Poker Articles

We’re all competitive people.  By reading sites like PocketFives, we demonstrate a commitment to improving at poker, the act of someone who prefers to win rather than lose.  But how do we compete?  Do we have the mindset and approach of an athlete in a sport, or a player in a game?  For clarity, which is perhaps unnecessary, let’s open the Random House Unabridged Dictionary (always a good read):

sport (noun)  an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess, often of a competitive nature

game (noun)  a competitive activity involving skill, chance or endurance

The key word here is “athletic,” which should be unsurprising.  People don’t consider poker a sport because it lacks a physical aspect.  You can be fat, anorexic, paralyzed, or missing limbs…if you can think, you can play poker.  How you apply the space between your ears separates winners and losers.  So why do so many people compete like athletes at the table, when poker’s not a sport?

The key to being great at a sport is developing the proper muscle memory.  If, in the heat of competition, a quarterback had to explicitly think about 7-step-drop footwork…or a basketball player a crossover dribble…or a hockey defenseman his backward skating stride…they’d never succeed.  The speed of their competitors will pass them by, the pressure of the contest affecting their performance, and they’ll have no hope of winning.  Every technique required for a sport is repeated thousands of times, year after year, until it’s automatic.  A coach does the strategizing, so the athlete can keep his mind free from distraction, to let the body do what it does best. There’s a right way to do everything, and it’s practiced over and over, with the flaws gradually filtered away.  Practice doesn’t make perfect; PERFECT practice makes perfect. 

I can see the athletic mindset in so many poker players’ questions about hands and strategies.  What’s the best way to play JJ from under-the-gun?  Should I re-raise or flat-call with AAxx in PLO?  What does a min-raise mean on the flop?  When do I defend my blinds?  How many rebuys should I make in a rebuy tournament?  The athlete is looking for one answer, which can be plugged into a library of poker techniques and applied when the time is right.

A game player knows these questions cannot be answered without truly understanding the general rules, and detailed strategies for this particular iteration of the game.  Am I ahead or behind in our competition?  What stage of the game am I in?  How skilled is my opponent(s)?  Do I need to take a risk to win?  What other adjustments do I need to make?

An athlete is accustomed to periods of exertion and relaxation, during which muscles recuperate and prepare for the next period of work.  The football is snapped, the play is executed…and everyone waits for 15 seconds while the coaches signal the next play.  Basketball players jog back downcourt after a score, while the point guard dribbles the ball the other way.  A runner or cyclist goes faster to catch up with the leader, then sits over their shoulder and waits for the need to react again or make a surprise attack of their own.

I see “exert and relax” in poker players all the time, too.  A hand is folded online, and the Web browser is opened until the next cards come.  Two players see the flop in a casino, and seven heads turn toward whatever is on the plasma TVs in the poker room.  We muck our cards and talk to the player on our right or find a different song on our iPod.

A game rarely comes with such breaks, nor the physical need to take them, so a game player always has the time to scouring for additional information to work into our strategy.  The guy in Seat #1 overbet the river with the nuts…has he done that before?  What did he show then?  The player on my left didn’t shuffle his chips before he bluffed.  The big blind rarely defends.  And I think that’s the third time the big stack across from me raised and folded to a re-raise.  Your game strategy is always fluid, based on your circumstances and the information you gather.

To have the right approach to poker, it helps to have grown up playing games as well as sports.  But having grown up at kitchen tables with cards, dice, board games, dominos, etc., isn’t required.  Some successful athletes adapt how they think and play like a gamer.  Maybe they recognize the competitive differences; maybe the change is instinctive.  But if you were an athlete, you can’t approach poker the same way as you did your sport.

So if you spent years succeeding on the athletic field of your choice, and can’t understand why poker hasn’t brought similar rewards…start with a simple step to revamp everything you’re doing.  Take your time.  Do not allow instinct to kick in.  Think about what you know and what you’ve seen.  Take several seconds to make your decision, even if there’s a raise and a re-raise in front of you, and you’re holding 7-2.

There’s no pressure to get rid of the ball.  No tackler bearing down on you.  No finish line approaching, requiring one last finishing kick.  It’s just you and your opponents, the chips on the table, and the cards in play.  There’s plenty of time to make decisions, and even more time to evaluate what you might decide differently the next time.

So keep your competitive drive alive…but know how you’re competing.  Strategize rather than react.  Take your time.



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