Winners Need Skill, Luck, and What Else?

Hi. Come on in. Let's take my new pellet gun and go plink some beer cans. They make good targets - and it's fun emptying them out first.

Just what does it take to win consistently in the game of poker? If you asked 100 different poker players to each make a list, you probably would receive 100 different lists. No doubt, the words "skill" and "luck" would appear frequently. You do need some of each - the more, the better.

Losers want to win. Winners want to win more. The quest is constant. So, here's a list of key words that I give people who are interested in becoming winning poker players:

Decision

Belief

Desire

Dedication

Commitment

When I present this list, I can sense that I'm temporarily losing some of these folks. A blank look comes over their faces. I see occasional yawns as they become impatient to continue discussing strategy. But those who remain interested continue to pay close attention and take notes. They will be the consistent winners.

Of course, strategy is important, along with discipline, mental preparation, card odds and pot odds, and the whole list of poker concepts that must be studied.

But my list contains only abstract words. How can you take those to a poker game? The truth is, you take everything in your life to a poker game. The entirety of who and what you are sits down with you each time you play poker. It can't be otherwise, as you cannot leave part of yourself at home. And the entirety of who and what you are at the poker table is determined to a large extent by how you apply, or ignore, this list.

Let's look at each of these words individually:

Decision. Make a conscious decision - a specific conscious decision - to be a winner. We all want to win, but few of us ever specifically consider being a winner and exactly what that means. Decide you're going to do it, and decide you can do it.

Belief. Believe it can be done. Here is a basic truth: To do anything, you must first believe it can be done. Believing it can be done sets your mind in motion to find a way to do it. Your mind will create a way if you let it, according to the intensity of your belief.

Desire. Be able to state clearly what you want. Write it down. You have to know what you want before you can go after it. You must be 100 percent clear regarding what you want. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for whatever shows up. And as you must have learned by now, the darndest things can happen at a poker table.

Dedication. Having the will to win isn't enough. You need to have the will to prepare to win. Everyone has the will to win, but not many have the will to prepare to win. They want it to just happen, but it won't. Be willing to do what you must to have what you want.

Commitment. Commit to doing what must be done. And after all of this, you need a plan - a map of where you're going. If you don't know exactly where you are going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.

So, make a conscious decision to be a winning player, believe it can be done, and add desire, dedication, and commitment. Then, make a plan.

If you are willing to do all of this, you must succeed. There will be no more relying on luck. You'll make your own luck.

If you aren't willing to do all of this, you'll be outrun by people who are willing to do all of this. It's up to you.

We sure put some dents in those eight beer cans. There would have been more dents if we hadn't consumed their contents first.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Get his toll-free 800 number from his ad on Page 105.