Poker Articles

I was losing to people who had no business even playing in my game. Then I found my Untouched State of Mind.

I’m not here to cry over bad beats or any of that ridiculous stuff. If you can’t stomach it, get out now. I can remember depositing a few hundred dollars on UB and building up a bankroll, only to see a chunk of it evaporate in one sitting. This was one of my favorite games, a pot limit Omaha cash game. The sickest thing about losing that money in that particular sitting was the fact that I was truly exhilarated. I lost $200 on that first huge hand. I remember flopping the nut straight. I remember feeling so excited. He kept re-raising my big raises. It was heaven. Then, when all the money was in the pot and the river came....the board paired.

Now everyone knows when you have a straight in Omaha and the board pairs, it can't be a good thing. The guy called off almost his whole stack with two pair on an extremely dangerous board that screamed to him that I had the straight. Maybe he didn’t realize the board, maybe he liked to gamble. Whatever the case be, he hit his boat and took a big chunk of my money. Now the story of the hand isn’t how he was a moron for staying in the hand, or how I got screwed. The importance of this story is how I felt when I lost the money.

Somehow, some way, I felt peaceful. And more than that, I was excited. I was excited about how the hand went down. Now don’t get me wrong, I like to win, and I play to win. But something about losing that money kept the game exciting for me. It proved that even when playing right, you can still lose. I can’t really put it into words, but the hand changed the way I play poker and my mindset during play. Then I thought something that I’ll never forget: “So what? I’ll win the money back.” I remember a feeling of comfort coming over me as I knew I could always win the money back. Not necessarily in that sitting, but over time, I would get that money back. That state of mind kept me calm and playing well, ultimately avoiding tilt. Losses don’t bother you as much when you are confident to a point of cockiness because you trust your ability.

The next chapter in my poker life came when I took three weeks off of poker. I was recently hired as a network administrator, and I could finally afford to move into a new apartment and out of my parent’s house. This was a big step in my 22 year old life. The time off made me realize that you don’t need poker. That if you are losing, you can just log off the computer. You have to realize that you can enjoy life away from the tables. You control what you put into the game. Keeping that control is crucial.

If you are feeling like no matter what you do, no matter how “properly” you are playing, you still can’t win, take time off. Don’t think about the game for a while. Once you decide to come back, think about ways to adjust your style. Maybe when looking back, you weren’t playing so well after all. Maybe you’ve been bluffing too much. Maybe you weren’t playing patiently. If you don’t like taking bad beats, don’t always try to jam all your money in pre flop. Work on your post flop play. Just play in a way that you are comfortable. Take everything into account. When someone raises and you are sitting in the big blind, do you get heated? Like, you want to rip someone’s head off because you weren’t allowed to see a free flop with your 10 7s? This is the type of state of mind you need to bury. This is how you mature as a poker player.

I remember when I used to use the chat box as my ammunition. I would rip into my opponents at any bad beat. Now, I move on. I don’t use the chat box anymore unless I recognize a P5’er at the table. I don’t even throw out the ever so sarcastic but acceptable "good catch" to retarded people. I refuse to say "nice hand." I just listen to my music and play. If you stay silent, it really helps you relax and stay focused. For me it works that way, considering in real life I can have a temper and be emotional.

Until next time, think about your game and figure out what works for you. Try to put things into perspective and study yourself and the game. No more excuses about online poker being rigged. Please just stop.

Try to get in an untouched state of mind. Don't cry to me because I really don't care. I guess what I'm saying is that it all comes down to...I just want your money.