Oftentimes, fear and lack of knowledge or comfort with a situation can cause us to avoid making a decision or deliberate too long. In life, too much time and effort are put into decisions that aren’t important and not enough time and energy are dedicated to the decisions that really matter. In business, learning to be decisive and move on is a necessity for a majority of the day-to-day matters that come up, while spending an adequate amount of time on the pivotal decisions is key to long-term growth and success.In the poker world, there is a tremendous amount of information out there. There is also access to groups of players, like here at PocketFives, where you can discuss any and all aspects of the game and strategy. These avenues for learning and expanding your horizons by discussing theories and strategies have led to a tremendous growth in the overall skill level of players in general. But, much like how in our everyday lives we spend too much time on things that don’t really matter, it is also fairly common to get caught up in the fringe elements of poker strategy instead of focusing on the areas that will have a much larger impact.
Many of the interesting discussions around poker concern topics where the edge is small. This makes for interesting discussions because there are reasonable arguments for both sides, but it can leave us spending a lot of time thinking about areas where any improvement we make will likely mean a marginal increase. There is still value in the process of critically thinking about topics and understanding the "why," but oftentimes as players, we would be better served spending more of our time on the areas that have a greater impact on our play.
For example, physical tells get a lot of discussion, but in relation to the impact of betting patterns, physical tells are a much less significant area that gets more than its fair share of our time and effort. If we would spend some of the time we take to think about what an eye twitch might mean and think more about what our opponents' betting patterns are likely to mean, we would likely see a much more valuable improvement in our game.
That is just one example, but the key is to not let yourself get caught up in topics that are on the fringe and instead spend more time on the meat and potatoes of your game. Some areas I try to make sure I am regularly thinking about are starting hand selection, positional play, game selection, and the bankroll and money management issues that transcend poker strategy and are part of our overall lifestyle.The Pareto Principle, commonly known as the 80-20 rule, claims that 80% of your profits come from 20% of your clients. The principle also claims that you make 80% of your profits off 20% of your time, leading to the conclusion that if you can spend more time on the 20% that is most important, your profits will increase.
While the 80-20 rule is a generalization in terms of the percentages, the root theory has a lot of value and can definitely be applied to poker. Spend more time on the things that are most important, limit the time you spend on the less vital areas, and you will see drastic improvement in the quality of your play and your bottom line.
Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.
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