Poker luck, when preparedness meets opportunity

(The Laws of Luck, Part 1)
A young entrepreneur stepped off the platform of his college graduation class and onto the first plane headed for New York. He was searching for something special: a unique business idea from the East Coast he could bring home to the West Coast.
During his four-hour flight, he struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to him, who owned an East Coast franchise and was looking for a West Coast investor. Before they reached New York, the young man owned an Orange Julius outlet, which became a huge financial success and led him to other investments. He became a millionaire by age 26.
Was he lucky or was he smart? “Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity,” a popular axiom says. But Brian Tracy says there’s more to it than that in his audio album, The Universal Laws of Success and Achievement. Here are the first four laws of luck Tracy discusses.
Law of Probability. The mathematical probability of an occurrence can be predicted with considerable accuracy from observation, measurement and experience. You can increase the probability of an event occurring by increasing the number of occurrences. For example, Amoco had the best record for finding new sources of petroleum. When asked why, the Amoco president replied, “We drill more holes.”
Probability increases with persistence. Fortunately, people are always free to persist for as long as they choose and thus increase their chances for success. Unlike baseball, you are never out after only three strikes. “You are your own umpire in the ballgame of life,” says Tracy.
Law of Attraction. “What you are seeking is seeking you,” motivational gurus say. You attract into your life the people and things most in harmony with your dominant thoughts. This is why “expecting the best” is so important to being lucky. Think only of being dealt your key card on the river, never of what you don’t want. If you fear being drawn out on rather than expecting to receive your winning card, your level of confidence decreases and your table image suffers. A confident player who combines the Laws of Attraction and Probability is a powerful opponent.
Law of Clarity. “The clearer you are about what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it, the greater the probability that you will experience luck,” Tracy says. When you clearly define your goals, you become more alert to opportunities that will lead you to success. The young entrepreneur, who was willing to travel 3,000 miles in search of success, recognized in his travel companion the chance he had clearly pictured.
Law of Expectations. We don’t always get what we want in life, but we usually get what we expect – if we expect it long enough. The proverbial self fulfilling prophecy often comes true because people expect it to. A golfer who usually strokes a 75 can hit a clean 32 on the front nine, only to shoot a 45 on the back. Why? It may be because of his self-image. “I’m only a 75 golfer, not a 64,” he says, as he fulfills his expectations of himself.
You’ll find four more laws of luck in my next column, all of which are sure to help you get the gambler’s edge.

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