Posted by Johnnymac 11:00 PM
What it takes
The Girlfriend is out of town taking the bar exam this week so I took the rare opportunity of playing in the Tuesday 5-10 at the FSC. It was a good night. During the game I got to thinking tonight about what I've learned in the four years since I started playing "real poker". I don't think this list is inclusive, but I think it's a pretty good start on listing some of the intangible skills that are necessary to become a better player.

1.) Knowing when you're beat.
This is fairly simple, but it's very important. Tonight I flopped a set of Jacks and folded quickly once I realized that another player had flopped the broadway straight. Two other players called her to the end - one with bottom pair and another with 2 pair. This is a very important concept and can be taken to its logical conclusion: ranking starting hands and learning when to even get involved at all.

2.) Folding a winner and not caring.
You'll often see guys fold and then curse or slam their hands on the table when the next card brings that gut shot straight or little flush that would have won the pot. Once the decision is made - and you know it was the right decision - you have to dissociate yourself from everything else than comes afterward or you will end up talking yourself into making a the wrong decision the next time.

3.) Evaluating every decision on its own merit.
The best example of this is folding against a raise that comes after you've already called a bet. If you're getting the right odds for your hand, then call the incremental raise, but if you're not getting the right odds the money you've already put in doesn't matter anymore. This lesson leads to the next lesson:

4.) Simply calling is the fastest way to lose money.
Sometimes calling is the right decision, but more often the proper decision is to either raise, reraise, or give up and fold. Many players automatically call - or "limp" before the flop - simply out of habit and not because it's the right decision to make at the time. Losing money is not something that just automatically happens when you sit down at the poker table - after the blinds and antes are paid, the only way anyone ever loses money at poker is to voluntarily give it up. Don't put money in the pot unless you know it's likely to come back!

5.) Keeping track of the players you know and observing the players you don't know.
Playing "by the book" is never a bad idea, but sometimes the "book" is too black and white. Keeping track of who's in the pot can sometimes be the determining factor in making a decision and taking action.

6.) It's not about winning a lot of pots.
Winning players, true winning players, don't win a lot of pots - they maximize their earnings from a few pots and minimize their losses on all the others, including, again, not getting involved in circumstances where they are likely to lose, especially before the flop.

I'm sure there are more specific points, but perhaps the best way to sum this stuff up is just to say that it really all boils discipline and patience.

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