You've heard the buzz. You know the law. If by chance you haven't been watching your Oprah or CNN, The Secret is a DVD/book created by Rhonda Byrne. It revolves around one central concept: the Law of Attraction. It states that one's thoughts are manifested in reality. Therefore, one's positive or negative thoughts will attract similar positive or negative results in one's life. "Like attracts like."

Before I lose you to a seemingly new-age, hocus pocus, mystical theory, let's return and apply this to poker.

You hold the beautiful A A and make a standard raise on the button. The SB folds and the BB calls.

The flop comes a beautiful A A 2
The BB checks to you, and you make a 2/3 pot-sized continuation bet. The BB check-raises you all-in instantly. Your adrenaline kicks in as you call his all-in even faster. "I've got the nuts!" you exclaim.

The man across the table meekly rolls over the 5 9

Without flinching, the dealer burns one and rolls off the turn: 4

"Ten seconds ago that was going to be my gin card," chuckles the man.

Another woman across the table says, "That card is as close to gin as you're gonna get now."

The dealer, burns again and swiftly drops gin on the table... for the man. There it is the horrendous 3 on the river.

This is the point where "Like attracts like." You can blame the dealer, give the man a stare of death, and mutter to yourself how you're "the unluckiest player ever." However, this will only bring you one thing: a decrease in your performance for the rest of the session.

Likewise, you can analyze your play, verify that it was optimal, and continue the journey to increased perfection in a game where there is none.