What MakesThem Better?
Any time I see poker on TV, I find myself wondering what makes these guys so good? How come we are so accustomed to seeing the same ole faces on the screen.
Like Mike McDermott (A.K.A. Matt Damon)said,
"Why does this still seem like gambling to you? I mean, why do you think the same five guys make it to the final table of the World Series of Poker every single year? What, are they the luckiest guys in Las Vegas? It's a skill game, Jo." - Rounders
Now obviously he was referring to the way back days when the WSOP consisted of a few hundred players or less, but Mr. Damon is absolutely correct. Poker is a skill game. It is not considered gambling because if you play properly and play by the so called 'book', in the long run you should be a winner. But that does not explain why we continue to see the same players make the final table in the big tournaments. There is something inherently shared among these stars of poker. Let's dive into what that may be...
Cool, Calm & Collected
A bunch of smart ass people conducted a highly scientific experiment on 400 plus poker players that I did not understand to the fullest. I have linked it on the bottom of the page if you would like to take a look further into the topic. What I did come away with was that most professional players share similar personality traits when it comes to handling their emotions.
As we all know, poker is a game of ups and downs. The best of the best are able to handle both ends of the spectrum. Meaning they don't get overexcited when they win or lose. These pros are able to play poker and tame the mood swings that come along with it. Almost stoic in a way. It makes me rethink my desire to become a pro, because I know I don't control my emotions all that well, especially when something good happens. Shit, if I win me a big tourney, I'd streak by the slots on my way to the bank. Not something any of us want to see...including myself. In turn, if I get lucksacked out on by somebody with a bullshit ass river, I get pissed. Angry enough to break a laptop even. Hey, don't judge me. Just play better cards so I don't lose to crap hands and I save a laptop screen, or two. Lolz. So unless you are able to handle the variance that a game like NLHE can bring, professional poker may not be the best for you.
Perhaps the mental poker guru Tony Angelo said it best,
"To win at poker, you have to be very good at losing."
Luck Be A Lady Tonight
Luck is another common trait most poker professional players share. Now obviously most of us agree that poker is not a game of luck, but it most certainly plays a factor. It would be foolish to deny it in fact. Especially if you are a tournament player who enjoys large multi-table tournaments with large, top heavy payouts. In tournaments like that, there are so many factors at play. So much variance involved that luck must be a factor. Without a little luck on your side, you are almost guaranteed NOT to make the final table. Think about the last time you watched the main event. Look back at all the 'race' flops that are won by the eventual winner. Or, how many times the river saved them early on in the tournament which allowed them to make it to the final table in the first place.
You can play the best quality poker imaginable, but if you do not have Lady Luck in your corner, you may as well throw in the towel. Ha! You see what I did there?!
Thank you for taking a little time to talk poker with us today.
As someone who plays for a living, I can say that learning to handle the variance associated with the game did not come overnight. There are certainly some people who are able to disassociate their decisions from the money on Day 1, but this wasn't the case for me. What eventually did the trick was repetition and perspective. Once you've been on 5 or 10 or a couple of dozen significant downswings and come back from it, the loss of money simply doesn't effect you as much. I suspect this is true of many different areas of life. We humans are ready made to adapt to our circumstances. In terms of poker, I know that 5 or 10 sessions are a drop in the bucket when compared to the number of hours I will play in my lifetime. If I am able to consistently make better decisions than my opponents it's not just likely I'll get the money eventually, it's inevitable.
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Wow, nice. And yes, I can imagine it took some time to get used to the variance. Such a beautiful game...can't get enough of it.
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Good post!
For me in every money-related ,,game'' (doesn't matter if it's poker or trading or something else) the most important thing is to stay cool and never get stressed! otherwise you will loose before you even start! :)
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Exactly!! Thank for reading, mate.
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Great insights, P! I can't wait to play live with you some day and watch you tilt when I suck out on the river!
;)
xoxo
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Lol, I don't tilt to often (out loud anyway) in public. I try to control my anger as to no look a fool. Lolz.
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dammit!
;)
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With the highs and lows of gambling, it sounds weird but you cant value money. If losing money stresses out someone or spend all their winnings right away, they wont last. When someone loses a lot of money and just shrugs their shoulders, they have a great chance of long term success.
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Yes!! I found it so odd, yet awaking when I read a similar thing...you cannot have value for money when it comes to things like poker.
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Poker luck is searched for, I mean if you improve your percentages of winning your luck will be better doesn´t matter what!
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Quite true. Thank you for reading.
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You can not make money in pokes without someone playing bad and beating you. That is the only way the fish come back.
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Haha, Blacky quite accurate. Without a little loss to the fish, it would be nothing but sharks playing each other.
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A slight correction in emphasis- SUCCESSFUL poker players are stable emotionally. Those who forge new ways of winning are also curious and not risk-averse. Thanks for reminding me of that personality research
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Ha, very true on the "successful." Thank you for reading.
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Ugh... nailed it. No luck and always on tilt.... not pro material... hardly a half assed hobbyist. Oh well, still enjoy the dream and keeping at it that someday the stars align.
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I have played a bit of time in poker and I just haven't really figured out how to deal with emotions a.k.a. tilt. The money has to be taken out of the equation and that is bankroll management but bankroll management isn't the same for every poker player.
Variance in poker is one in which is how we react to that variance and managing bankroll is how much we need to pay for our reaction to variance. So for some, it's not that big a deal for you to lose the entire "bankroll" on a site or a poker and they just redepo but for some, it could be 100 buyins before they don't get upset when they lose a buyin in a 1/2nl live game.
For me, I have been working on this. I have a couple of things I am working on. Being properly rolled for the games I play. To the outsider looking at me, I don't tilt but internally, I tilt. I don't break anything but I do get upset at losses. So with this information, I look at one of three things. (1) am I too high of a game that is warranting me to be upset or is it that I am not "paying for variance" of the game. (2) Am I just not disciplined enough with my emotions that I am not putting it into account. (3) I just am not any good at poker.
I hope that I am not number 3. I want to say it's a combination of 1 and 2. I can work on mindset of poker so I can lower my tilty ways or lower into stakes that I am comfortable losing.
The biggest thing in poker, we can play the most perfect poker but with the information that we have, we can make our perfect decisions but still lose and we have to be ok with it.
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