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.

Let's suppose that you decide to play Texas hold 'em and that all your decisions will be about that game. To all our decisions, the question of "why?" can be asked. First of all, why did you decide to play hold 'em? Of course, at least where I play, it's hard to find a game of 7-card stud. If there was one, I'd play stud instead of hold 'em.

So, we're in a game of hold 'em and the next question is: "Should I play these hole cards that I was dealt?" For some, particularly in lower limit games, that's an easy one to answer-particularly, if you play "no-fold 'em-hold 'em." After the flop, the decision changes to: "Should I stay, bet, or even raise?" That's where decision making becomes a challenge. Let me give you an example. Recently, in a no-limit game, I decided to play my suited A-Q. When the flop came, I had the two top pair with a flop of: Qc-4c-Ad.

I could have checked but I went ahead and bet $35-hoping to get a call. Everyone folded, except one player behind me. He raised me another $50. I thought he had the top pair-it never occurred to me that he had a pocket pair of fours. I was short stacked and went all-in. He called and when we both turned over, he had trip fours. I was what the game ought to be called, instead of poker: surprise. Needless to say, I didn't get a queen or an ace on the turn or the river-so I lost.

Now there was another decision I had to make. Ordinarily, when this happens, I will reload and continue to play. However, this time I decided to quit for the day. First of all, I had already decided to make it a short stay. When I lost, I just decided to call it a day, take my losses and play another day. I got up and said, "Nice playing with most of you!" I patted the back of the guy who beat me with trip aces and got a laugh from the rest of the table. I added, "The only thing wrong with that hand is that I didn't have it."

Now I had to ask myself the "whys." The first question, why I played the suited ace and queen, was the easiest to answer. "Why did I check instead of bet?" Well, I thought that a bet might be taken as having just top pair. The next question is: "Why, when I was raised $50, didn't I think he might have me beat with trips?" I can chalk to up to just being stupid. The final question is, "When I saw he had trips, why didn't I start praying for an ace or a queen?" I am sure of two decisions that I'll make the next time. One, when I get this surprise I will pray-it might help. And, next when I get top two pair raised again, I won't go all-in. The best decision that I made that day was to quit playing-or, was it?

So when you play poker, it good to look at the decisions you are making and to ask yourself whether your decisions are good ones or bad.

Jim McKenna has been practicing psychotherapy for more than thirty-five years. His books include the acclaimed Beyond Tells: Power Poker Psychology, Beyond Bluffs: Master the Mysteries of Poker, and Beyond Traps: The Anatomy of Poker Success, all published by Kensington Press. Write to Jim@Jimmckenna-PhD.com.