Table Talk....Fearing Poker

O' the sweet sound of a freshly cracked box of Bicycle playing cards with the newly painted kings and queens. The intermingling sounds of butterflies flapping inside the catacombs of our stomachs aching for competition and chips being stacked hastily. The thoughts we have are only those of optimism as we forget the times past where we were ill with mistakes and suck outs. We look forward to those aces and kings and throw aside what we said we would never do again.

We all have our own way of playing poker, no matter the game. But there are strategies out there that might help everyone make better plays. Some of these so called strategies refer to mathematical references involving formulas and odds that are just overwhelming to some of us. I believe The Manalyst will be able to give everyone a simplified explanation of possible plays we can make that work if used correctly.

We could start with something that I've noticed over the years that seems to be the crutch of my ups and downs. I am not consistent by any means. My goal in every game is to play consistent in areas such as not letting checks go around the table especially when I am on the button. And also areas where I play loose when I get a good buzz going, or when I shouldn't play as tight when I have a good or bad chip count and get scared out of a pot too easily.

Here is some of an article from PokerNews.com that deals with the harsh realization of how weak our minds actually are:

"Know this: If you are afraid to lose, you will not, in the long run, win. You will lose more slowly than you would without any skills, perhaps. You will end sessions earlier and perhaps protect small wins more often. But overall you will be a loser because you will not be able to take advantage of optimal strategy and optimal situations that you will shy away from out of fear."

Another helpful hint the article suggests is play with unstacked chips which goes against all of my better judgement due to the effect it has on the speed of the game. My father plays this way and it takes much more time than needed to gather the amount of chips in mind for a play or call. But hey, if it helps with tight play.

"Play with a very messy stack. Just leave yourself a mound of chips – no nice, even stacks. This will make counting your chips very difficult. Re-buy regularly, so you really won't know without thinking about it whether you are up or down for the session."

If you're not worried about a slightly dwindling stack, you won't force yourself to tighten up. And we must also stay focused in every hand that we decide to play. Thats it. We must train ourselves to be consistent and to push around others at the right time and not be pushed around at the wrong times. Something you might try is bring a note with you with your special little reminders or write something on your thumb since you will most likely look at it during the entire game.

Look forward to more experiences, tips and strategies for poker play.