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Deadly Sins of Poker In Poker, we rarely think of our own sins, since may of us are in denial about even having any. In fact, many of us blame disappointing results on bad luck or other people, while hardly ever looking at ourselves. 1. Poor self-control is the deadliest sin, and the underlying cause of all the others. We want to make ourselves comfortable by “doing what comes naturally,” but it is natural to lose. About 90 percent of all cardroom players are long-term losers, and the primary cause is poor self-control. You may object that you never go “on tilt” or get out of line, but self-control has many other facets. Every time you act impulsively or emotionally, every time you put comfort over profit, you cost yourself money, perhaps not immediately, but certainly over the long term. Nothing about winning poker is natural; it demands lots of uncomfortable, unnatural actions. 2. Denying reality is the second most deadly sin, and nearly all of us commit it. We deny that this particular bet is foolish or that we are playing poorly because we are tired, or bored, or losing. We deny that this game is too tough for us because we do not want to admit our own limitations. Any type of denial can quickly destroy our game and our bankroll. 3. Impatience is so common that even the tightest rock occasionally yields to it. Waiting for the right hand or a good game is boring. So, we “take a shot.” Once in a while it pays off; usually it costs a few chips; and sometimes it wipes out our bankrolls. 4. Focusing on ourselves, not the other players: We are so concerned with our own cards, our own stack, and our own strategy, we forget that the critical information comes from the other players. For example, we all have fallen in love with a hand and ignored obvious signals that it was beaten. We may take a favorite or “lucky” seat instead of choosing one that will improve our position. Experts disagree about whether it is better to sit to the left or right of “maniacs” and other kinds of players. However, they all agree that we should study the other players, then pick the seat that gives us the best position. The same principle applies to “studying” our hand. Those cards will not change — no matter how we squeeze and examine them — and focusing on them makes us miss information from the other players, such as tells and telegraphs. 5. Yielding to emotions: Anger and machismo can make us take foolish chances — by overplaying hands, challenging tougher players, playing for higher stakes than we can afford, and continuing to play long after we run out of gas. A desire to appear generous can make us give up bets here and there that add up to big money over time. The combination of sex and machismo is especially lethal. When a pretty woman sits down, some men act like stupid teenagers on skateboards. “Look at all the crazy chances I’m taking. Aren’t you impressed?” Of course, if she plays well, she thinks, “I’m going to beat the hell out of this idiot.” 6. Poor concentration: Sometimes we watch a game on TV, or talk to our neighbor, or even try to pick the winner of the next horse race. Usually, poor concentration is more subtle, but equally destructive: For example, we all have misplayed hands because we were thinking about earlier events such as bad beats, huge pots we won or lost, or bad plays we regretted. But poker is a very “now” game, and it waits for no one. When the action is to us, we have to do something immediately, and we are stuck with whatever we do. If we fold a winner, call with a loser, or just miss a bet because of poor concentration, that money is gone forever. 7. Rigidity: Most of us follow a comfortable routine that makes us predictable and easy to read. Rigidity also prevents us from adjusting to different players and changed conditions. We play our hands essentially the same way regardless of the circumstances. For example, hardly anyone adjusts quickly when two or three players take a short break, even though a shorthanded game requires a fundamentally different strategy. The game can change completely when a rock gets up and is replaced by a maniac, but most of us continue the same old routine. 8. Educating the opposition: We show our cards, or explain why we made a certain play, or criticize other players. We do it because we want respect or sympathy, or need to express our frustration, but poker is about winning money, not making ourselves feel good. Educating the opposition must cost us money. For example, a weak player may get stronger or quit, and a strong player may learn how to beat us. 9. Aching to get even: Among the dumbest words in poker are, “I’ve got to get even,” and most of us say them occasionally. Worse yet, we take foolish risks that often put us deeper into the hole, making us more desperate and foolish. We should realize that something is wrong. Maybe the game is tougher than we think, or we are playing poorly, or perhaps the poker gods just don’t like us today. Losing should make us more conservative, but we may call or even raise with hands we would normally fold. We may even move up to higher limits, despite knowing that the game is tougher. After all, our luck has to change, doesn’t it? Wrong! In fact, denying reality, getting more aggressive, and playing for higher limits can easily wipe out our bankrolls. 10. Not working on our game: Never before have there been so many high-quality self-development tools — books, software, and websites — but most of us don’t really use them. We may buy books, but don’t seriously study them; we may read and even post on various forums, but don’t take the lessons to heart. We may chat about poker, but rarely analyze hands the way bridge players do. Because we play for money, we should expect poker teachers to have lots of students. But far more people pay for tennis or golf lessons than hire a poker coach. It’s another example of choosing pleasure over profit. It’s more fun to play poker or talk casually about it than it is to work on our game. 11. Blaming bad luck: We all do it, even though we know that luck evens out over time. Blaming bad beats, unlucky streaks, and the stupid plays that beat us helps us to protect our egos by justifying poor results. Blaming bad luck is a form of denial; we deny that we alone are responsible for our long-term results. It makes us feel better, but prevents us from working on our own weaknesses. To get the best results, we have to accept that responsibility, increase our self-control, and sin less frequently |
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