Checkups Always Have Been Optional!

Over the years, successful players have conscientiously utilized “self-examination” as a tool to improve their game. However, over the last several years the game has exploded (over 75 million players), and has evolved to the point where players actively seek out professional advice and counsel to determine if their game has noticeable leaks, whether their play has become predictable, and whether they are suffering more defeats or seeing smaller sized wins at the table as a result.

A case in point is Tiger Woods. In spite of having won eight major championships (now nine), and having his life consumed with all the distractions that go with success (work with all of the companies that he represents commercially, work with his foundation, continuous and unrelenting media and public scrutiny and pressure, an ailing father, and a marriage), he sought to re-invent himself, modernize his “game.” This action was self-initiated so he could better compete with the emerging technology and the re-dedication to the game from his opponents. He realized that his competition was catching up and threatening to pass him by, so he had to equip himself physically, mentally and technologically, hence his self-examination and modification of this game.

So let’s talk about what you can do to determine whether or not you need to have a follow-up visit with someone who is able to identify your weaknesses (thus overcoming any unintentional self-inflicted occupational blindness), to point out some specific areas to improve your game. Or, you could do an updated version of self-examination. Eliminating costly mistakes to enable you to play razor sharp poker is a prescription to revitalize your game, resulting in bigger and more frequent wins, as well as less costly and more infrequent losses.

Whether you are sitting at a table online or live, your actions do project an image that can and will determine how your opponents view you, and how they will “play” against you. Ranging from the subtlest of actions, to your betting regimen, and all the way to an occasional emotional outburst, all influence the way others categorize your self-control and style. So let’s take a look at what mental factors and characteristics lead to creating that “right” table image.

Discipline and Patience are the co-stars of this performance. By consistently demonstrating both, your opponents will soon respect your play and you in turn earn some “added” benefits from their awareness, and in some cases “warranted over-respect” that they’ll unwittingly display when in a pot with you.

The speed of online poker has drastically influenced Patience and Discipline more than anyone has yet to quantify. With poker software able to deal an average of 70-80 hands per hour, this far exceeds the amount of hands dealt in a live game (although with the new automated deck shufflers in some casinos, the live table number of hands per hour has increased). All you have to do online is wait about a minute and you have two new hole cards, so you can be more selective in anticipation of picking up a very playable hand in a very short amount of time. When players are exposed playing marginal hands they are constantly affecting their table image. However, on occasion you will see a very savvy player show some less than stellar cards, in an effort to throw their opponents off (even if briefly for that session), in hopes of setting up a call later on when they have a monster hand. Are you over looking any aspect here?

So, the question you should be asking yourself is, how does my discipline and patience (coupled together), help create my table image? And what do I have to do to ensure I capitalize on my control over these two factors when playing poker? Discipline is the ability to keep your emotions in check, to “respond,” not “react” throughout your entire session. It’s having the mental toughness not to go on tilt when after leading at the pot the entire way and you are rivered by someone who you think had no business in the hand. It’s being able to remain calm, sticking to your game plan when a maniac arrives at your table, but allowing for adjustments in your plan as new table situations present themselves. Its colleague, Patience, is equally as deserving of top billing, but it requires you to have inner “self control.” You will find yourself waiting and waiting for the right cards and situation to which you will act on, and having the patience to wait and the discipline to stay the course (playing your style of poker), is what (should) be noticed by your opponents.

The ability to play “winning poker,” is maintaining a level of excellence that allows you to make strategic moves, at the right time, for the right reasons. It’s because you have patience and discipline that you are able to maintain the utmost confidence in your game, and ability to use the knowledge and experience you obtained as you become even a more seasoned player.

Having a good mental frame of mind is but one key in your attempt to play wining poker and to complement your state of mind, you must be physically fit to play poker. Like running a marathon, playing winning poker requires mental stamina, the ability to focus and stay extremely sharp (observant), and the ability to prevent fatigue during long sessions or lengthy tournaments. Poker players will readily tell you that they usually cannot sustain top performance if they become tired, ill, distracted, or mentally spent. Therefore it is in your best interest to eat right, get enough sleep, exercise regularly and keep yourself as fit as you can be for enduring the hours confined to a single, usually uncomfortable chair.

The last part of your checkup should be in the technological arena. With the onset of the computer era came lots of ways to gather and absorb the abundant amounts of information that provide you with insight and techniques used by your opponents, or against them. DVD’s, CD’s, poker software (Poker Tracker, Stat-King, Turbo Texas Hold em’), are but a few innovative resources available to fine-tune your game. You can play these while on-line, in your car, or periodically when you want to do an analysis of your game results. These technological tools are invaluable assets and should be referred to and utilized to the max.

Schedule yourself for a periodic examination, or contact a professional who can assist you in your efforts to remain at the top of your game. The one thing you can’t afford to be is a soft target, so to stay on top and be very diligent in your efforts to remain bullet proof.