We spend a lot time writing and talking about what should be done at a poker table. I talk about poker strategy, poker tournaments and even cash games when detailing what makes us the best players that we can be. However, not all situations in a poker room require you to understand pot odds or calculate them. Some situations just require good ole common sense and the ability to recognize negative EV (expected value) when you see it. Once you can see it you can avoid it like the plague!
Arguments are Bad
For as much as I would love to say that every poker room is the friendliest place in the world that would not be an accurate assessment. How many times have you sat at a poker table and watched two players whine and scowl at each other thinking that one is intimidating the other. The reality of the situation is that being angry at another player for slow rolling, slow play, talking on the phone or any other infraction can be detrimental to your own game. Some things in life are simply not worth the energy to get angry over. However, there are situations that do pop up in the heat of battle that need to be addressed. I have always recommended that when a player is out of line you have the dealer and / or the poker room manager deal with it. Poker players are a microcosm of society and that means you are going to be around a whole lot of really good people mixed in with a few idiots. You don’t have to let the idiots take over your table with bad behavior. Let the dealers deal with the stupidity and if they refuse to step up get the poker room manager to restore order if necessary.
Lose your Ego
Having a lot of confidence is a pre-requisite to becoming a successful poker player. However, when that confidence develops into ego you begin to make poor decisions which will ultimately lead to your own demise if you allow it to. Yes, all competitive ventures require the participants to walk that fine line. How do you find a happy medium?
For me I refuse to make the game a one on one competition until I am heads-up for all the money. I realize how simple that sounds but consider how many times we have all sat around the poker table and watched 2 players get into it with each other hand after hand, bluff after bluff until one of us that was watching the action picks up a hand and busts one of the two that were hammering at each other?
It happens believe it or not.
There are some poker players that take it very personal when they lose a pot. This bodes well for you but can prove to be extremely frustrating for the player that can’t handle small setbacks. Even in cash games you cannot allow your ego to control your bets and overall assessment of the game. By doing so you give up every bit of the edge you worked so hard for by reading about, playing and understanding poker strategy. That doesn’t quite sound like anything a good poker player would have any interest in. The fact of the matter is that you are going to lose pots. Even when you are running good and dominating the table you will still lose pots along the way. However, how you deal with those losses says a whole lot about how successful you may become.
You must learn to let the small pots go as well as bad beats on the larger pots too. Dwelling on the negative experiences breeds negative thinking. Negative thinking yields negative results. That is not the place you want to be. Think about the long term outcome and view the small loses and bad beats for what they are. By doing that you will fair a lot better over the long run and save yourself a lot of heartache.
Curtis Mayfield III