Lee Davy takes a look at five ways in which constraints can be viewed in a more optimistic light to help you improve your poker game.

1# Basketball Shot Clock

I am from the UK. That means I have a stiff upper lip, drink copious amounts of tea, and no fuck all about basketball. But each time I watch it I get excited. And it has nothing to do with the excitement of seeing a little white dude trying to compete with all of these 12-feet black guys (man I would not like to be that guy in the showers). It’s the 24-second shot clock.

Without that clock, basketball would lose something. There are people who could view that clock as a constraint. I view it as a great way to inject excitement into a game, which in turn broadens the game’s appeal. Do you see players complaining about the shot clock? It’s part of the game. Somewhere in the annals of time they adapted.