I decided that I want to get more hands in per month. These past couple months have been really skimpy, I log for the whole month like I logged a week in the summer. So whenever I have any free time, I'll try to get hands in.
I really like the style of my game these days, I am capable of anything you can think of as a play but I do so in profitable ways. Also I'm really focusing on more table selection these days, I'm going to rid the whole "highest pot/Player % seen flop" table selection. I don't think that was best. Currently, I'm not typically afraid of playing tough regulars. I'm sure in a long run, even against the best of them, I will not be that big of an underdog. The point is that I don't need to prove anything to them and I know my own abilities and limitations, I'll leave my ego at the door. Also with the limited of time I can play these days, it's best to try to grab the highest expectation.
Anyways, there's something that I've been working on. These days, I've been just sick of hearing people being on downswings and what not. I mean I don't get mad hearing that stuff or anything. It just affects me negatively when I am not playing and I think too much about the possibility of that happening to me in the near future. I don't know how many times I say that I don't believe in "downswings"(though I use the term), it's just part of the game. There is no winning or losing in this game, there is just the aspect of making right or wrong decisions. And even that is not so straightforward, as being right doesn't mean the result is good or being wrong means the result is bad.
That's why this game is such a mental/emotional game. You cannot "win" unless you can master yourself. And my journey has always been to try to master myself. If someone ask me how much percentage of the game is "inner", I would say at least 60%. But anyways, this is what I came up with these days that will hopefully help me(so far so good!).
Here's the thought process:
"The money that I made so far that's currently in my BR is not mine. Actually, it's not anybody's and actually it is everybody's. As long as it is in my BR, the money there is not in my possession. It will come and go as I play more hands. I have no control over the outcome of the cards, but I hope to be winning at the end. If I lose my BR, I did not lose anything because it was never mine. Again, all I can do is make best decisions and make profitable plays. I have the power to take the money in my BR to become mine by withdrawing any time. If I choose to keep playing and earn more with my investment, then I need to accept that what I keep in my BR is never mine. I can think of my BR as a different entity that is part of my investment and by investing, I have to accept that it can come and go. But in the end, I know that if it is all gone, I never gain or lose money because it was never mine."
It's a pretty different concept, and I like it. It really isn't "faking" my mind to not care, because I honestly think the above is true. It's just a different way of thinking of your BR. I like it so far. Maybe it'll help someone out there. But I blog this because it's important for myself and it helps me.
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5 comments:
This is an excellent post and addresses some very important points (downswings, the inner control of the game).
Interesting points, especially the end.
Few questions:
1. Were you always this emotionally stable at the tables? I feel that I'm average in this department, which has recently lead to poor decisions/results. If you weren't, were there specific exercises, aside from writing/reflecting on your blog, which helped to get you there?
2. If you don't mind me asking, when do you cash out? Ever?
mark:
1. I have to admit I'm pretty emotionally stable at the table. I feel it's one of my biggest edge. There will be times that I get "buzzed" to tilt but it usually doesn't stay(because I logically identify it the instant it occurs) or if it gets too bad, I leave the game for a while. This doesn't happen very often at all these days because that's just a sign of being result oriented or allowing other people's plays affect your judgement.
No, I don't have any exercises that I do. But I feel your emotions are based on how you think about the game in general. If you think losing X dollars sucks in a session, you are already on the road to being result oriented. Imo, that mentality leads emotional instability which leads not playing your A game. Of course, it sucks to lose money but the fact is that it happens and it'll continue to happen until you stop playing forever. You can't control that you'll lose due to variance, so why let your emotions get the best of you? The only hope is that you're a winning player so you'll be in the green in a long run. I just personally think that I want to leave my emotions out when I play because it affects me negatively. I'm sure this is the case with 99% of the poker players out there too.
2. I cashed out a couple times in the past couple months but I definitely do not cash out as much as some people do. I'm trying to build my BR up to reach my goals.
Neb -- much thanks; good insight for me, I think it's a big area where I can improve.
I claim to have very good emotional control and I also believe I do.
I think your approach is good, but imo you are effectively lying to yourself by saying the money isn't yours. Ofcourse it is, but you decided to invest it into something with a positive return. So basically it's down to dealing with the process of how your money is positively returned.
Aknowledging that money in poker is made off of making the best plays in the long run is key to having a successful mindset for poker.
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