Playing poker during the holidays-or any time, really-is like burning a candle at both ends. First of all, candles are not meant to be burned like that. And second, if you are holding a lit candle at both ends, you will eventually get burned.
Playing poker is similar. Eventually, you will get burned and either be caught doing something stupid or your luck will run out. After all, even good batters will miss more times than they hit. Getting a good poker hand also happens less often than getting a bad one.
So is being good at poker really a way of learning how to play bad hands? I've heard it said that avoiding a storm is not as valuable as learning to dance in the rain. So if more garbage is dealt than quality hands, it must mean that the good poker players know how to play garbage. For that matter, most players supposedly know how to play good cards. Some plays are obvious and some are sneaky about their good cards. But in the end, learning to play bad cards, or learning to avoid playing them, is an art that hasn't been talked much about. Maybe that's because so many poker players do it.
For example, after an hour of not playing garbage, you've taught the other players at the Texas hold 'em table that you are waiting for quality cards. If you are in late position and get an unsuited 7-2 you could throw it away or you could raise. After all, you spent the last hour teaching others that you are waiting for quality cards. A raise is representing that you have a big pocket pair or a suited king and ace-right?
It's safe to say that the only ones who would call you are quality-card hands-and at that, you may have slowed them down. Or suppose someone before you raised to three times the blinds and you have junk. If you re-raise and represent that your hand is better by going all-in, you'll either get a fold or a call. If the better hand folds, that's poker. So, maybe playing bad hands is where it's at in poker-it's dancing in the rain.
On the other end of that burning candle is any example of going up against your reputation. Suppose you get quality cards in a Texas hold 'em game and you are usually a pretty loose player and that's your reputation. So you become wild with them-that's what people expect! It's not a surprise that other players call you-they think you're bluffing. They don't know that you already have them beat. The trouble with burning this candle at both ends, eventually you'll get burned at a showdown.
"You'd better not cry, better not pout and I'm telling you why: Santa Claus plays poker." One of the things I learned from my dad was to believe in the paradox of Santa Claus. Even while people are lying about the existence of Santa Claus, they maintain a poker face. So, Merry Poker to you and may your New Year be filled with lots of pots.
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.
