It is humbling to realize how much our basic functions can take control of our conscious minds. Remember the study of Pavlov and his dogs? This was a scientific study done on dogs where they would salivate at the ringing of a bell. A ringing bell meant food. No other sound meant food to them. This experiment has been tried with other animals as well, with pigeons, cuttlefish and mice to name a few. The same phenomenon occurs with them. Habit conditions them to believe that specific symbols or signs result in a specific event.

Any creative art requires a philosophy. The game of poker, with all its complexities, is an art form. If you are a droid, all you need is an on-off switch to get you going. If you are not, you will need certain human qualities to motivate you to achieve your purpose and that which you love. Obviously, few of us would consider ourselves philosophers. But that isn’t required – what is required is a creative imagination and powers of perception.

It may sound obvious to some that playing any game with other people requires some basic sense of decency and poise. Well-designed software will usually bear the brunt of your aggression and impatience with saintly resignation and if your purpose for playing poker is to get rid of pent up emotion or to redirect frustration you had better stick to customized bot opponents. But it is surprising the amount of people who behave like bullies and hillbillies, sometimes in the belief that it is a manner of bluffing.