Most poker players see their opponents as their only enemies. I'm here to tell you that isn't even close to the truth. Your greatest enemy is that little devil on your left shoulder. You know who I'm talking about, the guy who tells you to gamble it up, to get your chips in the middle. The guy who always thinks your opponent is bluffing and encourages you to play higher and higher limits, especially when you're losing.

The little bastard is so persuasive because his motto is so powerful -

"Think about how great it would be if you win!" <READMORE>

I've seen excellent players go broke over and over because of the little devil and his motto, and solid players reload regularly because they don't understand bankroll management or because they simply can't help themselves. They are powerless against this little demon, and they play higher because "I know I'm good enough," and the demon reassures them that it's true.

He'll tell you that you're brilliant, those other guys are idiots, and that you need to go for it. He'll tell you to "go for the win" whether it's the right time or not, and he will try to make you think that every pot is yours. You're the better player after all, you deserve to win this pot and if you play it just right your opponent is bound to fold to your bluff. Right?

I can tell you that you aren't alone in facing this demon, it's part of human nature. I don't play the slots, craps, or the lottery and when it comes to gambling I am about as logical and level headed as can be, but still the demon haunts me. He can't be killed, nor even restrained really, and he certainly isn't going to die of old age after surviving so many millenia on so many shoulders. So what do you do about him? How do you control those urges he plants in your head?

Like anything that is inevitable you just have to learn how to deal with him. Take his power away by igoring him and his voice gets a little quieter. Treat him like the rain or taxes or any other inveitable event in your life and learn to deal with him.

The one thing you can't do is actively fight him. He feeds on anger and sadness and when you have those emotions in your head he grows stronger. Most people react to something they know hurts them by trying to defeat it. Especially us Americans. We are used to facing our problems and fighting them, and if money or strength won't help us then the police will. None of those things help you in this situation.

To quiet the Gamble Demon (I named mine Roger) an approach more akin to eastern philosophy seems to work the best. Looking back at what I did to shut Roger up I can see fairly distinct steps that were helpful.

1. Accept that the demon is part of you, and in fact all humans. You can't kill it, and it won't shut up. Also remember that the demon does not have your best interests at heart no matter how seductive his words are.

2. Seperate the demon and those self destructive urges from the logical part of your brain. This leaves you with a place to look when you are unsure about a decision. Look at the logical part of yourself and find the correct answer. The demon can shout from afar all he likes and you can still ignore him at critical times while taking the solid advice of the logical part of your brain. He may never leave your shoulder, but you can decide right now to never let him inside your head again.

3. Learn to let go. This is where the eastern philosophy comes in. Being angry at the demon is like being angry at the rain. You can't change it, so accept it, and let it go. His words may be in the air, and ou may hear them, but you don't have to listen. Just hear the words and laugh at him. I know Roger wants me to go play some WSoP events this year, but spending a significant percentage of my bankroll on big risks is not smart for me right now so he can go to hell. The little sucker doesn't even have a bankroll of his own and I could care less what his opinion is about how to spend mine. He's wrong most of the time anyway.

4. Once you have learned to let go of those urges you can treat the demon like a clueless friend. My girlfriend watches me play online sometimes and often has advice like "All-in they're both red! Red to win!" I would no more listen to the demon than I would take her advice. Roger is relegated to the background now, a mildly annoying railbird rather than a friend who helps me make wise decisions.

5. Once you have gotten the demon out of your head you must learn to recognise his voice immediately. When my demon speaks now I immediately know it's him and I ignore his advice. If you hear his voice echoing a decision you are about to make you need to reconsider the wisdom of that decision with only the logical part of your brain and ignore the demon.

6. As a last resort give the little sucker his own bankroll to play with. When you hear about serious players moving down to micro-limit games and throwing off $20 to let off some steam they are doing exactly that. I've never really needed this option, but many players swear by it. Let him lose 5 buy-ins of nickel dime no-limit and he may just be full and go to sleep. These demons eat bad decision like caviar and they feast on lost hands and big gambles, so if you can't starve your demon then feed him a big cheap meal and hope he dozes off for awhile.

Remember - The demon only has the power that you give him. Give him none and he just becomes a quiet little mouse on your shoulder, sulking and wishing there was a little more action to watch.

We'll see you at the final table,
Fox (with assistance provided under duress by Roger the Gamble Demon)

P.S. A one year membership to my poker coaching site at www.pokerfox.net is only $100 for a few more weeks. Get in now while it's cheap and we'll help you become a winner!
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