Psychology

Some players quit playing poker every time they lose. Would you quit playing baseball, chess, or golf when you have a bad day? Losing is part of the game; just like winning. So this is not about quitting poker. Like Scotty Nguyen jokingly says, "When I don't make 4 million dollars poker in a year, I'll quit."

A guy named Philip used to be a regular at my home game. A quiet and somewhat socially awkward fellow, he could often go unnoticed for most of the night until everyone suddenly realized that he had silently accumulated a sizable chip stack.

This is not a comment on the age-old debate of whether poker is more skill than luck; it's about the one skill that some players have since childhood, and others must develop. When you did something wrong as a child, were you good at escaping trouble, or did you get caught every time? If so, you may lack the very skill you need to be good at playing poker.

It's the skill of being a good liar. In fact, most skills in poker are traceable to this one skill. Whether you are bluffing, avoiding being read, or avoiding giving out tells, the one common denominator involves lying.

There are three kinds of poker games. One is where most of the players are gambling-playing any two cards and counting on "lucking-out" with a flop. These players are chasing hands with low odds.

Others prefer to play solid cards and will only play with good odds of making a hand. Still, you will find tables where gambling and solid poker are both being played. Yet, the nature of poker is that players don't play the same and depending on their position and what has preceded them, they may bet on nothing-just to be playing poker.

I appreciate the reception that my article on when not to play poker has received. One of my points was never to play when you are in a slump. Actually, as some of you have said, it's impossible to avoid slumps if you play a lot of poker. So, as a follow-up I thought that instead of avoiding playing poker when in a slump, that it would be better to list some techniques for surviving the inevitable poker slumps.

A song says, "...know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em." It should also include, "...know when not to play at all." It's true that a good player will have brains, know when to take risks, and be patient. However, very few have all three qualities at a regular pace, and even good players must ask themselves if it's a good time to be playing their favorite game. Oh, by the way, is Texas hold 'em your favorite game of poker? Or, would you rather play 7-card stud; but, the casino doesn't offer it?

Most people, in the course of life, know whether a person is sincere or just pretending. They look for consistency in words and actions, like saying "no" and shaking the head side to side. Or they notice when a person is being positive and their body-language contradicts them. These are the obvious actions that confirm or deny what is being said or implied.

In poker, as in life, winning is based more on attitude that aptitude. Sure, knowing what to play and when to lay down poor chances is part of aptitude. However, players with the right attitude will more often have such aptitudes. Good poker players seem to have an attitude of gratitude; they know how rare good hands are and are grateful when the random deal comes their way. They also know how to play bad deals. On the other hand, poor players tend to be whiners and expect good hands every time.

Poker is really a game of decision making. From the very beginning of whether to go and play a game of poker, to which game to play when you get there, it is decisions, decisions, and more decisions. Once you decide which game to play and sit down at the table, it continues. Next, you have to decide whether to play the hand.

Clipping up the interstate at a quick rate in his sports car, a client of mine was sipping his coffee on the way to work one early morning. Without warning a mini-van violently crashed into the side of his car while trying to merge into the heavy flow of traffic.