Mind Over Poker

Longtime readers know that I tend to obtain poker inspiration from numerous and varied sources. So, it should come as no surprise that my latest inspiration comes from a fortune cookie. Recently, I opened one up that read: “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.”

At first, I was mildly disappointed; however, then I gave it a lot of thought. I initially was thinking that this was too simple an analogy for poker. Yes, any donkey can play well when he’s getting cards and running hot. What separates the winners from the donors is the ability to play well when things aren’t going your way. That’s fairly obvious.

As we dig deeper, though, there is a lot that isn’t so obvious. First, the above is obvious only to those who choose to recognize it. There are plenty of players who at some level still attribute a good run of cards to their own skill. That is, they are quick to take credit for good luck and disavow all blame for bad luck. That’s a dangerous combination, and not at all conducive to learning to win. You have to be objective about your play whether the sea is calm or rough that day.

Even if we have this recognition, I think the real takeaway here is that we all are predisposed to avoiding rough seas. It’s a basic survival skill. Unfortunately, it’s a lot more complicated than that when it comes to poker. On one hand, we have to know when we are in trouble, and cut our losses and get out of the hand. Folding is certainly one way to get out of rough seas. However, since the whole game of poker is about forcing your opponents to make critical decisions, you are not going to have a lot of success if you always fold to any pressure.

So, how do you know when to fold and when to weather the storm? There is no easy answer. It takes experience. A skilled sailor does not become one overnight. He weathers his fair share of storms before conquering them. The only way to get that experience is to dip your toe into some of those rough seas and play it out. Don’t go crazy, but if you’re the type who folds at the first ripple in the water, re-evaluate. Force yourself to play some of those turbulent hands. Experiment until you become a skilled poker player. Soon, you’ll find yourself knowing which rough seas are monsters and which are mirages.

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