The Importance Of Discipline At The Poker Table

It is true for every sport that discipline is a key factor in consistent success

. Despite the common understanding that poker is a gambling game of chance, you have to realize that if one day you are to become a profitable pro, you will have to establish sportsmanlike discipline of learning, understanding, and incessant practice. "Talent" is certainly essential, but even the greatest talent needs a method, and method is acquired from careful study.

In fact, there is no such thing as spontaneous talent: music did not "just made sense" to Mozart - where would he be if he hadn't spent his childhood practicing? One could say that talent is well-practiced potential. But don't wait for a freaky father to hit you with a rod over your fingers every time you play the wrong card; impose your own discipline.

The amateur plays for the thrill of risk and the adrenaline rush that comes from fighting against blind chance. Poker is kept alive by this rush. The pros leave nothing to chance, the pro knows what his basic odds are and takes full advantage of his opponents' errors, notes if there are familiar patterns, and calculates the risk. The serious professional player will not expect to enjoy himself at a friendly game of cards, this is his job. And his job is to take every cent he can from the other players gathered around the table having a casual game of poker to pass the time. The professional's strategy is to match his wits against chance and his opponent's methods and come out with a win.

Because of the many varieties of poker out there that are regularly played, you must learn them all. You must find the one that is best suited to your intuitions, likes and aptitudes. The one that engages you most fully and keeps you focused is the one to choose. Not having this self-imposed introspection, players find themselves plodding soddenly along in a game which is not turning on their best instincts. A professional will tell them to try another form of the game. They are probably amazed at what a talented performer they have become should they take the pros advice.

Know the difference between limit and no-limit poker, there is a big one. The player with discipline will not yield to temptation and will go for the game where he feels in control, steady and cool. In limit poker, players play with caution, remain calm, and skillfully and accurately obtain and remember information about the other players in order to overcome them with small moves. This disciplined player will play only the hands he deems to be winning, this may be only about 20% of the hands that are dealt.

A disciplined no-limit professional will evince the opposite of reserve, will be aggressive before the flop, and will play hands that to the limit expert would seem reckless stunts, always knowing, however, what precisely he is trying to achieve by every aggressive move.

In both cases, no less important than the right move is the ability to restrain oneself and quit when the situation is hopeless or when you feel you are loosing control: it happens to everyone, but the disciplined player dedicated to consistent performance will not pursue the phantom of mounting frustration.

When the pro comes back to the table and has a better day, he never trusts that his good fortune will go on ad infinitum. He has learned his lesson to abandon ship before he loses his edge, and knows to limit his gains as well as his losses.

by: Thomas Kearns

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