Poker Articles

By sweeet_pea

Poker Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Moss once said, "Poker is the hardest way to make an easy living."  Poker is full of trials and tribulations. Good times and bad.  How you as a player handle these trials and tribulations in many ways determines how great you are.  A trial that all of us face at one time is a lack of confidence in our abilities as a player. This is what has been happening to me over the course of these past couple of weeks.  I wanted to write this article for the players whose confidence has been shaken yet they continue to play because of the great love and/or determination that lie within their hearts for poker.  I hope that my experiences will help you if you are suffering through hard times.
    
It is much easier to think of yourself as a good player when you are taking down pots hand over fist. However, once a player starts to lose and their bankroll shrinks their confidence is shaken.  So what do you do when you have heard countless times that you put your money in with the best hand and received nothing but bad beats in return?  You can either let your confidence die, or your can take it in stride and chalk it up as a learning experience.
    
Plenty of advice was given to me this week but a couple of things really stick out for me, and have helped my confidence remain secure.   A friend told me on instant message that I can not look at this game in a way of how much money I am winning or losing, but rather as a learning experience.  Win or lose, I go back over the hand.  If I would have played it differently, then great I gained some knowledge.  Knowledge in my book is far greater than the money that I win or lose.  I strive to be a better player and in doing so the money will eventually come my way.  I don’t look at losses as losses anymore.  I look at them as opportunities for me to improve.  I gain knowledge about another players’ style, betting patterns, etc.  But I also gain knowledge about my abilities as a player.  I am not in any way telling you that I don’t get pissed off and frustrated, because I do, but at least I gain something positive that can help me in the future out of that frustration.  Of course it is easy to rant and rave and feel sorry for yourself when you are in a slump, but, in my experience, my slumps are when I learn the most about myself and about other people who love this game so much.  It’s not easy for most people to play good poker; it takes hard work and discipline in my case.  If it was easy, a lot more people would be good players and millionaires.
     
To strive for a goal in any area of your life is important and many times difficult.  I recently asked myself why I play this game.  Why do I take the bad beats?  Why do I study my hand histories for hours at a time?  And I came up with this answer: Poker to me is more than just a game, it’s an accomplishment.  It’s something that pisses me off but makes me laugh my ass off at the same time.  Its hard work, determination, frustration, and a good way to stomp someone’s ass without physically touching them, all rolled into one game.  It’s a game that some believe is simple.  I beg to differ in that belief, because I wouldn’t like this game if it was simple.  It entails so much, including meeting the most fascinating people, and in some cases the people that scare the hell out of you.  But that’s what makes this game fun for me.  Trying to figure people out, and once you do, friend or foe, take their money.  I love many of the wonderful people that I have met at the felt, but I would never think twice about taking them out.  That’s why I love this game, you can kick someone’s ass at the card table and in many cases gain something much more valuable than their money; you have the ability to gain their respect and their friendship.  You also have the ability to learn much more about your character and a fellow player’s character through this game.
     
What is important to me is to know and believe that I'm a good player, not whether anyone else thinks I am.  Yes it is nice to receive compliments about your game, but if you don’t believe in yourself as a player, then others opinions don’t mean much and won’t help you much.  This is a game full of egos, and in many cases, egos get shattered.  Having confidence in your abilities and being egotistical are two totally different things.  You can have an ego the size of Texas and still be a horrible player.
     
So a couple of weeks ago I set a new goal for myself.  My goal has been to not let my confidence in my playing ability be shaken.  This goal sounded easy when I made it, however I have come to realize that it’s not so easy.  Now I can say the money I make or lose does not and will not shake my confidence or my determination.  I will become a better player because I am determined and I work my butt off to do so. Is this an easy goal to accomplish?  Not in the least.  Is it a goal worth all the frustration?  Finally, I can say yes.