It Doesn't Matter How Well You Can Play, What Matters is How Well You Do Play

Hi. Come on in. I've cooked up a batch of mulligan stew. You've probably never had any. No one has made it since the end of the Great Depression of the 1930s. You never asked what was in it – you just ate it and were glad to get it. Dig in.



Here's a question from the dark corner of a recent poker student's mind. (Brace yourself, it's a long question.) "We know that good players will beat bad players in the long run. However, if 10 players of the same skill level play together eight hours a day, five days a week, for a year – who is going to be ahead at the end of that time?" That's an easy one, but most players won't like the answer.



The winner, or winners, will be those who maintain their discipline. Many players tune out upon encountering that word "discipline." I'm glad you're not among them, even though you might not think that this is the most exciting part of the game. If you stay with me, I know that you'll change your mind when you understand how this will work for you, and how it can make you a consistent winner, assuming that you have the skill to which you can apply your discipline. Then, you'll develop both to the fullest.



Watch the successful players, not necessarily the "name" players, but the players from your own game who just quietly take consistent, moderate wins, day in and day out. These players realize that discipline is the heart and soul of winning poker.



You'll see that they don't chase. They sometimes will give the illusion of chasing and gambling, but it's mostly an illusion. Successful, winning poker players do not chase. Players who constantly chase and gamble go broke. They are what keeps the game of poker alive. They bring the money to the game. The disciplined players take the money from the game. True, you'll sometimes see players who chase and gamble make money – for a while, as long as their luck lasts. But when that goes, so goes their chips. And so they go – back to work to get more money to play again next week.



I'm not talking about playing tight. I'm advocating playing selectively and aggressively – with discipline. Not chasing and not gambling require discipline. Go for it.



Change of subject: One of Roy's Rules states, "The World is Neutral – it is neither for you nor against you." The poker gods do not conspire against you to send you home broke. The same goes for chips and cards and money; all are neutral.



Chips are neutral. Cards are neutral; none are good or bad, they are just cards. Money is neutral; it's just little pieces of paper or metal. It is only the emotional investment that we place on these things that determines their value to us. Detach yourself emotionally from them. Don't let your state of mind be determined by their presence, or lack thereof.



If you lose a big hand, the sun will come up tomorrow (I promise). If you let a loss or two determine your state of mind, you most likely will not stay on top of your best game, and might still be sitting there trying to get even when the sun that I promised does appear.



By reminding yourself of all of this neutrality, and that you are still playing your best game, you usually will do just that. With a calm mind, you will be able to stay in command of your thought processes.



Poker neutrality also extends to the dealer. There is a poker saying that goes something like this: "The dealer doesn't write your mail, he just delivers it. After that, it's up to you."



I think I've mentioned before that a player who gets angry at the dealer is attempting to make him feel guilty. He won't. He has dealt thousands of hands more than you have ever played. Each hand had several losers. He's not concerned. He's thinking,



"Push the pot and deal the next hand, and in a few hours I'll be out of here."



The only thing that I can think of that is not neutral is your opponents. They definitely are conspiring to send you home broke.

But that non-neutrality can be overcome by studying and learning the game, and outplaying your opponents.



Think like Switzerland – stay neutral. It's worth money to you. (You're welcome.)



Good mulligan stew, huh? You can tell your friends you've eaten a "Depression basic." Take a baggie of it for your breakfast. I now tire and require repose. Kill the light on your way out.

Roy West, best-selling poker author, continues giving his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas for tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome.