The Theory behind Winning Poker: Part 1
Keeping Your Emotions in Check
“The strong point in poker is never to lose your temper, either with those you are playing with or, more particularly, with the cards. There is no sympathy in poker. Always keep cool. If you lose your head you will lose all your chips”. William J. Florence
That is probably the most important and also the most difficult thing you will ever learn about playing poker. You will of course forget this and blame bad hands, poor luck, fish, dead beats, bent casinos, robots, the seat your in, the dog and your loved ones as you see your stack and your bank roll disappear right before your very eyes.
Even the best poker players have had to learn how to curb their emotions and keep a lid on anger. Anger uncontrolled will have you making ridiculous re-raises when you know you should fold. It’s called Tilt and your fellow opponents can smell it and will rip you apart like Piranhas munching on Kelly Brook’s butt.
When you are at the poker table, in the real world or online, emotions are your enemy and anger is by far the most destructive. So you must learn how to keep a lid on it, how to take it on the chin when your quad aces is beaten by a royal flush. In many ways that scenario can be relatively easy to deal with, frustrating yes, but not enough to enter into tilt. Most experienced players lose it when they are beaten by bad players making bad calls and still winning the hand.
It is inevitable that bad players with bad cards win big pots, they are destined to lose and they will, but not before annoying a lot of very good players.
Examples of bad poker that will make your blood boil:
- Check raising with 2 – 7
- Taking an age before posting a blind
- Constantly chatting drivel
So how do you keep your cool?
Anger robs you of sense, it destroys focus and overrides clear thinking and good sense. Hours of patient poker can be ruined in a few seconds and it’s nobody’s fault but yours. You may have heard lots of advice about controlling your breathing, counting to ten and other well worn techniques which are all great. But! by the time you realize you need to use those techniques you are already angry.
Learn to spot when you begin to get angry, what triggers the negative brain flow, and deal with it using rational thought processes. Only you can play your hand, only you have the choice to fold, check, raise or re-raise depending on the cards in front of you (as well as other factors which are beyond the scope of this article).
After the game it’s time to let of steam. You must make time to get away from the confines of the poker room, do some exercise, clear your mind.
Whatever your opponents do, play your own game, your own way and you will be building the strong foundations that every successful long term poker player needs.