Understanding the Faustian Bargain

Table seven.

You glance at your cards; pocket Aces. You check, noting the player in position three is eager to bet—and predictably does so. Appropriately, you re-raise for the ultimate stakes: all-in.

Without hesitation, player three calls. Massive pot. The room watches.

Confidently, your opponent reveals their hand. Unsuited 7 and 10.

All-in on a 7 and a 10. A statistical long shot. A disastrous call.  

Your aces stand strong.

Flop: 9 J K

Excellent flop—your pocket aces lead.

Turn: A

Triplets. Now on the board: 9 J K A.

River: 8

8 9 J K A.

Inside straight on the River. All-in on a 7 and a 10.

The bad beat. Your Aces defeated by a straight. An oblivious call from a clueless player making a horrible play. And rewarded for it; his answer: "I felt lucky".

The dealer rakes the pot.   

Rake: the scaled fee taken by a cardroom; generally 2.5% to 10% of each pot.

And so, you commit to doling out divine justice. You buy back in with a simple goal in mind: vengeance.

The game continues.

The dealer rakes the pot.

Mostly highs; some lows. You're building a strong stack. Mr. Lucky is whittling away.

The dealer rakes the pot.

Players come. Players go. The hours go by.

The dealer rakes the pot.

Ultimately, success.

Mr. Lucky glances at his chip stack: just a few dollars. Down many hundreds.

You smile—he's busted. Your faith in The Divine restored.

Until looking at your stack.

It, too, is an echo of what it was. The dealer sits back and smiles, acknowledging what you and Mr. Lucky didn't:

With every pot rake, both chip stacks are drained away.

It was an inevitable outcome; with enough time—with a consistent rake—the House always wins.

Your goal is accomplished: Mr. Lucky lost.

But you did not win.

___________

Faust; Faustian:

"A situation in which an ambitious person surrenders moral integrity in order to achieve power and success".

So the German legend goes, Faust sells his soul to the devil to "win". To feed the ego, pride, and arrogance which must be sated.

___________

There Will be Blood

Daniel Plainview: ruthless.

Though himself without faith, Daniel succumbs to the pressure of Eli Sunday, a young minister demanding a charitable donation to "bless" Daniel's new oil well and procure the town's favor.

Daniel's animosity turns to hatred. Once an inconvenience to deal with—Eli has become a bitter rival; a symbol of all Daniel despises.

The film ends with the humiliation of Eli. Daniel dismantles Eli’s faith before beating him to death.

“It was (your brother) Paul who was chosen… he’s the prophet. He’s the smart one… they should have put you in a glass jar on the mantelpiece.”

At all costs, Daniel would defeat his bitter rival. Yet, he does not win. He is not victorious.

In defeating his rival Daniel has damned himself. He has sold his soul.



As Daniel notes in the film's final line: "I'm finished".

___________

Ego, Arrogance, & Lawsuits

82% of U.S. businesses report lawsuits. 2.2% of the nation's GDP goes to tort costs—the highest in any industrialized nation. For the general surgeon, the likelihood of a malpractice suit is a staggering 83%; more than 17,000 filed annually. 80% of the world's lawyers reside in the U.S.

Many of these lawsuits are frivolous; less than 25% of malpractice suits are won.

Make no mistake: a lawsuit doesn't have to go in your favor to take a crippling toll. Regardless of the outcome, the process itself will deplete you.

It will loom over your work. It will be an unspoken guest at your dinner table. It will consume your life, your money, your health; your outlook, your demeanor; your well-being.

And ultimately, who is the biggest winner?

The law firm. The lawyer. The rake. The pot. The card dealer.

As time goes on, legal fees will feed at the trough of you and your opponent's resources. They will incessantly rake the pot. Exhausted and destitute, nothing will remain.

The leadership lesson is this.

Be painfully aware of the premises fueling litigation. Be wholly certain of the motive behind your legal action—is it pride? The need to win? To flex a willpower stronger than your opponents?

Are you needlessly pushing for more at the mutual cost of both parties?

Have you removed your ego from the outcome?

Daniel Plainview defeated his enemy—and ultimately lost.

Faust got the power he craved—and ultimately lost.

Let theirs be a vicarious lesson. 

Mark Joseph Huckabee