Most of my reading lately has been centered on small business and finance. Although neither of these topics directly relates to poker, I often find many correlations that get me thinking about my poker game. Recently, a weekly newsletter list I am on sent an article about looking at your business with critical eyes, or, as the author put it, with the eyes of a stranger.

To me, this immediately made me think about poker. Often, a group of poker players will comment about how bad another player is or how collectively bad a group of players are. Rarely, though, can a player turn that same critical eye on himself. Often, it is simply a case of thinking a player is “bad” because you can’t understand what he is doing.

Many times though, our analysis of other players’ poor play is accurate, but we are blinded to those same mistakes when we make them. In the articles I was reading, the author suggested using trusted friends to serve as mystery shoppers. In poker, we can do the same thing by having someone whose play we respect give an honest evaluation of our game and our mistakes. This is easier said than done for numerous reasons, but is still worth a shot.

Keep in mind that if this person is someone you play against regularly, they have a vested interest in you continuing to make mistakes they can capitalize on. Also, people are often reluctant to be too harsh to your face even if they feel like you have major flaws in your game. Convincing them to be brutally honest can help you improve and start the ball rolling for an open dialogue that could be immensely valuable.

I think the best piece of advice in the article is also the best one for poker players. Poker is a solitary game and, at the end of the day, your results as a player rest solely on your own shoulders. Forcing yourself to walk into your business like a customer instead of someone who is there every day is the same advice we should take every month or two in order to evaluate our own play.

Pretend like you are looking at your play from the outside. Can you explain the theory and the reasons behind each move you make? “Just because” is not an answer. “That’s just what you do in that spot” is not an answer. There should be thought-out reasons for every play in every hand.

The mental exercise of thinking through every decision like you would if you had to explain it to an outsider is a great exercise to get a more accurate and clearer view of your game and quickly find some areas that can be shored up. Even when you are making solid plays, forcing yourself through the mental gymnastics of why those plays are the right ones can help expand your game into other areas and make you more confident.

Poker is a constantly evolving game. Knowing what to do isn’t as important as understanding why you are doing it. In the seven or so years I have been involved in serious poker games, I have seen many players find the right style at the right time, but be totally unable to adapt once the game changed. The game passed those players by because they just happened to be making the right moves at the right times without really understanding why.

The truly great players with staying power are able to understand why they make the moves they do. When the game and situations changed, they were able to quickly adapt instead of stubbornly doing what they had always done without really understanding why.

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.