The Secret To Perfect Poker

Here is a great atricle that my poker coach wrote:

The Secret to Perfect Poker by Russell Blattberg


I’d imagine a lot of you are fairly skeptical about what I’m going to write. I’ll admit, the title is a little flashy. However, there is a “secret” to perfect poker. – Don’t make mistakes, (play every hand perfectly). As funny as this sounds- I’m not leveling you. Perfect poker is an ideal that does not exist. Poker is a game of situations, and no two hands are exactly the same. However, perfect poker is an excellent thing to strive for. If you make less mistakes than the people you are playing against, you will win.

What are some adjectives (or phrases) you would use to describe a professional poker player whom you admire?

Disciplined

Rational

Honest with him/herself

Controlled

Intelligent

Calculating

Mentally tough (resilient, persistent, happy-go-lucky)

Fearless

Talented


Strong Intuition



Now- how do you rate yourself in each of these categories? As a poker player, it is essential to know your strengths and weaknesses. Play to your strengths, and constantly work on your weaknesses, and you’re well on your way to perfect poker.

Solid discipline is the most important part of poker. No matter how good you are, you’ll never have the long term success you desire without reasonable bankroll management and control over your emotions. Every day incredible poker players go bust because they lack this essential skill. It’s important to come up with a poker plan and stick to it. Define your goals. How much risk/variance are you willing to accept? If you’re not a profitable poker player it is paramount that you begin at micro stakes and work your way up by winning. There is a common misconception that it’s harder to beat idiots than it is good players. I would rather play with idiots ALWAYS. Of course, it’s nice to have huge fish at higher stakes, but you must prove your profitability in order to move up. If you can follow this rule, you will never lose a lot of money playing poker (which is more than many people can say). If you are a winning poker player, it’s good to have a general idea of the games you want to play. There is nothing wrong with playing different games and formats, but if money is your most important goal then you should spend the majority of your poker time playing your most profitable game/ limit. As a relative beginner (if you have been winning at poker for less than 1 year) I would recommend avoiding shot-taking altogether. There are so many juicy games at low limits that there is no reason to play higher before your bankroll allows you to so. It’s essential to control your emotions, and emotionally detach yourself from your results. Focus on the process. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you can learn from other people’s mistakes as well as your own you’ll substantially increase your expectation. Unfortunately, most people tend to repeat their mistakes, or are forced to have major repercussions before they attempt to learn. Quick learners are rewarded in poker. Poker is an investment- both of your time and capital. There are many similarities between stock investing and poker. Think of yourself as a business that you want to invest in. The amount of time you invest into poker play and study will greatly affect your poker skill and knowledge skill (and hopefully your earnings). However- it’s important to balance poker with your other passions and responsibilities. These are ideals to strive for. It’s not something that comes overnight for most of us. If you make these long term goals, you’ll greatly increase your chances of becoming a successful poker player.

sounds simple....sounds obvious...
read it...it makes sense...i like the little list you have...obviously everyone knows about these, including my self...but dont think ive ever done what u said to do, and kinda rate myself in each of these..
ill give it a go, ill writ back in weeks to come and either thank you or threaten you ( although dont think its ur fault if i lose) :-)

My eyes hurt.

Is this poker theology 101? The runon version??

00101110 think I blew a101111

I like this, some very good advice. Quite philosophical really. Definately something beginners should read over, maybe something to print off.

EDIT: Yeah it does get a little difficult, maybe edit in some paragraphs?

Sure it's pretty basic advise, but still good. Patience and controling the emotions...so much easier said than done! Especally after getting beat by those one & two outters or finishing on the outside of the bubble for the fifth time in a row!!! That was good for me to read though.