Planning Your Personal Development - Part I

After reading my series "It's a Great Party, But … ," my friend Jerry Flannigan said, "Al, you're right about the need for self-development plans, but your recommendations were too specific. Some readers don't know much about planning. Teach them the basic principles."



He's right, and this series will tell you how to plan your poker career. It is based on my book, Executive Career Strategy, and it will discuss only your development as a player. Professionals should also consult a financial consultant.



Why Don't Players Plan Their Development?

Executives and professionals plan, and there are many books, college courses, and seminars on the principles. Yet, as Barry Greenstein stated on Page 88 of Ace on the River, "Most players don't have a long-term plan to improve their playing ability." Why?



Poker is a very NOW game. When the action is to you, you must make a quick decision. This short-term emphasis affects almost everything we do.



It takes time and effort, and the benefits are neither clear nor immediate. But without plans, you probably won't reach your long-term goals. Too many good players ended up broke because they did not plan ahead.



Planning and the self-critical analysis it requires can be unpleasant. Most players don't like to look hard at themselves. But you can't win without doing unpleasant things, such as folding weak hands, avoiding certain games, and controlling your emotions. Planning is just one of those unpleasant but necessary actions.



You can't predict the future, and unexpected events often defeat plans. You may think this unpredictability reduces the value of plans, but the opposite is true. The planning process is much more valuable than the plan itself. By carefully setting goals, analyzing yourself and your situation, and writing a plan, you prepare to react effectively to unexpected events.



Overview Of The Planning Process


I will briefly describe the steps you should take, and future columns will tell you how to take each one.



• Set good goals

• Objectively analyze your assets and liabilities

• Write a plan for reaching your goals

• Monitor your progress and revise your plans



1. Set good goals: Many players either don't set goals or set ones that have little planning value. For example, "to become an expert" is too fuzzy. "Expert" is poorly defined, and you can't know how far you have to go to become one. "To be the best possible player" is worse, because you can't measure your progress toward such a vague and unattainable goal. "To win the World Series of Poker championship" is completely unrealistic for nearly everyone; it's a fantasy that hinders intelligent planning.



Your goals should be clear, realistic, and measurable, and they should include target dates. There are three main types of goals: results, skills, and personal traits. Results can be stated in two ways:



• To win a certain amount of money, such as, "to win $20,000 by Dec. 31, 2006."



• To achieve a certain win rate, such as, "to beat the $20-$40 game at the XYZ Casino for one big bet per hour by Dec. 31, 2006."



To achieve these results, you should develop many skills, such as card reading, bluffing, hand selection, and value betting. You also should develop certain personal traits, such as patience, discipline, and emotional control.



Because luck has so much effect on results, measuring them can be difficult, and it is even harder to assess skills and personal traits. Future columns will discuss these measurement problems.



2. Analyze your assets and liabilities: Assets and liabilities should be stated in comparison to your opponents. If you have more of a favorable quality (such as knowledge or discipline), you have a valuable asset. A liability is exactly the opposite: less of a good quality or more of a bad one (for example, a tendency to tilt).



Because you compare yourself to your opponents, your assets and liabilities change as you move upward. For example, you may read cards better than $5-$10 players, but not as well as the $20-$40 players. Card-reading skill would be an asset while playing $5-$10, but a liability when you move up.



3. Write a plan for reaching your goals: Let's use a trip to clarify the difference between a goal and a plan. Your goal is to drive from Las Vegas to Denver by 5 p.m. tomorrow. Your plan could be to leave right after work at 5 p.m., and drive north on Interstate 15 and then east on Interstate 70. To be sure of a hotel room, you would book one in Richfield, sleep there, and then drive again at 9 a.m.



This plan has a subgoal or milestone: sleeping in Richfield. Your development plan should also have milestones. For example, a subgoal may be to beat the $20-$40 game for one small bet per hour by June 30, 2006.



You then should determine which knowledge, skills, and other assets you need to reach your goal. Write plans to acquire them, such as reading certain books, taking lessons, and retaining a coach. These decisions should include target dates, such as "read The Theory of Poker by Dec. 15, 2005." If you just vaguely decide to read a book someday, you may never read it.



4. Monitor your progress and revise your plans: Don't set your goals and plans in concrete. Keep track of your progress and revise them as conditions change. In addition, just reading a book does not mean that you have mastered a subject. Ruthlessly evaluate yourself, and ask friends or professionals to comment on your evaluation.



You may find, for example, that you're making more progress than you expected. You could then set more ambitious goals. Conversely, you may realize that you are not ready to beat that $20-$40 game. You may then decide to move down or spend more time working on your skills.



The Benefits Of Planning

Planning lets you decide where you are going and how you will get there. You will increase your chances of reaching your goals and gain a sense of direction. Instead of drifting, you will have more control over your poker career.



Hopefully, this column convinced you to take planning seriously. Future columns will tell you how to perform these steps.

Dr. Schoonmaker ([email protected]) coaches only on psychology issues, such as controlling impulses, coping with losing streaks, going on tilt, and planning your poker career.