Mind Over Poker

I was talking strategy with a friend the other day, and he made a rather simple but profound statement. He said, “Poker is about doing what you’re uncomfortable doing.” The more I thought about that statement, the more convinced I became about what a universal truth it is. In fact, I think you can get more out of that statement than you can from reading a lot of books. Of course, there are plenty of good books out there that offer lots of valuable strategic and situational advice. However, concentrating on playing outside your comfort zone will apply to every poker hand that you play.

More specifically, it will apply to every pot that you enter. Unless you have the nuts, you are going to experience some level of discomfort. The degree of discomfort will vary greatly from hand to hand, but how you deal with it will go a long way in determining whether you are a winning or losing player in the long run. Take a moment now to reflect on your play, and be brutally honest. How do you feel when you face resistance? Let’s say that you raise preflop with A-J when it is folded to you in late position. The button calls. The flop comes 10-8-2. You make a continuation-bet and get smooth-called by the button. Do you automatically give up on the hand if the turn is a blank? That may be the right move, but if you consistently do that, you will be leaving a lot of money on the table, because your opponents will learn quickly to exploit your distaste for uncomfortable situations.

Think of those situations that make you the most uncomfortable. Do you fight through them or give up? How often are you in those situations? Will you fire one, two, or three bullets at a pot if need be? Let’s change gears now. How often do you undervalue winning hands? Are you tentative about valuing-bet? Do you check it down on the river, hoping your hand holds up? Value-betting with the winning but not real strong hand may require acting out of your comfort zone. If you value-bet only the nuts or close to it, you’ll leave a lot of chips on the table.

The beauty of learning to play with a fair amount of discomfort is that it will provide you with a double advantage. First, it will get you to make more profitable decisions in the long run. Next, it will increase the level of discomfort for your opponents and make it harder for them to make correct decisions. Poker isn’t easy. If you have real problems with acting out of your comfort zone, it’s not the game for you. However, if you can learn to overcome it, you’ll find your winnings increasing greatly. It won’t happen overnight, but you can change. The next time you play, force yourself to do one or two things that are truly out of your comfort zone. Once you see that the world doesn’t end from doing so, it will give you the confidence to build on.

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