It's Tough to Quit When You're Losing, but Sometimes You Must

Hi. Come on in. I picked up an Italian Supreme calzone stuffed with mushrooms, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, ham, salami, sauce, and cheese. Here's your bib. Eat heartily while we explore winning thoughts involving our beloved game of poker.

Oftentimes you'll see good players become bad players right before your eyes. Sometimes the best player at the table one day might become among the worst players the next day – or the next hour. A player might take a few losses and get his nose open; he starts steaming. He begins playing long shots, trying to get even. He's lost.

Good players giving up their discipline have blown off a lot of money. When you see it happening, you have an opportunity to add to your bankroll. When you see it happening to you, save your bankroll. Leave – rapidly! It's almost impossible to win consistently without discipline. When people ask me for the "secrets" of consistent winning poker, I always include the word "discipline."

Discipline. What is it? Is it important to a poker player? How can you get it? I can answer two of those questions. Let's move on and discover which two. (Curious, aren't you?)

I'll define discipline for our purpose here as doing what you know should be done – and not doing what you know should not be done. It's probably that second part that gets most poker players in trouble.

Knowing what to do while playing poker isn't enough. What's important is doing it! If you're losing money in a game populated with tough, solid players – a game in which you stand little chance of recouping your losses – you must have the discipline to quit that game a loser. Or, if you're stuck any appreciable amount of money in any kind of game and you pick up a mediocre hand you wouldn't play if you were ahead or even, your better judgment will tell you not to play that hand. If you are exercising self-discipline, the hand won't be played. Discipline will decide how well you play.

If you are a solid, skillful player, but today you give up your discipline and play like a sucker, then today you are a sucker. It doesn't matter if you're a world-class player. If you start consistently playing bad hands, you're a bad player. As I stress to my poker students – it doesn't matter how well you can play; what matters is how well you do play.

Discipline. It is of the utmost importance if you want to win consistently, at any level. A world-class player once told me, "I force myself to maintain my discipline because I realize that if I don't, I could be back on the street tomorrow." On the street – that's poker talk for being out of action. Whatever you call it, being broke is no fun – none whatsoever. And the way a poker player gets there most often is by giving up his discipline.

When you're doing something that's wrong, even though you know it's wrong, you've lost your discipline. Usually you tell yourself that you'll do it just this one time and then you'll start playing solidly again. You've given up your discipline. It can happen in a hundred different ways – and they'll all cost you money.

I told you I could answer two of the three questions, and I have. You know what discipline is. You know it's important to a poker player. "How can I get it?" OK, I'll take a shot at that, too. The more you exercise your discipline, the easier it becomes to exercise it the next time. If you think about discipline before entering a game, it becomes easier to call upon it during the game. If you go broke enough times, your desire to exercise your discipline will increase – and your conscious desire is a major factor. But why wait to go broke? Start now (yes, now).

No leftovers. Good calzone. Next time I think I'll get a calzone and a stromboli. Don't mention this to my doctor – or my sister. They both want me to lose weight. For right now, I'm losing sleep. Kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Call 1-800-548-6177, Ext. 03.