Most people who know me well know that they can count on me being there when it matters most. I am excellent at reading people even from afar because I have been observing people since my childhood. People that know me also would say that if someone challenges me in any way, he or she better be prepared because I am coming with all I've got and probably have a few tricks up my sleeve. When my abilities or my character is called into question I love to prove people wrong.
With all this in the back of my mind, over the past few months I have realized that I can be a very good poker player with a little polishing of my skills. Over the past few years, I have played casually with my friends, usually losing when I first started but gradually I have learned the game and its strategy. Recently, I have done nothing but win and decided that I should take it to the next level and try my luck in the casinos.
And then something occurred to me... people who don't know me hear my slurred speech and see my spasticity and often incorrectly assume that I have an intellectual disability. Usually, I try to dispel this assumption as quickly as possible, but at a poker table this might not be a bad thing to just let go. I thought that I could take everyone's money before they figure out how smart I really am. However, after talking this over with a close friend whom I have known since childhood, he disagreed saying that at a poker table the good players never underestimate anyone. There was only one way to find out who was right.
He was.
Whatever advantage I may have had when I sat down at the table was gone after I won my first big pot. However, by the end of the day I had realized something very important: people respect me pretty fast if I take their money. Poker, if I'm good enough, could be another avenue for me to promote disability awareness... and I can make money at the same time. In the end, disability awareness is about respect... showing respect to those who are different than you. When the chips were down... I gained that respect from more than 20 people who, hopefully, will be changed forever.
