The year was 2004.
The World Series of Poker was in full swing, and the final tables pulsed with tension.
Under the blinding lights, each move was worth millions.
And at the center, sat Josh Arieh.
In front of him, towers of chips gleamed like stacks of gold.
Hand after hand, he dominated; reading his opponents, bullying the table, and scooping pot after pot.
Commentators leaned forward, whispering: “This… is his tournament to lose”.
Then, in one hand… just one, everything changed!
Josh Arieh shoved hard, trying to scare his opponent into folding.
But this time, the other man didn’t blink, instead, he called.
The cards turned over. Gasps erupted, and in a heartbeat, a mountain of chips slid across from Arieh.
For a professional poker player, this should have been nothing more than a stumble.
Most would take a breath, reset, and stick to the strategy that built the lead.
But Arieh didn’t breathe, he couldn’t reset.
The loss hit him like a punch to the chest. And in his mind, all he could think about was: “I’ll get it back… right now.”
Cool-headed analysis vanished, replaced by emotional autopilot.
Every chip went to the middle in a single, reckless push… then bust.
Without hesitation, he did it again, and the outcome was the same.
Hand after hand, the calm tactician turned into a gambler chasing ghosts… and within an hour, it was all over.
Arieh’s commanding chip fortress had vanished. The seemingly invincible champion reduced to nothing, his path to legend status severed in an instant.
The bitter reality is that technical mastery didn’t betray him; fortune didn’t abandon him, his mindset collapsed when his emotions took over. A single setback infected his judgment, and rather than maintaining composure, he self-destructed.
Now, let’s shift the focus to your trading journey.
How often does this identical drama unfold behind your computer screen?
One losing position, the burn of negative P&L, anger building and suddenly risk management becomes irrelevant.
Watch video:
