Mind Over Poker

I’m not a big proponent of making New Year’s resolutions, since self-improvement should be a consistent and ongoing process. However, since it is a new year, I thought I’d take the time to offer a tip on self-reflection. Think about your typical conversation with a poker buddy after a tournament or cash-game session. What percentage of that conversation is spent discussing the play of others?

First, think about comments that your friends make. Do they complain and criticize the play of others? Or, do they take the time to ask about their own play and what, if anything, they could have done differently? Now, think about the conversations from your end. Do you question and probe for answers about your own play? Or, are you more concerned with talking about the play of others? Be honest with yourself.

There is certainly nothing wrong with critiquing the play of others. That can be a very constructive exercise for learning and helping your own game. However, if the point of the exercise is solely to criticize as a way of explaining your own demise, you are losing plenty of opportunities to improve.

All self-improvement must begin from within. The play of others is important only in relation to how you will use that information to improve your own play. Criticizing others solely to make yourself feel better about your own play is pointless and a colossal waste of energy — energy that could be used for self-improvement. There are no correct answers to the questions posed above.
However, if you are looking to improve your game, your post-session conversations should be focused primarily on your own play. To the extent that you discuss the play of others, it should be about what you can learn from, or how you can exploit, that play.

If you are looking for a New Year’s resolution to improve your game, concentrate on what you are doing wrong as opposed to criticizing the play of others. Focus on improving rather than placing blame. I will leave you with a quote from the Dalai Lama, who can articulate this concept much better than I: “To be aware of a single shortcoming within oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in somebody else.”

David Apostolico is the author of Tournament Poker and The Art of War, and Compete, Play, Win: Finding Your Best Competitive Self. You can contact him at [email protected].