It’s a Hard Way to Make an Easy Living

It was a week I’d like to forget, but it is ingrained in my brain. An exceptionally fast action tourist had come to town and was shooting up the $40-80 limit hold’em games at the Bellagio. Straddling, capping and playing virtually every hand were all part of his repertoire. Chips were racing around the table. Hit a few hands and a month’s equity could be yours in a couple of hours. Conversely, run cold and you’ll have some serious making up to do when the live one leaves town. Me, I ran cold as ice and could only watch in horror as my chips went to Mr. Fast-Action or got dispersed around the table. I had my worst weekly loss of my poker life.

All poker players go through such downhill slides, though at the time it always seems like we are the recipients of the unluckiest poker run in history. Surviving the “test of time” requires much more than just knowing how to play. You also have to be able to consistently actualize good play through the trials and tribulations that poker will bestow upon you. Many bright, knowledgeable individuals can’t win at poker because they mentally and emotionally unravel when the cards crush them. Possessing the mental toughness to mentally manage yourself is an absolute requirement to survive poker’s test of time.

A few people get mentally tougher when faced with adversity. They recover from setbacks almost effortlessly without leaving much, if any, equity on the table. Conversely, if you lack mental toughness you’re guaranteed to spin out of control repeatedly. Players that lack mental toughness sometimes go into a downward spiral and suffer so deeply from frustration and lost confidence that the problems escalate and plummets them into a mental morass that they never recoup from. But if you develop mental toughness, you will have a significant psychological edge over your mentally weaker opponents.

I define “mental toughness” as the ability to maintain mental and emotional control over yourself when things are going badly. Stress affects your mind and clouds your decision making process, damaging not just in the play of hands, but also in decisions such as when to leave the game, your disposition to “go off” gambling in the pit or playing higher in order to get even. Some people are psychologically predispositioned to be “tilt cases” just as others are predispositioned to be solid.

These days, drugs can alleviate some of those predispositions, though I don’t recommend them unless you have serious psychological issues away from the table and consult your doctor. That said, through preparation, you can develop your mental toughness, lessen your mental volatility, and make yourself a better poker player.

Lifestyle choices and personal attitudes do much to determine your mental toughness. Keeping your mind and body in good shape through exercise, good sleep habits, good nutrition, limiting alcohol and drug use will help reduce stress, maintain a clear mind and make you less susceptible to “tilt.” Being competitive, but not so hyper-competitive that it stresses your mind will help you maintain a mindset that can stay focused through bad runs. Confidence in your poker abilities and comprehension of the mathematics of variance will help you greatly when bad cards are eroding your confidence. Understanding creates mental stability!

Setting standards of discipline can help. Fixing loss and playing time limits, then sticking to them, can help anyone who struggles with self-control. I try not to play when I don’t feel my best. But if you play for a living, that is not always possible. Being dependent on the income means you may have to play in imperfect situations. When I know I am in such situations I take a more conservative approach.

I don’t play if the game is tough, but step down to a smaller limit and softer lineup, I reduce my number of marginal plays, etcetera. You can limit the propensity to put yourself in such situations by over bankrolling yourself for the limits you are playing. Then, when things are not well in your life you can take long periods of time off. And it’s not just running bad that can throw your game off. Everybody has periods in their life that life’s stresses affect their performance, just look at the trials of Tiger Woods lately. Maintaining a stable life and, making it as devoid of performance-threatening circumstances as possible will improve your mental consistency and control.

How you’re running can make you feel or look good or bad. You need to be emotionally detached from the downswing and from how others perceive you other than how it affects their play. I find that constantly talking to myself, similar to the way a caddy would speak to a professional golfer helps me stay focused and mentally tough through the bad periods. Yeah, I know it appears a little nuts! I also understand I tend to play worse when things go badly; I accept that and don’t beat myself up over minor errors. That said, I’m also brutally realistic with myself when I analyze my hands in retrospect.

If I’m off base mentally, I don’t kid myself and justify my mistakes to myself. I also tend to take more breaks when things are not going well, often giving myself a good talking to. And I’m not always as nice to myself as the caddys are to their pro. I find that beating myself up over unacceptable mental errors makes me stronger mentally when I come back to the table. That said, it needs to be a controlled rage at myself, not one that tilts me.

Few players have the mental toughness required to survive the test of time. The ability to keep doing your best when it feels like everything is going wrong will set you miles apart from your competition. But it needs to be developed from within. You must cultivate this mental toughness if you want to lead a successful happy life as a poker player. Without it, even if you still win, poker will be a torturous mission. ♠

Roy Cooke played poker professionally for 16 years prior to becoming a successful Las Vegas Real Estate Broker/Salesman in 1989. Should you wish to any information about Real Estate matters-including purchase, sale or mortgage his office number is 702-396-6575 or Roy’s e-mail is [email protected]. His website is www.roycooke.com. You can also find him on Facebook.