Rating and Analyzing My Own Game

A while ago, I wrote two columns on specific strengths and weaknesses in poker. Self-critical as I am, I will now try to analyze my own game according to those 24 areas, to judge my own strengths and weaknesses. The ratings are on a scale from 1 (horrible) to 10 (superb), and are nothing more than just my view; if another player were to judge my game, he might come up with totally different ratings. I will also provide my opinion of the importance of each of those areas, in line with the things I wrote in the columns mentioned.

1. Ability to adjust to changed or changing circumstances (very important), 7.5

2. Aggressiveness/maximizing winnings (very important), 7 *

3. Playing with enough checks/buying in for a sufficient amount (not too important), 5.5

4. Discipline (extremely important), 8

5. Capable of folding when a hand turns sour (very important), 7.5

6. Capable of creating a healthy gambling atmosphere (important), 7

7. Having enough heart/courage/determination (very important), 7.5

8. Not just knowing the right play, but also making the right play (very important), 7

9. Loving and/or enjoying the game (important), 8

10. Having good money management skills (important), 8

11. Knowing the exact odds/percentages (very important), 7.5

12. Having enough patience to wait for the right hand/situation (extremely important), 8

13. Not just playing your own cards, but playing the players (very important), 7.5

14. Preparation (important), 7.5

15. Performing well under pressure (very important), 7

16. Reading hands (extremely important), 8

17. Seat selection (very important), 8

18. Starting-hand selection (extremely important), 7.5

19. Table/game selection (extremely important), 8

20. Having a good table image (not too important), 6.5

21. Talent/natural ability (not too important), 6.5

22. Not vulnerable to tilt and steaming (extremely important), 7.5 **

23. Being tricky and/or creative (not too important), 5.5

24. Being plain lucky (unimportant), 6.5 *

* The reason I give myself a rather low rating here is because of the corollary to maximizing winnings, which is minimizing losses. Occasionally, I play my hands in a way that if good, I will make almost as much as a highly aggressive player would, but if not good, I will lose a lot less. While some people may label this as weak-tight play, this is not the case at all. It is a way of – providing, of course, the situation is right – maximizing your expectation by playing your hands in a manner that quite a few fairly good players (especially the "book" players) don't even think, or know, about.

** This used to be one of my major strengths, and two or three years ago I would have given myself a rating of at least 8.5, and possibly even a 9. However, ever since I started playing pot-limit poker regularly, with its huge swings and people looking up to the big stacks and down at the (temporary) losers, I have to admit that I am not as strong in this area as I used to be. I still think I am stronger than almost all of my regular opponents, but maintaining my composure doesn't come as naturally as it used to a few years ago when I was playing limit poker only.

* Even though there's no such thing as long-term luck, it is a fact that quite a few people view me as a lucky (rather than a skillful) player. Because I am able to take advantage of this perception, and because people tend to make mistakes against me – thinking they are always unlucky, while I am always lucky – it is still an important factor in maintaining my results at their current high level.

The thing to do with this list of (hopefully, honest) ratings is, analyze your weak points and try to find ways to make improvements where your game needs it most. Also, for those things that you have identified as strengths, you should do your best not to let things slip away (as I am trying to do now in the area of tilt/steaming; I will try to focus hard on improving so that I can get back to the level I was once at, or at least hold things at their current decent level). It might be a good idea to ask someone whose play you highly respect to do these ratings on you, and maybe you can also rate him, in order to get some kind of comparison and to see how another (good) player judges your game. (It is always tough to rate or judge yourself. Others might perceive you in a totally different manner than how you view yourself.) Also, make sure that you do this same rating/analysis thing every year or two. By doing this, you can look for improvements you may have made over time, or identify the areas where your game may have slipped a little. This is exactly what I will do: I plan to write a follow-up to this column in exactly two years, to see if the improvements I now plan to make have indeed been made.

As you saw, there was not a single area in which I gave myself more than 8 points out of 10. The reason for this is simple: I think I am successful because I don't have many real weaknesses. Almost all good or even excellent players I know have at least one or two weaknesses that can easily be identified, but for me, that is probably not the case. At the same time, I don't excel in many areas, either, and it is for this reason that I usually try to avoid tough games or expert opposition – simply because there would not be much of an edge for me. Having said that, it is my goal to maintain things exactly as they are now (no real weaknesses) while trying to gain some real strengths in the future. After all, when playing with the big guys or the true champions, being fairly good in almost all areas will not suffice; therefore, I will give my all to raise my game from a reasonably high level to a very high level.