Tilt

Being Honest with Your Poker Self

Here's the thing' poker is probably one-third skill, one-third luck, and one-third personal accounting. That might sound strange, but it's really a few key concepts rolled into one: bankroll management, game review, and game selection.

Like I said, you can read all the books and play for years, but that is only one-third of what makes you a winning player. One-third is luck'which is actually manipulated through solid play, though on any given night, it will determine if you are a winner or loser. This should be obvious, because if you're hitting your draws that night in regularity and your hands are holding up, you'll win more. If the luck runs bad for you and you can't get AK to beat AQ as much as it should, then you won't win tonight.

However, the other one-third is entirely something each player needs to learn. Some learn it the hard way, which really is a double edged sword. On one side, you need to learn the hard way to learn why all of these things are important, but on the other side, it can wipe you out.

That's why you're reading this, of course. I, and many other great professionals before me, have learned how to manage money, review our own game play honestly and objectively, and how to make good game selection. These are all vital elements to your game and without them, you will never prosper as a player.

I have written an article on the topic of bankroll management, but I wanted to hit a few other ideas about it. This sort of ties into being honest with your game review. When you review your poker sessions, you should be honest with your results in every way. It's very easy to just forget to add in one night of losses or one tournament buy-in you lost. If you're keeping accurate records of your play (which you should for obvious reasons), you can fully dissect your poker game.

After thousands of man-hours of play, it will be impossible to misjudge your game'you're either a winner, or you're in the red. That's how you keep score in poker' there are no points and you don't get anything for the second-best hand. If you consistently turn over a winner more often than your opposition, or at least drag the most chips in the long run, then you will be a winner. That is directly reflected in your long term results, which you should be tracking.

I will point you to my recent review of Professional Poker by Mark Blade, which discusses this very topic. He recommends, as do I, many programs like Poker Tracker and Poker Office. These will help keep your online results regularly and with full statistics, and you can actually see where you are winning and losing. If you're a loser, then you need to use the next topic of discussion to figure out why.

Having good review of your own game is essential, just like bankroll management. You need to learn to be objective with your game. The next time you lose a pot (that isn't a victim of an honest bad beat), then analyze why. No, I don't mean figuring out how your pocket queens lost to ace-king'this is NOT a bad beat. Quit dissecting these hands, because bad beats are just a part of the game.

Start analyzing where you are losing your money in poker. Figure out what you're doing wrong, and study the game more as you do. This is the only way you will achieve an expert status of the game. Thorough self-analysis is mentioned often in poker books, but rarely discussed at length. You really should read Mark Blade's book as I mentioned earlier, to fully understand how to analyze your game.

Finally, game selection and your process for such is very important. This shouldn't sound too strange to you. I mean, if you had the choice between a $20-40 Hold 'Em game with nine world-class professionals and a game of nine complete donkeys from out of town, which one would you choose' Obviously the latter would be far more profitable and the first would probably be a losing proposition for yourself.

This extends into tournament play, online play, and everything in between. Don't start playing the $200 sit and goes when you can't beat the $100. If you can't beat the $5, why are you asking about the $10' No, just because 'these idiots call me with anything,' you aren't ready for the $10. Learn to beat weak opposition before moving forward. You are only as good as your opposition.

Keep all of this in mind as you start playing the game more seriously. Before you even think about quitting school or your day job, learn how to play and how to become the best poker player you can. It's foolish to ignore these areas of your game, because even the luckiest of professionals can't keep from going broke if they don't do these things on occasion!

Jon Eaton

note by gank: Jon Eaton is a very talented poker player who has had a lot of recent success both in real life and online in No Limit Holdem.

Quit Lying Your a Loser at Poker

If it sounds like I'm being harsh, it's because I am. This ties into another column I wrote this week about being honest with yourself. When it comes to your bottom line, if you are a loser, you are a loser! I read a lot of message forums about poker, and people are constantly coming up with crazy conspiracies, even posting dozens of hands of 'proof' that a site is rigged.

First, let's take one element out of this argument. Let's say for one second that all of these crazy hands that you have seen, whatever they may be, and however severe the beat was that you saw, all took place in a casino. Would you start looking for an excuse, saying the dealer rigged the deck' Would you start questioning the validity of the casino' Would your first reaction be how unlucky you are or would it be how badly you played the pot'

More than likely these thoughts wouldn't cross your mind. But when you play online, you can't physically see the deck or table or dealer. You're taking someone's word for it that the game is honest. If you quit squabbling over bad beats and stop trying to place the blame for your losing sessions, you will realize the real blame is to be laid upon yourself.

Like I said, until you can be honest with yourself, you will never be a winner. Plain and simple. Poker is very easy to keep track of who is winning. If you walk away with more money than you had to start more often than not, then you're a winner. If you walk away questioning the software of your preferred online poker site, cursing them for taking your money, then you are a loser and you're searching for excuses.

The purpose of this wake-up call isn't to piss you off, or to even brag that I am a winner. I don't care if you think I am a good player by any means, I am just writing to improve your game (although I doubt you'd be taking my advice if you believed such)!

As for crazy conspiracies about online poker' let's analyze them for one minute. People have been saying since the dawn of online poker that poker rooms are rigging hands so they increase the rake. Now this is absolutely absurd for many reasons, the first being that they don't need to rig the deck to create action! Bad players will always be around to shove their money into a pot with no hope.

As for juicing up the rake, the rake would usually max out (usually only $3) on almost any pot that goes to the flop or turn anyway, so they have no vested interest in creating 'action pots.' Others believe they do this to keep losing players from going broke, but the simple matter is, they are always going to take the worst of it. Unless the site is so rigged that an 80-percent favorite doesn't win even 50-percent of the time, no matter what, the bad players are going to go broke in the long run.

What interest does a poker room have in the action generated at their room' They want you to be happy of course! Do you really think they want to drive customers away by rigging their software and making good players run bad' Do you really think that their business would benefit by making bad players win more often, and casting the shadow of a doubt about their integrity' No!

Just like a brick and mortar casino, their only interest is in getting in as many hands as they can and generating as much rake as they can. They achieve this by providing a good service for their customers and keeping them happy. The Bellagio doesn't have to do anything to get people into the games, other than spreading what games they want and giving them the service they demand. They don't need to have special decks or rig pots to make players win more often and jack up the rake, because players will come and play regardless.

The same goes for online poker rooms. If they spread an honest and fair game, their business will only improve. Degrading the odds of hands holding up will only hurt business. Bad players will always be lining up to lose their money, so good players don't need any extra incentive and bad players don't need any added benefits.

In short, quit telling yourself that you're losing because the site is rigged. Keep studying and playing hard! You will eventually improve your game if you are dedicated and have your heart in it. Subscribe to something like Pro Poker School and improve your game, and keep swinging. The long run is a lot longer than you think!

Jon Eaton

note by gank: Jon Eaton has improved his no-limit holdem game by learning from me and studying other pros.

Online Poker Etiquette

I wrote once before about the phenomenon of the angry online poker player. It is quite common, and many people go there once in a while, even yours truly. I even had my chat privileges temporarily suspended after I wrote that column because I got frustrated by a horrible player talking trash at me after he got lucky in a huge suck out.

What can I say' Do as I say, not as I do' There may be some truth in that, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize instances of poor poker etiquette when I see them. I prefer to think I am basically a good guy who can't be good 100% of the time. I think its enough to care and pay attention to if you're doing the right thing and to try and do the right thing. But, enough about me. Let's talk a bit about some of this poor etiquette I see frequently.

There is a place, in my opinion, for trash talk at the poker table. It can be one of many tools. If you have a good read on someone and reraise them with nothing, then show, by all means talk trash if you like. You could put them on tilt or intimidate them into passivity. There is a difference, though, between that and being a jackass. You move quickly into jackass when you talk trash after bad beating someone.

If someone plays badly and wins a pot from you anyway because they get lucky, I understand a little anger and frustration. I get it, and I don't really say this is a major infraction , because it is somewhat understandable, but we would all do well to stifle the urge to spew.

On the other hand, when someone LOSES a pot, whether they played badly or not, why taunt them' I often see people play poorly and lose a pot, and sometimes that brings out comments like 'Nice hand, moron,' 'Haha, you're an idiot,' or simply 'lol.'

Now suppose you're in the grocery store and someone walking by bumps into a display and some cans fall to the floor. Would you go up to the person, laugh at them loudly, and tell them what a klutz they are' No one would. Well, almost no one I guess, except a true first-class jackass. And yet, this is exactly what some people do online when they tell a person what a loser they are. I understand why people do this online, because we all have been the victim of these bad players, and it drives you nuts. Whoever they are, one could assume they already feel bad that they played like a fool and threw their money away, do they not' They might even be among a great number of online players who are losing a lot more money than they can afford to lose. I'd also ask you this ' do you play well all the time' I am pretty successful at this online poker stuff, and I certainly don't play well all the time. When I play badly, I recognize it, usually right away, but occasionally later upon reflection. If you're the guy doing the taunting, it's no different than kicking a man when he's down. That just makes you mean, pathetic and weak. It's akin to the angry person who is mean to animals, women or children because they are 'easy' targets. If you're too frustrated to bite your lip, how about just asking something like 'What did you think I had'' That makes the point, I think, without being cruel about it. And why not be happy you won the pot and hope they continue to play badly, rather than chase them off or alert them to their inferior play'

It's even worse when the guy who is down hasn't done anything to YOU in the first place, like if you weren't even in the hand. I see it, from a special class of obnoxious jackass who seems to hate everyone who isn't just like him. Not everything is about you, stay out of it, and keep your neuroses to yourself. If you are one of these guys, you can be sure that many people at your table are thinking how pathetic YOU are for being so petty and mean, and wondering what is wrong with you that makes you act the way you do.

Going further, I definitely don't get why someone would taunt a person who played well and lost, which I also see. Sometimes it's the person who played poorly and won anyway, and sometimes it's just that annoying person who wasn't even involved in the hand.

Confucius said, 'Pride goeth before destruction.' When you get outplayed and luck your way into winning the pot, the last thing you should be is arrogant or boastful. You should be humble and happy you won the pot you didn't deserve. You could feel apologetic, though I'd say that mostly is unnecessary, as these beats are a part of the game. I do occasionally apologize and say why I made the play, but I wouldn't say doing that is a right or wrong thing to do. It's up to you if you wish to handle it that way. Maybe the best response is no response at all - just keep your trap shut. I certainly hope Confucius was right, and that these obnoxious people end up going down in flames themselves, whether that is because of some bad karma they created for themselves (as Confucius might say) or because their inferior play catches up to them. Whatever the reason, there is some consolation in noting that some of the worst offenders I've seen in recent tournaments ended up busting before they reached the money.

As to a person who isn't even involved in a hand, but nonetheless offers taunting or negative commentary to a person who plays well and loses anyway, I have a question for you. Do you not remember what it feels like to play perfectly and get horribly unlucky' And would you like it if someone did that to you' The internet offers anonymity to where you can insult someone just because they are a loser, when you wouldn't do it elsewhere, like in my grocery store example. But is that really the kind of person you wish to be' Leave your own issues and neuroses where they belong, don't foist them on others. It isn't their fault if you hate your own miserable life and you can't keep your own negativity inside.

Don't be a jackass like this. That goes without saying, and few of us are that screwed up. But also don't be the guy next to him who laughs and encourages him to continue either, and it might not even be a bad idea to try and get him to move on somehow or change the subject. We all have a responsibility to do the best we can to clean up our little corner of the world, don't we?

Jeff Henry

note by gank: Jeff Henry is an extremely talented online poker pro specializing in cash games and online tournaments.

Stalling Poker Players

If you've played online in a multi-table tournament and done reasonably well, you've seen them stallers. One thing that requires no debate is that they are annoying. You're close to the money, and some guy takes the maximum amount of time before he folds every hand. Invariably, there is someone else, sometimes more than one, who are telling Mr. Staller why he's an idiot or simply getting hot under the collar generally at the guy.

I feel bad for these guys, and I never get angry at them. They are only doing what is best for them. Here are two examples of why these guys aren't so dumb after all:

You're playing a turbo satellite into a bigger tournament on Pokerstars and the top 22 people win seats into the bigger tournament, regardless of whether they finish first or 22. There are 35 people left, you are in eighth place, and there are quite a few players who are very short stacked. Should you stall' Maybe, yes. The blind levels increase very quickly, to such an extent that you might have to put a large percentage of your big stack in as a big blind if the tournament goes on a long time. It's unlikely, but it does happen. And those blinds increase with the passage of time, so you might cause more of the short stacks to be forced all in in their blinds, or to push all-in if they see those growing blinds coming around to them soon. Again, you're Daddy Fat Stack, you can pay the bigger blinds no problem, but you can put pressure on the short stacks if you can stall enough to make the blinds go up. On Pokerstars, this is even more true, because they generally don't go hand for hand until you are a spot or two from the money, whereas some other sites like PartyPoker will go hand for hand much earlier. The likelihood that stalling will help you is less when hand for hand, but it can help on some occasions.

Here's another example to show why that is true:

You're playing the PartyPoker Super Tuesday No Limit Hold Em $150 buy-in multi-table tournament. Eighty spots get paid, it's down to 84 people left, blinds are 100-200 and you have 450 chips left. The tournament went hand for hand at 90 players left, which of course means you wait for all tables to finish their hands before your table's next hand is dealt. Should you stall' Maybe, yes. People will yell at you and say 'It's hand for hand now you idiot.' True. But suppose you have a time bank of 120 seconds, and the blinds are going up to 150-300 in just over a minute, and another table has a guy with 400 chips who will be the big blind next hand. The blinds go up based on time of levels, not based on a number of hands played per level like might be the case in a sit and go. If you fold immediately and the other tables finish quickly, that guy might post a big blind of 200, not 300, and he can survive past the blinds. You and your 400 chips will be all-in by posting your blinds when they get around to you in four hands at 150-300. If you stall and the blinds go up, that same guy will be all forced all-in when he posts his blinds in these next two hands as he posts the now higher 150 and 300 blinds. He might bust and you might sneak into the money. By stalling here, you improve your chances of making it into the money, and you can see why it matters even if you're hand for hand!

Conversely, I have seen people stalling way before the tournament is near the money. There isn't really any value in doing that, but I suppose some people just don't know any better or have heard stalling is generally a good idea, but don't know all the reasons behind it. And similarly, there isn't much reason to stall if there aren't particularly any really small stacks who will be forced all in soon by a modest blind increase.

So be smart about it, use the stall when it makes sense, and ignore the whiners.

Jeff Henry

note by gank: Jeff Henry plays multi-table tournaments at Pokerstars and Full Tilt poker.