When betting everything is risking your life: the paradox of the All-in

In poker, going "All-in" means risking all your chips on a single hand - if you win, you double; if you lose, you're out. This expression has made its way into our vocabulary to describe those decisions where we risk everything without a safety net.

Today I saw something that left me stunned: a mother with two small children who were running near the edge of a busy road. She was just shouting "don't run!" from afar, without moving an inch. The kids, in response, ran even faster, even towards the center of the roadway.

Suddenly reality hit me: this is a fucking "All-in" with the lives of your children! An apparently insignificant moment that hides an infinite risk.

And look that these "bet it all" behaviors are everywhere:

• Running red lights or driving under the influence
• Getting into swimming in rivers with dangerous currents
• DIY jobs with electricity or gas
• Put all savings into supposed "financial bargains"
• Doing extreme sports without experience

Every day the newspapers are full of misfortunes due to these "silly things" that end in tragedies.

Why do we ignore these dangers? For several reasons:

We are terrible at calculating probabilities: "it is very unlikely to happen" ( but repeating low probability actions turns them into high probability )

We do not see the immediate consequences: we even get immediate pleasure (like staying up late or smoking, which takes a toll on you years later).

We thought that "for once it doesn't matter" (that damn normalization bias)

We do what everyone else does: "if everyone crosses here..."

We believe we are the exception: "it goes wrong for others, but it won't happen to me"

We need to think twice before acting. Many consequences are simply unbearable.

In investments and in life, risk is always lurking. We cannot avoid everything, but we can understand it and diversify it. And the most important thing: never go "All-in"! Always leave a margin, don't walk away from the table, don't risk losing it all.

As someone who lost everything due to an "All-in", I can assure you that the cost is brutal. It's not just the money, but the shattered trust, the lost opportunities, the radical change in your life. It's a desperation that can't be cured with a simple "next time will be better". It's a pain that I can't describe in words.

Most people take risks because they do not understand them or because they want to escape poverty quickly. But precisely those repeated adventures are what keep us poor. The "All-in" makes you lose everything over and over again, condemning you to start from scratch forever.

As Duan Yongping says: many want to get rich quickly because they are poor, but that attitude is precisely what causes their poverty. I would also like to make money quickly, but one must know which lines should not be crossed...

When you stop wanting to get rich overnight and you are no longer willing to risk everything for it, you have already become a rich person, at least mentally. You know that the future will bring you prosperity and you are not willing to bet all the chips that guarantee that future.