Why it is Good if You are Playing Bad - A Learning Philosophy
“Poker will become far more profitable when you learn to see the value in your own mistakes.” (The Poker Lama, 2007)
This counterintuitive little truth is probably the single greatest reason why poker is so profitable. Players become convinced that there is nothing that could have been done to avoid their fate; rather, it was just bad cards. The truth is, in the long run it is actually much better if you are playing bad, because this ill fate is then at least avoidable and can thus be corrected. Ultimately, it means the game can be more profitable than what it currently is. Rather then recognizing this truth, most players ignore this philosophy and just blame everyone and everything else.
Lots of people think they would do better if they where playing against stronger players; I hear it all the time. People choose to perpetuate this myth and make these types of ridiculous statements because they can never accept that they are doing something wrong. Of course this phenomenon is not exclusive to poker; it is also responsible for many shortcomings in people’s lives.
Playing Systems - A Strategic Philosophy
Many professionals will say that 'sticking to a system' is a recipe for disaster. They warn that to be a good and well rounded player, you need to make adjustments with respect to the variables within the game you are playing. These variables include the type of players you are playing with, actions streaks, what stage of the game you are in as well as what the general feelings are among the players at the table. What many professionals insist is that if you are trying to play within some sort of guidelines, you box yourself in so to speak, and in doing so restrict yourself from the ability to minimize the risks and maximize the opportunities that inevitably come your way through the course of the game.
This concept has some merit, as it is no doubt important to be prepared to change ones poker movements if required throughout the game; to be prepared to alter your game when the need arises. We are still left with an important question however. Alter your game to what? Let us take this level of preparation a step further. What if you had a number of sub systems which you could implement when table conditions change? Instead of trying to haphazardly read the play and adjust your game into some unknown (and likely uncomfortable) methodology, you could seamlessly traverse into a 'predefined' set of guidelines (system) for which to play within. Any opponents would be left guessing as to what you are doing, particularly if this change is not a gradual one, as your actions will likely appear quite random from the outside. Meanwhile, you are in complete control of your actions, as you are meagerly changing to another premeditated game style.
The level of systems development and their parameters is for you to decide based on the type of player you are and the objectives you have. They may be strictly or loosely defined. They are not something that you can develop overnight and expect to work, but rather they are philosophies that can be discovered through the course of ones career. The basic concept here is that with some preparation and discipline, you can play to your strengths without loosing yourself in a battle that you are unprepared for. In other words, you can actually add flexibility to your game by more clearly defining it.
Playing with Control - An Emotions Philosophy
If you want to be a winner in the end, there is no substitute for controlling your emotions. Although it's perfectly natural and occasionally unavoidable to become annoyed and frustrated when facing bad beat after bad beat, you need to find a way not to let it affect your game. When you play online poker, it's even easier to lose control than when you play face to face with other people ' there are no social prohibitions to dampen your rage.
Needless to say, your luck is much less likely to improve when you're steaming. If you stay at the table, chances are that the exact opposite happens ' you reload your stack and play just to 'even the score' with the donkey that you feel stole your chips. As a result, your play spirals out of control until (worst-case scenario) your entire bankroll is gone.
This problem is not just one of the common beginners mistakes; it can happen to everyone. Who hasn't seen one of Phil Hellmuth's legendary outbursts at the poker tables' Still, he manages to regain control and is the most successful player in the WSOP to date. So, how exactly do you keep your emotions in check while playing poker?
The worst alternative is to stay and try to recoup your losses. One of the advantages of playing online is that you always have the option to sit out. Just leave the table for a few minutes and take a few deep breaths. Remember that bad beats are unavoidable in poker. Occasionally even the worst players get lucky and draw out on you. In fact, it's the best players that suffer most of the bad beats since they are usually ahead of their opposition when the money goes in the middle.
If you still feel agitated after sitting out for a while, there's absolutely no shame in taking a day off. It's only a measure of superior self-control to be able to step away from a game when the emotional odds are stacked against you.
Your Bankrole - A Management Philosophy
Bankroll management is an essential and often over looked part of playing poker. For these reason people often end up squandering their bankrolls. Whether it is greed, pride, or something else, I'm not sure exactly what possesses people to play in bigger games, or games they can not afford. I know I am not immune to this either, and I guess that is just a part of gambling. The important thing is be aware of this and not allow it enter into your decision making. I will not offer any hard and fast rules for bankroll management other than if you are losing you should drop limits. Simply losing hands due to bad luck does not mean you are playing solid poker. Most people's play will take a hit after several bad beats and most lack the discipline to drop limits. Even worse, these players tend to move up and chase their money. Of course if you can easily afford to re-buy at the limit you are at, it probably does not make sense to drop. However, if you are playing with funds that aren't easily replaceable, you need to error on the side of caution. There will always be another game tomorrow; if it is the right play now, then it will still be the right play tomorrow.
The following is an example of a friend of mine and something that I have seen many other players do: He is a solid player, but often goes broke because of the way he manages his bankroll. He will buy in online for $50 or $100 and keep moving up limits until he can cash out over $500. There is nothing mathematically wrong with this strategy if you are a break even or losing player. If you are a player that has a positive expected value (which my friend probably has), then this is not the correct strategy to use. My friend often wins at the lower levels and then will complain if his hand gets cracked at a higher level. I could never understand why he never just kept his $500 bankroll and just played the lower limits at which he was successful. He could then afford to take a hit, or get outdrawn on a hand and still be in the game. Since he is a winning player, over time he could cash out $500 when he built it up to a $1000, or move up levels then. Instead he puts himself in a situation where if he loses a single big hand, he goes broke. Of course since he can easily afford the $50 it is no big deal, and since $500 can buy something significant, this is a tempting strategy to use. However this strategy should only be used if you are a losing player. Furthermore, as on online player, if you use this strategy you will lose out on bonuses and rakeback In addition the extra hands you miss out on are also missed opportunities to improve your game.
Playing with Confidence - A Behavior Philosophy
How often do you hear to 'play with confidence'? I hear if from professionals all of the time. It's quite obvious however that this is much easier said then done. How is one meant to play confidently after a few bad calls and subsequently, a few big hits on ones bankroll? This is something that has happened to us all at some point. Think back to these times and ask yourself if you were still feeling confident.
What we often see from players is an over compensation on the outside for this lack of confidence on the inside. They are loud and boisterous and believe that they are intimidating other players. This overcompensation is meant to appear as a lack of fear. In fact, the player himself may actually believe that he actually is 'playing with confidence', which may or may not be the case. What we can use here however, is the recognition that an over projection of confidence is more often then not about a players ego and thus, a weakness of which can be exploited. Remember back to those times we thought about above, when you lost some confidence after some poor decisions. We all encounter those times, and so do your opponents.
The display of confidence should be of no concern to a good poker player whatsoever. It is meagerly a potential tell that one is not confident. The bottom line is that if you are mentally prepared for battle, you should go into the game playing with confidence. Unless you are playing against small children, there is little benefit to try and show this to other players. Any player who will be intimidated by this is almost certainly not overly confident to begin with and thus, someone you should be able to beat anyways. Strong mental preparation will give you the edge, and if you find yourself playing against someone who is more prepared, perhaps you need to concede that you are mismatched.
Playing in Control - A Learned Philosphy
It is imperative to be in psychological control while you are playing the game. If you are being distracted or overwhelmed with what is happening then you must choose to play another time. If you can not comprehend or choose not accept that this can happen, you are likely to chase. You are considerably more likely to win more or lose less at a later time, then playing in this state. It is easy to read and understand this concept now, but it can be difficult and for some, nearly impossible to implement this philosophy when truly needed.
It is a valuable (in other words, profitable) thing to recognize that there are many players out there who are not necessarily playing with this same focus. Imagine John Smith coming home through rush hour traffic from a hectic day selling photocopier cartridges. He cooks dinner, does the dishes and at long last, the wife and kids are finally in bed at 10:30. He says to himself, “This is my chance; I have an hour to jump online and play a bit of poker”. Not only is he tired, but psychological control is the furthest thing from his mind. Even more dangerous is the fact the John is a player who obviously has little time to indulge in this passion of his. What this means is that John will almost certainly be taking uncalculated risks, because he views this opportunity as a release, or as entertainment. As a result, he will more than likely be playing hands he may have otherwise choose not to play, had he given himself more time play.
As I have suggested before, perhaps this is all that some want out of their poker journey, and that is fine. Each player must decide for themselves what thier personal objectives are. After all, the most important thing is to enjoy playing poker.The aspiring professional however must come to the realization that they are subject to the same dilemma as John.
The Jinx Theory, or are we Disillusioned Optimists? - A Luckless Philosophy
Have you ever had a run of good luck with something (not necessarily poker), but when you mentioned it out loud, the run of good luck inevitably ended? That is unless you ‘touched wood’ or threw salt over your shoulder or whatever other strategy you may have to cancel out this jinx that you just put on yourself. Most of us, even if we don’t totally believe in the jinx theory, are at least aware of its ‘apparent’ implications at a conscious level. Scientifically speaking, is there any reason at all why this theory holds any merit, especially when the events in question are completely beyond our control? Of course there isn’t. In fact, the run of apparent good luck was likely never even there to begin with. As human beings, we have a delusional optimism as part of our nature, which makes us see things in a positive way, makes us believe we will get lucky so to speak. The fact that people even entertain the idea of the jinx theory doesn’t of course mean that they believe in it, but it does demonstrate that they actually believe that they were on some sort of lucky streak. This isn’t to say that streaks of luck don’t exist, but rather, not anywhere near as often as we think they do, especially when pertaining to every day events.
We can use this knowledge and apply it to our poker psyche, with respect to both our own feelings, and that of our opponents. It is not necessarily true for every player, but it gives you an advantage over a long period of time to understand that many other players actually believe that they are lucky, or unlucky while playing. Similarly, you must realize of yourself that you as a player, are a meager mortal, and that thinking that you can be lucky, have been lucky, or will eventually get lucky will often get you into trouble.
If you contemplate this once now, and then never really think about it again, it will probably not do you much good. This understanding will probably not help you in your next hand, or your next night, or maybe not even your next month of playing. Rather, this is something that must become a natural part of your poker demeanor, to the point you are not actually aware that you are practicing it. Consider for a moment share trading. Great performers do so because of sound technical and fundamental analysis, and not because of ‘feelings’ of how a certain commodity will perform. This lesson can be applied to poker; as is with most of the great players, you must detach yourself from your emotions, and bank on the fact that the majority of others will not. Good poker players are not gamblers; bad ones are.
Bad Habits - A Reflective Philosophy
Yet another truth you must accept is that you are always picking up bad habits. This means that if you are not working on your game then you are getting worse. I have seen this concept cripple players that were once strong. They refuse to accept that their game could have gotten weak and never make an adjustment. I have lost thousands to this inner battle; fortunately I have won thousands more from those who refuse to believe that it exists.
Rake Consideration - A Saving Philosophy
You may be able to increase your hourly win rate by considering how rake is taken from the pot. Most online sites are pretty much the same; however there are some minor differences at certain levels. At Full Tilt Poker for example, they only rake one dollar for every twenty at 2-4 fixed limit tables (Click here and follow the link to Full Tilt Poker). Other sites usually take twenty-five cents for every five dollars at these limits. Does not sound like much of a difference, but you are paying an extra $0.75 for every $15 pot you win; which is fairly common at this limit. On average you will save somewhere around $4 per 100 hands you play (6max tables). So if you play multiple tables the savings are definitely noticeable at this level. This is the most major difference that I am aware of; but there may be others since rake schedules change over time.
Your Body - A Protective Philosophy
If you are going to play poker for a living or long hours be aware of the signs of carpal tunnel syndrome . The ergonomics of sitting at a computer can lead to serious injury over time. When I first started I used long hours and began to experience troubles. I had to learn proper posture and how to use the mouse with both hands; not as easy as it sounds if you are playing multiple tables at once. Regardless of how much you play you should try and maintain proper posture.
There is also hands free software available that has been developed specifcally for playing online poker. Hands Free Poker uses voice recognition to virtually eliminate the use of the mouse, even when playing multiple tables.
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