Respect for money or not?

Do you think it is better to play poker when you are scared to lose money (high or low limits) or if you have no respect for it?

When I am at the poker table, I NEVER think of the chips in front of me as money. Yeah, I know I cash them in for money at the end of the session, but while I'm playing, they're nothing more to me than pieces of clay. I never want to be in a position where I'm scared to play a pot because of the amount of money I have to put at risk to be in it.

Of course, the best way to make sure you're not playing scared is to never play with money you can't afford to lose.

great advice, thanks

Being in a postion where your scared to lose money puts a lot of pressure and will make you do the wrong thing

I like to compromise between the two. I like buyings that won't massively affect my BR, but on the other hand I don't want to throw away. IMO Playing too far out of your comfort zone makes you play too tight.

Don't play scared, but if you are ITM in an MTT, unless you have no interest in anything other than winning, you should be aware of where you stand regarding payoff levels.

I also prefer a balance. I do not disrespect the tool of the game, which is my money.

But playing "when I am scared to lose money" is a sure -EV situation to use the parlance. At it's worst it is the second fastest way for me to lose. And since I rarely if ever go on spewtilt anymore it really is in practice the fastest way for me to lose.

cAPS

No no no no no no no no no no no no no!

I think this is almost universally wrong!

No one wants to lose their chips. For at the end of the game chips become money. Sometimes it is good to be scared, this way you dont do stupid plays at the table.

No.

There's a difference between playing smart and playing scared. Players who play with scared money are easy to bluff off hands and they tend to over-bet their big hands out of fear of getting sucked out. I honestly don't see how playing scared is ever a good idea.

I play with a pretty healthy disrespect for the money I'm playing with, but that's a result of two things. One, I'm never playing with money I can't afford to lose, and two, I had that same disrespect for money before I even discovered poker.

I wouldn't play any other way.

say if you were playing low limits, and you start chase hands (saying it's only $1). Then if you start to lose it starts to add up

As I said in an earlier post:

That also means there's a difference between NOT playing scared and playing stupid. When you decide to chase after a draw, you have to take into acount the odds you're getting on your money and the odds you'll get paid off if you win. Chasing after cards often enough that it eats into your stack is just bad poker, whether you have any respect for money or not.

I know it's playing stupid but that's what many players do in low stakes and sometimes they hit their card

I've played at low stakes online enough to recognize te truth of that statement, but it has nothing to do with whether or not these players have any respect for money and everything to do with the fact they're just bad players.

Once I heard an analogy that put it in perspective for me. Don't think of your chips as money. Think of them like a carpenter might think of nails. They are just tools to get the job done. Sure, chips cost money to get but you have to spend money to make money.

I agree. It's great advice. Many things could go wrong if a person is in a lot of pressure.

I believe that in order to win you cannot be playing with scarred money. Besides there should be no reason why you should be playing with scarred money. If you are putting so much money in a pot that it is going to put you in debt if you lose, then you have a serious gambling problem and need to quit immediately.

If you play scared you will probably lose, but if you have no respect for the money you may win at first but you will probably lose it quickly. Play at the correct stakes for your bankroll and always play the best you can.

This is primarily a bankroll management issue.

If you must risk a large % of BR in a single game, then it would be better to play very tight. This reduces the chance for loss, but reduces profitability too.

Don't play scared. Poker should be like a video game where you try to rack up as many points as you can. And don't think of money as in things you could buy, but rather as points that can be cashed out but isn't money before you do.

I think that as you grow as a player, you start to not feel scared to play at higher levels, for example:

Recently I attended my highest stake (live) tournament so far (approx. 480USD). I had actually gotten into the tournament via a freeroll satellite.

I remember playing my first $200+ tournament and I was damn scared, but that wasn't the case here and I was able to secure the 5th postion which paid about $1600. Had I been scared of the opportunity I would loose or been pressured by the money I might win, I would have probably finished outside the money.

The right choice is still the right choice, no matter the stakes.

yeah def dont think of the chips as money you wont play as good... but one thing i do at the fire hall (red 5$ and white 1$ chips) im a rock player mostly but i do bet my hands... when i have an ok hand top pain two pair flush draw... i remind them of the money and say bet 20 dollars i wont say 20 or 20 buck ill really enfasize the dollars but if i have a monster and i wanted people to call ill say 4 red... or just put them in with out talking... people do fold a lto more when you remind them of the money they represent

Playing scared is a sure fire way to lose. If ur scared to lose u cant get ur money in with the best hand. Not caring is a way ive seen too often. U play with gut shots and over cards and hit. it is frustrating but i think scared play is a doomsday waiting to happen

Play scared and loose
Play fearless and win (but not crazy)

^ this, x 1000.

Its very simple. Like most things in life its a balance. At cashgames I always have my chips stacked so I know exactly what I have. This is a sign that you realize this is money. I also notice that many pros also do this so i figure that its probally a good thing to do. In a hand i think more in percents though 6_^

I usually play more tourneys, and I am conscious of the buy in, but I don't alter my play bc of it.

You cant play scared, but you have to have respect for the money. If not you would be one of those fools that just go all in every single hand, not caring about the outcome.

nice way to put it. you need to be aggressive to win, and if you play scared i don't know how you can be aggressive unless you have good cards. but being aggressive doesn't mean you become reckless, what's important is to be selective about it

I think that although I don't care about the money that much, that I don't play worse. I think the motive for winning is enough.

Don't think I don't like the money, its just not the thing going through my mind when I am playing, unless I can use someone's scaredness to my advantage.

I am in the between, cuz look if you are scared to go all in or to call pots you'll never wiin. But you can't think that your money is only play money. lol obviously that would mean you're millionaire and I don't know what you're doing on the table !

I ALWAYS loose when I play scared. I am a passive-tight player to begin with and if I have the pressure of playing scared - I always run into a fullish mistake. When I am playing my last few bucks or a high buy-in, I force myself to distract my thoughts away from what $$$ is at steak and just try to relax and play with fun

I like to keep my buy ins low enough to where if I have to make a tough call that could possibly knock me out of a tourney I am not thinking about the money

There's a difference between realizing that you're playing for money and allowing yourself to let the money impact your play. So the thing to try to avoid is playing with amounts on the table that might cause you to consider different actions. This is especially true in cash games where you can always reload, so if you're hesitant to risk your stack when you think your favored - and not necessarily even a big favorite - then you're probably out of your comfort zone and should play lower.

One somewhat tricky thing - for me anyway - is that my comfort zone isn't always the same level, so I have to figure our what it is at any given time, although I can start from where it usually is as a guide.

this is great advice, when I move up to higher stakes, I always play alot more tight than what I usually do because I don't want to lose any go back to the lower stakes.