As I write this, it's a pretty exciting time for me. I'm right in the thick of the
World Series of Poker player of the year race, and I've been playing poker pretty much every day for about a month now and am still enjoying myself. Part of that is because when you're running well and playing well, poker is much more enjoyable, but part of it is also because I take a lot of precautions while I'm in Vegas to try to keep life as "normal" as I possibly can.
I've been asked a lot lately if I'm getting tired or sick of poker, or if it's starting to feel like a grind yet. The truth is, it really hasn't. For me, the key is all in attitude and approach. My family and I rented a house in Las Vegas for the
World Series, and having a place to call "home" the entire time, as well as getting to come home every night to my wife and kids, has been instrumental in helping me to stay on top of my game.
The other main key is that I've become really good at not being results-oriented. Obviously, I want and enjoy positive tournament results, but as long as I think I played my best, I'm pretty happy with myself regardless of the result. I'm at a point where I can easily handle going out on a bad beat or getting a cold deck; what I can't handle is making mistakes and then busting out because of them.
I believe that I've been playing some of my best poker the last four weeks or so, and I have a few more weeks to go. I've been fortunate enough to have two final tables and five cashes to show for it so far, in a variety of games.
So, what's the point? I usually try to keep my columns pretty focused and hope that you can take something away from them. The point is that in order to produce consistent results in poker (or in anything, really), you have to establish a good routine and try to stay on top of your game no matter what the results. You have to learn to control the things that you can control and let everything else go. Ignore the bad beats or the times that you bubble just outside of the money, and focus on what you can control, your attitude and your game.
I see so many people at the
World Series beating themselves up or carrying around a negative attitude. I'm not really a person who believes in luck, good or bad, but I do believe that people who surround themselves with negativity have a tendency to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. In contrast, I believe those of us who think positively and believe that good things will happen to us tend to do better. My (unscientific) belief is that those who constantly think negatively are afraid to push the very small edges that add up over time in poker, while those of us who think positively push the envelope every time, knowing that it's the right thing to do and trusting that we'll be rewarded for it.
So, the next time that you find yourself on the sidelines in a tournament, be it the
World Series of Poker or your $20 home game, instead of dwelling on the bad beat or unfortunate event that took you out, ask yourself if you did everything you could do to play your absolute best. If you can answer yes, over time you will be a winner and there is nothing to be upset about. If your answer is no, you should easily be able to put together a plan to fix whatever leaks you have and do better next time.
Eric "Rizen" Lynch is a professional poker player who is well-known for his impressive online results. Read Eric's analysis on his blog (rizenpoker.blogspot.com), and check out his instructional videos, available at PokerXFactor.com.
