Life Lessons These Sacred Games Characters Can Learn From Poker

There’s always a lesson or two you can pick from a game of poker.

(Photo source: iStock Images)

Keeping calm in tense situations.

As the second season of the Netflix original Sacred Games returns this week, we had a few revelations. While playing a game of poker on PokerStars, we realised that there were some characteristics our favourite characters on the show lacked, which led them to their doomed fates. Read on to find out how.

Learn to keep a poker face

We all know at least one person in our social group who likes to show off. In Mumbai, it was Suleiman Isa. On the surface, he seemed cool, superior and admirable because of what he possessed, but his red car and Kukoo, his lucky charm, became one of those things that drove Ganesh Gaitonde to eventually become a gang leader and challenge him. And it wasn’t just Isa’s wins that got him in trouble, he would make his loss even clearer to Gaitonde.

If only he had kept a poker face. Having a good poker face is harder than you think when tensions are high. It can be very difficult to contain your reaction, whether it's excitement or disappointment. But it is totally worth it. Learning to relax and controlling what you show to your opponents are key to winning a game of cards and well, gangs. It’s also easier to not offend someone when you’re at it. Learn from the best:

Keep Calm Under Pressure

Ganesh Gaitonde, the self-claimed God of Gopalmath, had one flaw that led to the demise of everyone he loved. He couldn’t keep calm when things didn’t go his way. Yes, the 11-year-old runaway grew up to become a gangster everyone wanted to be in the good books of, but his emotions would always get the best of him and he ended up making decisions that led to his own downfall.

Calm poker players win at poker. They’re the ones who avoid going nuts when things aren’t going their way. They’re the ones who make the rational, mathematically correct decisions, repeatedly. Staying calm is a superpower of sorts, in real life, and at the poker table. Unfortunately, Gaitonde didn’t learn this neat trick while he climbed the ladder to his success. But well, Nawazzudin Siddiqui has that aspect sorted in real life. Watch him effortlessly handle people’s requests here like a saint:

Think. It. Through. Always

Bunty, Gaitonde’s second-in-command knew what he was doing from the beginning. He knew how to keep his superiors happy and how to make his followers diligently (read blindly) follow him. All worked out for him, until he reached the warehouse where he decided to switch sides. He fell victim to the planned murder at the hands of the police. Had he come with a proper contingency plan, he might have still been alive. While it’s understandable that making calculative decisions in such a situation is next to impossible but learning to adapt in difficult circumstances is the way to win.

Poker is a game that’s all about being able to figure out the situation you find yourself in, sizing up your opponents quickly and putting them in certain mental categories. There is no one right way to play the game. There are certain fundamental rules and principles, but to be a really good player, you need to think outside the box and adjust those principles according to what’s going on around you. Like Nawazzudin deciding whether he should cater to the Indian media or their international counterparts:

These characters lacked some of the most important characteristics of a good poker player. While the above shortcomings led to their loss and in some cases, death, they had a fair chance to win on a poker table, thanks to some other qualities.

Gaitonde was impressively fearless and fierce. His numerous losses, the deaths of his loved ones only pushed him to work harder. And the fact that he never gave up means he had a poker player in him, just like you do. In life and in poker, we play the cards dealt to us. If you’re patient or you can learn from your mistakes; if you’re focused, intelligent, adaptable or are dedicated, you are made for poker!

(Photo Source: iStock Images)

Everyone’s got a poker player in them - some already know, some are not aware. Some players are instantly good at the game, while some are still learning even though they’ve been playing for years. Your personal traits play a significant role in defining the type of poker player one can be. Characteristics of a good poker player can easily be applied to everyday challenges in real (as well reel) life.

Are you good at keeping calm like Sartaj Singh, taking calculated decisions like Guruji and good at keeping a poker face like Malcolm Mourad? You're #MadeForPoker. Sign-up on PokerStars.in today and get Rs. 100 to start your poker journey. And if you’re new to the poker circuit and want to learn, harness your skills at the PokerStars School. Now go ahead and keep your poker game on!