trumps your he-man testosterone levels with the notion of independence.
This has trickled down as part of a larger issues dubbed "4th wave feminism". Though I would divulge into the idiosyncrasies that make up this sect, let's just say these are the type of girls that always let your calls go to voicemail and text message like the receptionist of yesteryear. They often must encompass these skills because they are dating several men at the same time. From the time things escalate they try calling the shots with the infamous "I don't know what I want right now." 
Men on the other hand fall in love several times every day; it happens on the subway as a beautiful woman boards your cart. Later again in the grocery aisle; while walking down the street; and later that night at a bar. Like an orchid they are captivating in a very unique way. Tomorrow will be the same as today, we cannot help but be memorized by such creations. Sculptures of flesh parading everywhere....it's a beautiful sight that you get so easily lost in. Such a feeling can only be attributed to love. Ah yes...we men are visual creatures caught in a genetic trap of optic stimulation that compounds the senses in a most awe-inspiring way. But...
Every once in a while a girl comes along who has the potential to be something more. Her words are full of small wisdom; her sentences idioms; and her silence a chance to catch your breath. You're not one to wear your heart on your sleeve but find it slipping away like a dog trying to catch it's own tail.
This viscous cycle has become a part of everyday life. Should one hunt for the kill or simply for the thrill of the hunt, i.e. 'greater' satisfaction. Ones hunger, in every sense of the word, will inevitably arise again, therefore it is paramount to know which form of pleasure brings you the greatest satisfaction.
To answer this you must determine your taste. You must be true to what gives you the most pleasure and in so doing brings about a sense of equilibrium, content, a feeling that lulls over you in a most unassuming manner. Do you seek sexual gratification or forgo such pleasure for emotional homeostasis? Finding the latter will often mean a Congo case of blue balls so prep your pr0n folder for the long haul.
The problem as a man is though instant gratification comes in both the physical and emotional forms we have been brought up to conceal such vulnerabilities. Instead we pursue the former as a more temporal means of appeasement, knowing that such pacification will allow us the strength and fight for it another day. Think of this recourse as being the road more taken; the route to temporal bliss so as to avoid the complication of cognitive solitude. Everyone needs love, but it's better to get your 'fix' in the moment then to sit idly wondering where to find the cure (aka tabanka)
Finding sex is easier...there will always be someone there. Finding love is always, in the very context of the feeling, putting yourself on a limb, at risk, open for exaltation. In a world of 6.6 billion people, it's a lonely feeling if you can't find another person to love you. No one wants to feel like a loser, so people close off to the expectation of finding it. You definitely don't want to find yourself becoming 'emo' in pursuit of an emotional connection you may never find. That said...I think that's why people play games. They're caught in this struggle between putting themselves out there (being vulnerable) or closing off (wearing a mask, distracting yourself with work, projects, drug/alcohol abuse) or hiding yourself (tons of makeup, fashion accessories, texting while walking down the street with big designer sunglesses) from the world.
Therefore, let us ask - should you let it go? Should you let your heart lead you astray with a woman? No, lessons of the past have taught you not to let go so easily. Everything about being a man is encapsulated by ones ability to control his feelings. A raging tornado of altruism and indifference constantly logisticizing what to show the world.
I say wear your heart in you chest, and pound it like an 800lbs gorilla screaming from the top of a building. If she's a true woman, she'll see somewhere behind the jungle of your mane, that buried deep below the hairy chest lies a heart in some shape or form (give her HD trailer like glimpses now and again to keep the tension and excitement.)
It's time for natural selection, all girls that don't fit the bill can hit 30, cut their hair and turn into cat lovers. It's time for men to awaken from their long slumber...I will speak more of this in my next installment. Until then go brush up your poker game.
One thing required to succeed in life is desire. Now some might say Duh, but when I say desire I mean true passion. I mean the kind of burning aspiration that you cannot get rid of year after year. Sure your priorities will change over time, and you will have temporal goals that supersede your desires but nevertheless they remain omnipresent. That is true desire...it never fades.
One of the things which has remained constant is my passion for cars. Since the age of 14 I've devoted an almost obsessive passion for performance cars. If I saw one I'd lustfully stick around to take in it's sculped form, obsessing over it like a pedophile outside kindergarten. So much so I'd even harass the owners in a feeble attempt to cop a ride. Kind of sad now looking back, but you do stupid things when you're in love.
When you can't have something you desire you will find some means to fill that void. One such way is to displace it with some vicarious means through which you can pretend you're living the dream. People do this all the time. When a girl wishes she were popular and considered hot, she starts following celebrity gossip and idolizing vacuous idiots like Paris Hilton. When a guy can't get laid and watches porn he's doing nothing more than displacing himself with the guy giving the stick; and since your girlfriend doesn't look like this:
you close your eyes and pretend she does while having sex.
With the exception of masturbation (strengthens the forearms 
Now although I play devils advocate I am, or rather, was guilty of this. I used to envy my friends whose parents bought them a nice car, and sulk because my parents, who could well afford it, didn't do the same. Although I still don't have my dream car, I'm thankful they didn't spoil me with another materialistic possession. Although I would have held it in higher regard than any other, it would have procured a lazy mentality whereby I would expect affluent things through good grades; nothing more, nothing less.
Since I couldn't have the car, I started to kill time by drawing it and reading articles. While I lived vicariously through the writer and his experience of driving the car, it helped me to learn more about it. My passion grew so deep, I began subconsciously retaining anything I read. I surrounded myself with people who had similar passions and my thirst for knowledge continued to grow. I picked up 3D and used it as a means to procure the imagery stuck in my head. Had I not been passionate about cars, I don't think my 3D skills would be at the level they are today:
One day a friend showed me how ECU tuning could control the car's computer. The changes made to the computer unit would effectively harmonize the sum of the parts. It's kind of like cooking: you can have all the ingredients but if you don't follow the recipe you'll end up with cow shit instead of creme brule. I immediately found this interesting for it would allow my knowledge to be put to good use. Moreover I realized that few people were taking advantage of such technology.
What started as a means to fill the void has turned into a small business I run in my spare time. I provide a tuning package and service for people fortunate enough to own my dream car. Although small in terms of profit, the lesson to be learned is in the principal: I used my desire to bring myself fortune. Instead of bitching about when I'd be fortunate enough to gain my want, I used the energy constructively into something that brings me just a little closer to that reality. There's nothing quite so empowering as taking an educated risk and finding success through hard work.
I took the initiative to instead ask: how can I get my dream car? What am I doing that I love that can get me 1 step closer to making my dream a realityRobert Kiyosaki talks about this in his book "Rich Kid, Smart Kid", whereby simply changing your cognitive disposition opens your mind to creative thinking you would have otherwise never entertained.
Open your mind and start channeling your desire into something positive. Thinking you'll never afford X, Y and Z will keep you stagnant and close your mind off from exploring creative ways and opportunities to accomplish your goals and desires. Keep an open mind and your aspirations close at hand...love them long enough and you'll find a way to start monetizing them.
Stop and KNOW that YOU control your life; not the bank; not the corporations; not even the money. YOU forge your own destiny in your willingness to rise above things that inhibit that which brings you happiness.
Sometimes a 1 step back = 2 steps forward. I have learnt this the hard way. life has a funny way of teaching you things. I've come to learn that my best only comes out during the worst times. I used to be one to give up easily...from the time something goes wrong I want to say fuck it. I would question God and ask why the hell things turned out like this. But my mother has taught me that you MUST take on the trials that life throws at you. This is something easier said than done, that's why you must first be completely confident of your desire...that's why it must be an ever burning flame in you. So that whe time are tought, and the flame subsides you remind yourself that the juice is worth the motherfucking squeeze.
Don't be distracted. Today, technology and multimedia bombard every crevice of our lives. Use them as a tools, not as a nullifying means to procraste. Your destiny that is impacted by every single decision you make.
Attack your fears head on. Nothing will build confidence faster than shedding your inhibitions.
Define your principals and maneuver through life with them in mind. Let your conscious guide you and not some fastidious opiate that regurgitates paradoxical hegemony to the masses.
Equilibrium is directly proportional to your mental and physical health. IE too much of anything is not good. Instead of living and thinking black and white, try to live in the gray.
Every mistake is a lesson learned. Even if you don't come out clean on the other side, you'd have learned something from the experience. The journey, not as much the result, will be the part you remember most, the part you tell your grand kids about.
Your life is worth nothing more than the some of it's parts. Make sure that when you leave this planet, this body, that you do so knowing the fragments you've accumulated create a mosaic unlike any other.
So get your ass up and go do something with your life, for time lost is time never to be found again
