The Wounded Gnu

The Wounded GnuThe Wounded Gnu
by Rolf Slotboom

A while ago, my girlfriend and I were in South Africa, enjoying a long, exciting and well-deserved holiday. On a couple of occasions, we had the pleasure to visit some of the wild parks that this country is famous for. Unlike the regular zoo that most Western people are familiar with, over here the -often rare- animals live freely, in huge national parks. Tourists and other people interested can visit these parks by making a safari. If you get lucky, you might be able to see some of these rare, endangered animals, however at all times should you make sure that your presence does not interfere with normal, regular wild life. On one of those safaris, my girlfriend and I witnessed an incident, which has a lot of bearing when it comes to playing poker, too.

For those not familiar with safaris, things work like this. A group of usually no more than ten or twelve people travels around in an open jeep, with a highly knowledgeable park employee at the wheel. Because of his experience, this guide knows where certain animals can usually be found and he is very good at spotting them, even when they hide and / or cannot easily be seen with the bare eye. Now, when driving around on one of these travels, we almost bump into two lions, who are lying in the grass enjoying the sun- not the least concerned about our presence. The lions, who are so close that we can almost touch them, are calm and very comfortable. They don't look like they're going to do anything any time soon, other than what they're doing now- which is nothing. Then, suddenly, a third animal enters the fray... it is a gnu. The gnu is unable to see the lions, but the lions have spotted their new friend immediately. It is as if they have a sixth sense for spotting potential prey under all circumstances, even when they are half asleep or relaxing. The lions get up immediately and slowly but deliberately they head towards the unknowing gnu. It is with mixed feelings that we are witnessing what's about to happen. On the one hand we feel sorry for the gnu, because in no way does he deserve to die, but on the other hand we all know this is just nature. After all, the strong survive by destroying the weak: it is simply the circle of life, where lions are on a higher end of the food chain than gnus. But what surprised me more than the obvious situation of the strong lions chasing the weak gnu was this. When the lions had started moving towards the gnu, we saw some more animals coming from the distance, as two hyenas suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Our guide was a lot less surprised than I was, and said this was common practice. When hyenas notice that lions are chasing another animal, they always appear, in order to eat what's left of the victim when the lions have had enough, and have moved elsewhere. Because they saw the lions were going to kill the gnu, they were simply waiting for their turn to pick on the weak, once their stronger friends were done.

After having witnessed this incident, I usually warn my students and poker-playing friends nowadays not to become the bottom end of the food chain. More specifically, I tell them: "Don't become a wounded gnu." When you are doing well in poker, things may look so natural, so logical. It may sometimes seem like the whole game has been invented just for you, as if all other people come over to the casino just to hand over their money to you. They play their hands against you in a very weak manner simply because they fear you, and you are able to outplay them on such a regular basis that they pose no serious threat to you anymore- or so you think. Because once the tide has turned and you have gotten unlucky a few times in a row, once they have started beating you regularly even though the odds were against it, then suddenly your opponents feel stronger, and they fear you less because they see you're human just like everybody else. More than that, they know you are vulnerable right now, and this is the time when even ABC-predictable players, who have never posed any serious threat to you, will start making moves on you, trying things they have never tried before. Suddenly, you have become their prey, and it will take a hell of a player to stay calm under these circumstances, and to keep making the right decisions in order to slowly turn this situation around again- back to normal, the way things always were.

Some final words

In many ways, playing poker resembles the most primitive, the most 'natural' way of life. Just like strong animals live off the weaker species, do good players live off the bad. And just like the hyenas who were waiting for the gnu to die, eager to get their share too- so will poker players pound on those who they perceive as weak. If someone is labeled as weak, or even as temporary weak, he'll become natural prey not just for the top players, but for all others as well. Therefore, it is in your best interest to stay calm under all circumstances, and stay as unaffected as possible even when things are running bad. Don't let your opponents know that you're experiencing a bad run, or that you've been rather unlucky lately- don't even tell it to your very best friends. Before you know, everybody will be pounding on you, and beating up on you- simply because they can smell your blood. Don't become a wounded gnu; your bankroll will certainly appreciate it. Take care, you guys, and good luck.