Love is like gambling. It’s your choice if you want to take the risk, and you may be one of the big winners.

As a child, I played poker with my family every few weeks. We played with poker chips, and I often ended the night with the most chips. Everyone in my family is competitive, so hopefully, I legitimately won. I told myself that I was a skilled gambler, but, in truth, I was probably just lucky.

As an adult, I joined a group of friends and played weekly poker games with them. I didn’t do as well as I had in my younger days. Perhaps I needed to refine my skills, or maybe I was just getting dealt a bad combination of cards for every hand.

Through my friends, I was introduced to a professional poker player. I went on a date with him and asked him what it takes to win. He told me that you need three things to win when you gamble. I never forgot what he said, and years later, I realized that you can apply those same three things to love.

What’s needed to win in love and gambling:

1. Luck

I’ve been to Las Vegas a few times. I never won more than $20, but people consistently told me that as soon as I lose a hand, stop playing! It means that my luck has run out.

I dated a guy for two months, and our first date was amazing. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world. But then our second date was terrible. I should’ve stopped dating him, but I continued. Luck was not on my side anymore. After enduring two months of Hell with him, I finally accepted that it was time to part ways.

Everyone can be lucky in love, but you can’t only count on that to find an ideal partner. Sure, luck is a factor, but it’s not the only thing that matters.

2. Skill

To become an expert in any field, it takes 10,000 hours of hard work and dedication. However, Josh Kaufman gave a Ted Talk proving that “it only takes 20 hours to learn a skill to the point of being reasonably proficient.”

If you want to excel in poker, you must learn the tricks of the trade. You have to continue playing until you’re skilled enough to win. The same goes for dating. Finding love takes practice and skill. You won’t just fall into a successful relationship. It takes time and effort to develop and grow as a couple.

3. Reading People

You may be the luckiest person in the world. And you may have all the skills necessary to get what you want. But if you don’t know how to read people, you’ll never make it in love or gambling.

I probably got the most chips playing poker with my family because I knew them all so well. There was some luck and skill involved, but I was also extremely perceptive. I looked into their eyes and could tell if they were bluffing.

When I gambled as an adult, I didn’t know what the other players were thinking when I looked at them. They all had a poker face, and I felt lost and confused, unable to read their minds.

If you think you’re a lucky person when it comes to love, and you developed dating skills through years of experience, then perhaps what you’re lacking is the ability to read people.

Were you born lucky? You might have all the luck in the world, but you’re still struggling to find your soulmate. I can help you become a skilled dater. It just takes a few weeks of relationship coaching, and then you’ll be on the right track. Once you put in the effort, all your dreams will come true.