subject: Learning To Play Within Yourself [print this page] Playing from within is an idea that encompasses a number of concepts. When playing you must stay focused and play in the moment. You must create a bankroll management plan that keeps you playing at the games you are able to beat. You must observe your opponents and yourself constantly looking for weaknesses in your opponents' game and your own game. You must be willing to adjust to changing circumstances. You must know when to get up from the table. Learning to master these skills will lead to profitable poker earnings.
Staying in the Moment
Poker, much like life, is lived in the moment. The game is played hand by hand, moving in an inexorable line from past to future but existing only in the moment of play. That moment requires your full concentration. It is useless, in fact it is unprofitable, to dwell on the bad beat, the stupid player that hit the miracle out on the river to beat your strong hand, the critic at the table trying to throw you off your game. Poker is a game of deception and courage played in the now.
This is not to say that experience is not gained from past play. Of course it is. Learning from your mistakes and the mistakes of others is a tool used to play in the moment of play. What I am arguing is that you must develop the courage to let irritations go and focus on your current play. The only one suffering when you go on tilt is you. In fact, your being on tilt will cause your stack to shrink and your opponents' stacks to grow by adding your chips to theirs. Playing in the moment, one hand at a time, one street at a time, one bet at a time, without regard for those things that cause you grief brings about a smooth, steady demeanor that will profit you in the long run.
Managing your Bankroll
In order to play winning poker one must start with a chunk of money. It really matters little how much your bankroll is at the start. What does matter is that you manage that money so that your bankroll increases over time. I have learned some simple bankroll management tools that have helped me play profitable poker over time.
No matter the size of my bankroll, I never invest more than 5% of that stake in a cash game buy-in and no more than 3% in a tournament buy-in. Let's say my bankroll is just $100. That means that I can afford a $5 buy-in for a cash game and a $3 tournament buy-in including tournament fees. Anything beyond that and I strain my bankroll. This means that online I am likely to play in a five-cent or ten-cent no limit cash game or buy into a $2 sit and go tournament where 30% of the field is paid.
When I build my bankroll to, say, $200 I can afford larger buy-ins. But I keep a constant watch on the size of my bankroll so that when it dips, and it will, I adjust my buy-in maximums and, most likely, step down a level to a game I know I can beat to build my stake up again.
I also set bankroll goals. I will not withdraw money from my bankroll except to play poker if the bankroll falls below a specific amount. In the beginning my goal was to build to $5000 before I withdrew money for living. That number is higher now but whatever the number is it is a rock-solid foundation. I will not violate that number, rather I will adjust my playing limits to build back if I slip below my foundational goal.
Observe and Adjust
I have written extensively about learning to observe and adjust at the poker table. Suffice it to say that when playing your full concentration is not optional. This doesn't mean that you must sit like a rock, silent and still. It means that you must fully participate in the game. I like to be friendly at the poker table when I am playing in a live poker room. There is absolutely no sense in being otherwise. When you are friendly people want to play with you and when people play it means profits over time. But being friendly does not mean that I stop concentrating on my opponents' game. To the contrary, I am constantly making mental notes as to how so-and-so is playing and adjust my game to play at his weaknesses.
Knowing when to Quit
In that Kenny Rogers song, The Gambler, he sings about knowing when to hold em and when to fold em and learning when to walk away. He also advises to not count your money while at the table and on this count he is absolutely wrong. But the other advice is sound, especially the part about walking away.
I adopted a tool from stock trading, the stop-loss, when I am playing at in a cash game. I will never, ever, buy more chips if I go broke at a cash game. If, for whatever reason, I am easy money at a table I will simply get up and do something else. That is my stop-loss feature. By the same token, if I am winning I never get up from the table. When I am winning, however, I have a different stop-loss trigger. If I have doubled my buy-in and I then begin to lose, I leave the table when I drop below 20% of my highest chip count. Say my buy-in was $100 and I won an additional $100 so that my stack is now $200. If my stack falls to $160 I will get up and cash out. It is a simple stop-loss tool that works well for me.
Bringing it Together
Learning to play from within is a path to poker profits. It keeps you focused on the now so that you are able to play free from otherwise unprofitable distractions. It requires total commitment to the game. It sets some basic rules for measuring profits, controlling investment, and building a growing bankroll. Finally, it provides tools for controlled play by limiting your session losses and not constraining your session gains.
