The Poker Mindset

[11 to 1 0]

Thread title is actually the title of a book that should have been released a week or so ago, according to an article in the March 28 issue of Cardplayer.The author, Matthew Hilger, wrote an article there titled "Poker Pitfalls Resulting from a Faulty Mindset." Worth a read, and I'm sure the book is, too. He gives a basic list of seven things you have to do to "truly fulfill your potential at the poker table." They are:

1. Understand and accept the realities of poker.2. Play for the long term.3. Emphasize making correct decisions over making money.4. Desensitize yourself to money.5. Leave your ego at the door.6. Remove all emotion from decisions.7. Dedicate yourself to a continual cycle of analysis and improvement.

Here is the paragraph on EGO from the article:

.....Some players know what they ought to do, but they let ego get in the way. For example, you might call bets that you shouldn't just because you don't like being pushed around. Or, you might play in games you can't beat, because your ego tells you that you can. Alternatively, you might try to impress your opponents or allow a personal feud to cloud or override your judgement.

Questions for us to ask ourselves are: do we know when we are not doing one of the seven things and why - what triggers a big ego balloon to explode all over our game. I say again - online - turn off the chat. It makes it personal. It isn't. And it frustrates your opponenets who want to make it personal.

[Kwest4chipz 0]

thanks again 11-1, all the info and responses you've given have helped tons!!!EDIT: sorry didn't finish my post, but I got staked from cody for a 4.40 180 and I didn't panic, let the donk at the table rattle me...I was under pressure to perform as it was not my money...Against all odds and a miserably low stack I cashed and could at least pay back the stakeament....so much for knowing little of poker.

[Canuckickstan 2]

I think I'll print the 7 rules and put them on the wall in my PC room. Thx.

[magnus72 0]

My ego is the major thing that hinders me at the table and I know it.

[Chaserjim 0]

Interesting point - Id like to follow up with a story of my own.Last year at the Binions I have playing some 1-2 no limit. I had just bought in 30 minutes prior, with my fiance and my best friend at the same table. This young kid , dressed like a gangsta showed up acting tough and running his mouth. He hadnt even played a hand yet. Well , from that point one I allowed myself to play not with my head, but my ego. I was going to bust him. First hand the kid plays, he raises it up to 15 and I have 66. This isnt a strat post, so im going to leave alot of the details out. Eitherway, I thought to myself he probably has something around AK or what not. So , I didnt say anything but popped it back up to 40 and he calls. The flop completly misses me , but I move all in and say " you aint got **** just let it go " , he acts hurt that im playing so hard against him and is confused as to why Ive singled him out. Regardless , he calls and shows AA .. im embarassed as hell because I wasnt playing poker with my head, I didnt like the fact that this brash young player with an attitude sits down , now I gotta show what a tough guy I am , cuz I have my fiance and best friend with me ..Regardless the turn brought a 6 , and I busted him and he immediatly got up and left. I was fortunate in that situation because it was really ****ing stupid of me to play like that, and I vowed never to do that **** again.

[Kwest4chipz 0]

yah i can relate to that post, alot!I think the thing about it is alot of players online...(this might not be factual) just seem to have FPS alot more than live games. It depends on the table, the only ones that really get me are the ones that (seem) to be playing for the suckout or the bad beat. I think by just taking it down a notch and not let pride get in the way, I can vastly improve my game. We shall see tho, its a brand new frontier and so far it seems to be elevating my success.

[11 to 1 0]

Interesting point - Id like to follow up with a story of my own.Last year at the Binions I have playing some 1-2 no limit. I had just bought in 30 minutes prior, with my fiance and my best friend at the same table. This young kid , dressed like a gangsta showed up acting tough and running his mouth. He hadnt even played a hand yet. Well , from that point one I allowed myself to play not with my head, but my ego. I was going to bust him. First hand the kid plays, he raises it up to 15 and I have 66. This isnt a strat post, so im going to leave alot of the details out. Eitherway, I thought to myself he probably has something around AK or what not. So , I didnt say anything but popped it back up to 40 and he calls. The flop completly misses me , but I move all in and say " you aint got **** just let it go " , he acts hurt that im playing so hard against him and is confused as to why Ive singled him out. Regardless , he calls and shows AA .. im embarassed as hell because I wasnt playing poker with my head, I didnt like the fact that this brash young player with an attitude sits down , now I gotta show what a tough guy I am , cuz I have my fiance and best friend with me ..Regardless the turn brought a 6 , and I busted him and he immediatly got up and left. I was fortunate in that situation because it was really ****ing stupid of me to play like that, and I vowed never to do that **** again.

That's a great story - thanks for posting it - the kind of thing we all do only haven't the guts to own up to. Me, I don't even need a brash young kid (probably underage, nervous as hell, finding some way to deal with his insecurity) I can do it online with my imagination. Ego. Sucks. I feel like a real idiot sometimes when I finally do read the chat when I look at the hand history and see some guy I thought was trying to push me around was some really nice newbie saying nice hand a lot.Some pro - maybe it was Ivey - said you play poker against yourself. Probably they all said it. Here's soemthing I started doing to develope my concentration and deal with frustration - might seem dumb to some, but it helped my game if I did a few before I played. try this: CuberExtreme You can play the first two online for free. Once you get to emerald - you know you are working. I don't know why it helped my poker, but it did. Some kinda zen deal.

[scram 1]

Interesting point - Id like to follow up with a story of my own.Last year at the Binions I have playing some 1-2 no limit. I had just bought in 30 minutes prior, with my fiance and my best friend at the same table. This young kid , dressed like a gangsta showed up acting tough and running his mouth. He hadnt even played a hand yet. Well , from that point one I allowed myself to play not with my head, but my ego. I was going to bust him. First hand the kid plays, he raises it up to 15 and I have 66. This isnt a strat post, so im going to leave alot of the details out. Eitherway, I thought to myself he probably has something around AK or what not. So , I didnt say anything but popped it back up to 40 and he calls. The flop completly misses me , but I move all in and say " you aint got **** just let it go " , he acts hurt that im playing so hard against him and is confused as to why Ive singled him out. Regardless , he calls and shows AA .. im embarassed as hell because I wasnt playing poker with my head, I didnt like the fact that this brash young player with an attitude sits down , now I gotta show what a tough guy I am , cuz I have my fiance and best friend with me ..Regardless the turn brought a 6 , and I busted him and he immediatly got up and left. I was fortunate in that situation because it was really ****ing stupid of me to play like that, and I vowed never to do that **** again.

QFT. We've all been there- but "having been there" means nothing unless you learn from the experience (which you obviously did)I had a similar experience in a tourney playing against a well known player who is feared for his insanely LAG style. It was getting to the point where someone needed to take a stand against his play and judging from the table, I was probably the only one there who had the stones to do it. Instead of carefully picking my spot or thoughtfully adjusting the tempo of my own play, I decided that I was going to make him pay "the next hand I'm dealt".I moved, he moved back (as if on cue), I moved in and the result was that he woke up big time (black kings) and I ate to the tune of the entire sum of my stack.Learned the same lesson you did (without the benefit of sucking out), and like you, vowed to never, ever do something that stupid again.

[Royal_Tour 0]

damn it.Those rules are the exact opposite of how i play

[James D 0]

Solid rules.But I don't neccessarily agree with turning the chat off. If are confident enough to be able to control your emotions (which you should be), you may miss out on certain advantages. e.g - say there's a feud between two players, you may be able to take advantage in certain spots.If you can't control yourself though, yeah, turn it off.

[Actuary 3]

11-1Why aren't you posting anymore in LHE Strategy?THose rules should be Commandments of Poker, btw.