The Mets’ bid for a strong comeback

Casinos Floors, Baseball Diamonds, and Playing Your Cards Right
The Mets’ bid for a strong comeback

Any given game – no matter which field – has the same principle behind it: play to learn, play to win.
Granted, some games are tougher to grind than others, especially those that seem to hinge on the sheer guts of a player more than anything else. Take, for instance, casino games. In poker, how one plays his hand will depend on which cards he drew in the first place. In roulette, one’s fate is consigned to whether he wore red or black undies, and to how hard he shouts during the spin. And in slots, it’s how hard one stares at the revolving icons that determine the outcome.

Breaking the Game
That said, even these types of games can be beaten if one devotes enough time and attention to them. As a BetFair forum post put it, “The first and most essential tip is to understand as much as you can about the overall action you wish to perform.”

Taking a cue from the infamous MIT Blackjack Team, even seemingly insurmountable odds can actually be overcome. All it takes is the right know-how and a long-enough timeframe to learn every little odd and end as much as possible. Even casino games, which many people think rely on luck, still have inherent controllable factors. In other words, this is where the “play to learn” part of the gaming principle comes in.

Resolve Breeds Revival
Take it as you will, but the New York Mets definitely have done their fair share of “playing to learn.” Although they’re a team with a decent history in baseball, the Mets have admittedly been among the mid-to-lower tier teams in the last few years. While not as disastrous as 1962’s 40-120 record, last year’s 74-88 is just as disheartening after all was said and done.

Injuries and lackluster outfield hustles plagued the team’s 2013 season, but if management is to be believed, that’s all part and parcel of the team rebuilding phase. After all, the Mets already have solid players in Vic Black, Gonzalez Germen, and Bobby Parnell to buff up the infield. With just a few choice signings from the middle market (à la the Red Sox), and the Mets might just enter the 2014 season with one of the more promising well-rounded rosters yet.

Hitting the Grand Slam Jackpot
Everyone loves underdogs; but more than that, everyone loves underdogs who eventually come through in the end. For many people, the Mets are those casino little guys with only a handful of chips left in their pockets. And as some people would say, one isn’t a true New Yorker if he doesn’t love the Mets.

The team is certainly working towards earning the love bestowed on them. It’s all a matter of knowing the cards they’ve been dealt with, and analyzing the game table to influence things to their advantage.