Recently, I was playing next to a whiner in a $3-$6 Texas hold'em game. After a while, when the whiner was complaining about having top pair and someone sucked out with two pair, I just had to say something. If I didn't know the whiner I don't know if I would have said this, "You know, you lost all your whining rights when you chose to play a low limit game, don't ya?" He said, "What do you mean?" I said that the conditions to protect your hand just are not there as they are in higher limits and particularly in nolimit hold'em. Of course, my comment didn't make any difference. It helped me more than him. Yet, I began to think about what are the ideal conditions for playing poker.
First of all, playing at a table where there is "dead money" and at least one pigeon is a must. If everyone at the table is a better poker player than you are, you have no advantage. Next, I thought about moods and realized that there are times when the last thing I should be doing is playing poker. The other day I was planning on picking up some stuff for my wife and then playing a few hours at the casino. Well, by the time I finished my chores, I was in no mood to use poker as a sedative. After some reflection, I went back home to my surprised wife. I have seen players attempt to use poker when they are depressed or too much under the influence, and those aren't good conditions for playing at your best.
It helps to have a positive mental attitude. Some people couldn't be positive if they won the lottery. I hear some of these players complain when they win a pot. It's either not big enough or "finally, after hours of bad hands," they get a break. All I can say is, "Boo Hoo." When a player shows up and says, "Well, I've got 100 bucks to lose and then I'm out of here," that's exactly what happens. How you think and feel often shows up in how well you do. Generally, there is an inverse relationship between mood and loses. The lower you feel, the more you lose.
Besides mood, it's important to listen to your body. Being well rested is probably at the top of the list as far as playing under ideal conditions. Not a lot of players are introspective, since there are so many males playing the game. Yet, paying attention to your moods and your body will pay off in the long run. Women players probably have an advantage here, since they are comfortable with understanding and checking their feelings.
Most poker players know the advantage of having the right position as part of ideal conditions. This is properly in relation to players who are loose or tight. Having the money to your right and the wild players to your left add to your ideal conditions.
Finally, at least for this article, there's the matter of luck. Ideally, having the cards come your way when you need them is a condition that all players dream about. With the random shuffle of the cards, combined with where you are sitting, most players are happy to get one or two good hands in an hour. Yet, when you have a day when nine out of ten hands are good, take advantage of your luck. I say this with tongue in cheek knowing that there are days when I get good cards and still loose.
Whether or not you have the right to whine, don't expect much more that a "Poor baby," though-if that much.
