Red-Levered

I suspect that one of the worst things that can happen to a poker player is to experience success early. Because more often than not, it means they're getting lucky. But a young player won’t know the difference between doing it right and doing it wrong if they’re busy winning.

And if a player is a certain type of person (the outcome-oriented kind), it can be especially dangerous. Because when the luck runs out and the winning stops, they'll keep doing the same thing. And instead of changing, they'll just start complaining about how it's not working anymore.

And after that, they still won't change. They'll just keep losing, claiming that whatever the problem is, it isn't their fault. Eventually, they'll even reach a point where, instead of changing, they'll start recalling and reciting past instances of victory. And in enough time, they'll increase the frequency with which they do that: recalling and reciting, more and more and more. And as they do, they'll matter less and less and less. Because nobody cares about losers. Least of all the ones who can’t own it.