A Stubborn Man

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December 18th, 2016
Back A Stubborn Man

Willard was one of the most stubborn men I have ever met.

He grew up on a farm in Arkansas where his daddy raised pigs. That wasn't a very pleasant job for Willard and his three brothers -- in fact, they hated it. But they tolerated the labor until they reached adulthood and were able to leave Arkansas and strike out on their own.

Willard became a truck driver. His company was headquartered in Albuquerque and he regularly drove a route that took him through Las Vegas, where he developed a passion for poker.

I used to see him from time to time. He was a big pleasant-faced man in his 40s and reminded me of Junior Samples from 'HeeHaw'. In fact, he often wore bib overalls like Samples, along with an International Harvester bill cap.

Now I would not call Willard a great poker player. He was pretty predictable and had few tricks he could spring on the opposition. The one quality he did have was stubbornness.

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He used to boast about it. 'My Daddy was a stubborn man,' Willard used to say, 'but I'm twice as stubborn as he was. Ain't a man alive who is more stubborn than me and that's a fact."

He would stay at a game through thick and thin and hang in there until he got his money back. Sometimes he even came up with a small profit.

I liked Willard's attitude toward life. Being Italian and born under the sign of Taurus the Bull, I'm a pretty stubborn fellow myself, as my former wife will confirm.

Well do I remember the night in Las Vegas when I got on a losing streak at a blackjack table. I was married then and my wife was carrying the money.

I lost hand after hand to a friendly dealer who really felt bad about beating me. It's okay, I told him. Don't worry. I'll get it back.

Each time I lost $100, I'd go to Nan and ask her for another hundred. She gave it to me without question, I went back to the table, lost it and returned for more 'cush' as I called money in those days.

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Finally the tide turned and it turned with a vengeance. I won a dozen hands in a row, parlaying the bets. In less than 15 minutes I had won all my losses and was ahead by about $200.

Willard was right. Being stubborn works.

I carried that same stubborn trait into tournaments in Las Vegas at The Orleans, the Gold Coast, the Riviera, the Horseshoe and the Union Plaza. Once I bought into a re-buy tournament 10 times before I got my game together. I won the tournament, by the way.

I don't know where Willard is these days. By now he's probably retired and living comfortably in Albuquerque, one of my favorite cities. While I am sure he has mellowed in his old age, I hope he never loses his ability to be stubborn. For a poker player, it is a formidable weapon.

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