Psychology in Poker
While playing solid starting hands and understanding basic poker mathematics will help you win money at the tables – psychological factors are critical to your long-term poker success. Here we will look at some of the core poker psychology subjects to ensure that you get off to a winning start. These are time management and concentration, tilt and dealing with the variance inherent in the game.
In order to win at poker you will need to make a long series of ‘good' decisions while playing at the tables. One bad decision can easily wipe out the profits you have made from several hours of solid play. This means it is very important to play poker when you are feeling fresh and alert, to ensure you have as few distractions as possible and to take regular breaks away from the tables. This is actually very easy to manage – however many players will neglect these important factors.
Simple measures such as switching off the TV, not browsing the internet and not chatting on your instant messenger can improve the quality of your decisions. Poker and drinking are a terrible combination as are playing while tired, unwell or even when frustrated by some issue outside of poker. Before you sit down for a poker session ask yourself the question ‘Are the conditions right for me to make a series of good decisions?', the answer will tell you whether it is appropriate to play.
Tilt refers to anger or frustration after suffering a ‘bad beat' at the tables. This can lead to a series of bad poker decisions that vary from player to player. Some players will start raising trash hands in an attempt to hit a monster hand and ‘get even' with the opponent who got lucky against them. Others will start to play passively, imagining that their aces will be beaten anyway – so why bother raising? Still other players will move up levels, risking their entire bankroll in an attempt to get even fast. When playing with free poker money it is very important that you treat it as your own money since knowing that you are not playing with your own deposit can seriously affect your decisions in the game which can easily lead to going on tilt and loosing all of your free poker bankroll.
Tilt is the single most dangerous poker psychology concept and most players will suffer from this at one time or another. The key factor is to be aware when tilt starts to affect you – and to take a break immediately! Again, winning poker involves making a series of good decisions at the table. Returning to play only when you are calm and capable of playing well could save your entire poker bankroll.
The final psychology aspect of poker that beginning players need to be aware of is how to cope with a downswing. It is a fact of poker life that, however well you play, at some point you will take a series of losses that will shrink your bankroll. This can lead many players to start questioning their abilities, and can also lead to ‘passive' or weak play as confidence is diminished.
Dealing with variance starts with awareness that this is a natural part of the game. As long as you are making good decisions with a positive expectation then you will win over time. Short term downswings can then be put down to the natural ebb and flow of the cards. Bankroll management can also help with this aspect of play – if you ensure that you only play with a small percentage of your bankroll at any one time then swings are less likely to impact you. |
