what makes you so good at poker? (long)

What makes you so good at poker?

There is a small percentage of poker players that excel at this game and it’s many variations, but what makes them so good at it? Why do they excel at this game while so many other struggle? One obvious answer would be that there is vast amount of tools out there to help us further our understanding of the game. Tools like forums, tracking programs and the insane amount of books that are out there on theory and practice. We all know that with most anything, experience will bring knowledge, but I don’t think that is always the case. We all know players out there that have been playing for a long time, yet they just don’t seem to get it. Why don’t they get it? After logging hundreds of thousands of hands, you would think that things would just click, but somehow it doesn’t.

The purpose of this article is to figure out why, aside from the obvious stated above, you excel at poker , what’s inside your brain that helps you stand out among the others and what you can work on to be a smarter, psychological and mentally tough player. Now I’m no doctor and I’ve never played on TV but with the help of some of the good players here at Cardschat, we can make this article something that everyone can learn from. So let’s get into.

Aggression

Aggression is a character trait, it’s not something that can be taught very easily, but I believe that it can be taught. I am not an aggressive person by nature, but I’m not afraid to be aggressive at the tables. Why is this? When I first started playing I was very timid, always afraid to get my stack in out of fear of being behind in the hand. It made me a losing player and allowed others to walk all over me, dwindling my stack to my next deposit. Over time this changed, but changed slowly. I had to talk myself into taking chances, making 3bets and check raise bluffing, when everything inside my head and my stomach were telling me not to.

Everyone has some aggression in them somewhere. There is something in your life that you do that you have no reservations doing. It doesn’t matter what it is, your job, fixing your car, being a better parent, it doesn’t matter. The point is, you can do these things because you do have the ability to be aggressive. So, I looked at those things in my life and tried to equate them with poker. I would tell myself, how come I can be an aggressive salesman and manage 40 employees and a multi million dollar store but I can’t make a 3bet preflop with ace king against a donkey on a heater without wanting to throw up.

Obviously, over time, with experience, aggression will start to come naturally but there are ways to help get the ball rolling and help you feel like you can do the things that you are afraid to do. When I looked at the fact that I can handle thousands of dollars a day at work, a 3bet preflop seemed like child’s play. So figure out where the aggression lives inside your head and in your character and put it to the test.

Patience

It’s often said that if you aren’t bored playing poker, you are not playing right. Patience is a virtue which many people lack. I’m the father of a six year old boy who has zero patience and as any parent knows, it takes a lot of patience to deal with children at times. I like to think that I have an incredible amount of patience but sometimes it just runs out. Playing poker requires a lot of patience. Dealing with, what seems like a never ending downswing, or even just a cold deck in an MTT are just a couple examples. So what are some of the things we can do while our rear ends go numb waiting for playable hands or even an opportunity to steal the blinds?

You read about how professionals make sure that they have all the right things in place when they sit down to play. No kids, no obligations to be anywhere, they have a full stomach, they are well rested, the list goes on and on. Sometimes all those things are not enough. You find yourself looking down at king queen offsuit in EP after folding thirty straight hands and thinking, “damn, I haven’t played a hand in what seems like forever, so I just have to play this hand right now!” This is bad for us and we all know it, but what can we do to combat those impatient feelings?

I find little things to occupy myself during a game. To some, background noise can be a distraction, but for me, I like to play some music at a fairly low volume. Low enough to hear it, but not high enough so that it rattles my brain. I chew sunflower seeds, sometimes a whole bag if I last long enough in tournament. Idle hands are the devils playground. It’s so easy to surf around the internet while waiting to play, so figure out how to occupy your hands. I shuffle chips constantly. It’ keeps my hands off the mouse and the pointer off that big “e” on your desktop. I have even gone so far as to buy a lavender scented candle and burn it on my desk to keep my mind at ease. Some of you might laugh at that, but for me it works. The key is to find something that works for you but make sure that it doesn’t take up too much brain power. I know you can walk and chew gum at the same time so there has to be something that you can do while playing cards to occupy your brain when there is a lull in the action.

Tilt control

Let’s face it, we all tilt, some harder than others. Everyone of us has played against some random donkey on a heater and wanted to rip his eyeballs out of his head. This issue has been covered so many times by so many people that nothing I or anybody else can say about it would be new to most if not all of you. Most of you know the tips for dealing with tilt but the problem is whether or not you actually use them.

It’s imperative that you do. Tilt will eat you and your stack alive if you are not careful and use the many tips that are out there. I know, I know, it’s hard to just get up from the table when you are down five buys ins. How can you walk away when you so desperately want to get that money back. The great thing about online poker that I think we sometimes forget is that it is always there. It’s not going anywhere. You can step away for an hour and it’s still going to be there. You can go take a walk, or take a shower, come back with a clear mind and work on building your bankroll back up.

Reminding yourself that online poker isn’t going to just magically disappear if you log off is, I think, the key to being able to put the mouse down and take a break.

Oh and before we leave this topic, I should say that a good yell at the top of your voice is a good way to alleviate some frustration. Give it a shot, I’m sure you will like it.

Persistence

You have to want it! If you want to succeed in this game, you have to work for it. I believe that you need a driving force behind you in order to remain persistent. What is yours? Setting goals for yourself is a great way to create and maintain a driving force.

Start with small goals and work your way up. There are all sorts of goals that you can set for yourself. Volume, monetary, theory in practice are all good examples, but make them attainable. Don’t set goals for yourself that are too far fetched. When you set realistic goals for yourself and you accomplish them, you can start to make your goals a little harder . Your sense of accomplishment will keep you on the right track and push you harder.

Attaining your goals will keep you coming back and working harder to accomplish the thing we all want in this game. MONEY!

Oh, but there is more!

This is where you come in. My examples are just a few of the things that live inside you but there are many others. Some of the long standing members here will look at this article and probably say to themselves that this is all stuff that they really don’t need to read. While I don’t disagree, many of you won’t need this, but some of us do. Now I’m asking those long standing successful members to add to this what they think are solid pieces of advice that everyone can use. Many of us are not that great at math and have to rely on other elements of the game, but even the math experts know that there is much much more. The phychological aspect is a huge part of poker and you can’t always play the game by the numbers.

What lives inside you that helps make you a great player?

　

This is the first thing i've ever written for CC so sorry if it sucks. Any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated.

I have sworn off posting strategy,but I want to add something to my good friends thread.

Being able to disect the other persons game and tendancys,that you are playing and make plays against what they are trying to do is one of my biggest advantages in the game.I make a read and go with it,right or wrong.Im right alot more often than i am wrong.People will see me make horrible plays at times,but that is part of the game.Learn to understand the situation and anticipate what your opponant is doing and make the play that disappoints thier goal.

Nice Posts and Thread Chiefer!


Snow

Not bad at all, i will have to read the whole post later...

Don't give up, we did not see eye to eye on MTT play thats all...
I may end up asking for some help, soon.

LOL,it had nothing to do with you kid ,but thanks for the thought!


Snow

Phew, i am happy. YW...

Chiefer, i am sure i can add a-bit to it, but right now i cannot think str8..

I think its a shame to ever sware off posting strat or anything from what I have read you are a good mtt player but posting strat works two ways and you could be missing out on some good input too.

/hijack

Nice thread cheifer will reread when less tired.

have you ever thought about reconsidering. other members may not have liked what you posted or had varying ideas that didn follow your, but i really appreciated your MTT thread and your insight on how to play. i know im not the only one that felt this way either.

jus throwin it out there

Thanks snow. Trusting your reads is incredibly important. Every one has instincts that they follow. As a parent, you have to trust your instincts to do the right thing by your child. Sometimes you make mistakes but most of the time, you are correct in your actions and the decisions that you make. Same goes with poker. A lot of times you will find yourself doing everything you can to go against your instincts and deviating from your reads simply because of the what the reprocusions might be if you are wrong. This is a situation that I think most players struggle with everytime they play.

You can't be afraid to make mistakes, however, if you do make a mistake, the important part is to make sure that you learn from it.

Good post/thread Chiefer! Bookmarking as a source of continued reference.

S'okay, I have the patience, perseverance/determination, & tilt control (um, mostly ) skills basically accomplished...still working on aggression; your description of timid is like looking in the mirror for me...SO calls me 'turtle' & my FT avatar = a turtle. I think, for me, it's a gender issue; females are conditioned that aggression = not-a-good thing. Beyonce has Sasha Fierce so I guess I may need to come up with a poker alter ego .

I'm an advocate for benchmarking, probably due to IRL experiences with end-to-end process improvements. It helps me to recognize where I can tweak/adjust my play for optimal results.

Additionally I view flexibility (mental) as key...being open to other peeps' strategies, experiences, ideas, feedback, etc...which may or may not work for me (dependent on my skill level, mindset, or personal characteristics &/or abilities) but it's always good to get another viewpoint.

Also, realizing the fold button is my BFF...oop, A.rag, baby pairs, etc...

I'm glad you touched on flexibility. It makes a world of difference if one can set thier ego aside and listen to what others are trying to tell you. Nobody plays this game perfect and everyone needs a kick in the ass from time to time. How you deal with critisism and the views of others can greatly impact how you learn.

A lot of members won't post in the HA forums for fear of ridicule. Sometimes I can't blame them, but if we don't ask questions and seek the hard answers we will never learn the things that keep us down.

As far as your issues with aggression and it being gender related go. I'm going to chalenge you to make that statement untrue. There is no reason why you can't be aggressive, especially in todays day and age. If you want something, go get it. No one is going to give it to you. If you want that 50bb pot, go get it. The villian certainly isn't going to give it to you so it's up to you to figure out how you go about getting it. You can take the knowledge you've gained about this game and use it to your advantage to make aggressive plays. I should say that "well timed" aggression is probably how we want to go about doing this. One can't just go into a game and shove every hand because they think everyone will fold.

Great article Chiefer.

All I Have to add is.

You get out of it what you put into it.

I've read on the forums countless times, "I don't need to read a poker book", "I don't want to put the money into a tracking software", "What are some free programs..." ect.

You get out of it what you put into it is two parts. The first part is investing in your hobby. I really don't understand why so many online players are the cheapest people I've ever seen. I've said countless times on the forum, poker is one of the only hobbies you can have that can actually make you money. With that said, you need to spend money to make money. If you play golf or build Hot rods as a hobby, there is a ton of money that goes into that. So why do so many players waste countless hours trying to turn nothing into something?

Now I know Chris Ferguson turned nothing into $10K, but you aren't Chris Ferguson. Set some money aside for your hobby so you are properly rolled and can use proper BRM. The problem with what Chris Ferguson did, is it's almost impossible to use BRM in the beginning. You end up blowing that $5 or whatever you won in that freeroll that took you three hours to earn and then you have to start over. It's just a vicious cycle and the money earned for time spent is worthless. Now I know you'll say, well it's entertainment and it didn't cost me anything but my time. If that's all you want from poker, that's fine. But the majority of the players trying to do that will always have crappy bankrolls or no bankroll.

Also, with that money you have set aside for poker, you need to use like 25% for poker related things. The first thing that is a must is investing in PT3 or HEM. So many people think it's about the HUD, that's not why you need tracking software. A HUD is a nice bonus, but the real value in tracking software is analyzing your play, finding leaks, and tracking win rates. If you don't have tracking software you are handcuffing yourself and will never unlock the full potential of your game. Poker related expenses also include books. You need to build a good foundation and reading and learning from proven winners is the best place to build such a foundation.

That brings me to the second part of you get what you put into it. STUDYING!!! You have PT3 or HEM, you have a few good books, you have access to videos, NOW USE THEM!!! You'll never get better if you don't educate yourself and give yourself the tools to become better. I know reading a book can be overwhelming for some and you may think I'll never remember what's in that book. But, that's not true. I've came across tons of situations where I'll make a certain play and then think about it after it's all over and realize "Oh that was from Dan Harrington's book." You may not realize it but as you are learning and absorbing information you tend to use that information while you play and you might not even realize it.

Dusty Schmidt recommends in his book "Treat You Poker Like a Business" to study 25% and to play 75% when you are first starting out. A solid win rate in the micros is 5BB per 100 hands. If you are maintaining that as a win rate over a large sample size (which you will know, because you have PT3 or HEM) then you may not have to study as often. There are a lot of tools out there to learn and become better, but you need to use them and you need to put the work in or you'll never become a better player.

Excellent point Trigg. The tools are out there, they are there for everyone. There is no valid reason why you can't or shouldn't use them. If you are intimidated by them, you shouldn't be.

I think your point kinda falls into what Bazerk was saying about flexability and learning from past mistakes by having your actions analyzed. In this game, you need to want and to be willing to learn. If you don't or aren't, you'll never get anywhere. You can't just mash the raise button and expect to be a winner. You need to know why you are mashing the raise button and the tools that Trigg mentioned above will certainly help you to understand that.

This is a great thread.
@ Chiefer - excellent advice, especially about being aggressive. Look forward to reading more from you.
@ Snowmobiler - I read your post about MTT strategy all the time, I like it a lot. I say if you have more to add, don't hold back.
@ Triggalos - you the man.
Thanks to everyone for the insight.

Thanks for the nice article Chiefer! Very good stuff.

Sticking to a solid plan.....not listening to players talking about sick LAG stats. Always learning.

I think making big laydowns is often over-looked. Too many people focus on bad beats or big calldowns but making big laydowns can really catapult a player to the next level.

How many times to you see a post titled "Look at this sick laydown I made?"

Play a ton and never be content.

A ton is not 10K hands.....or 100K hands.....its 500K hands +

[quote]
I like this statement. Never be content. Which brings me back to having a driving force behind you and something to fuel that driving force. What is it that you are not content with? Is it a particular theory? Could it be the ability to make good laydowns? These are things that need to be worked at, but what's the pay off? Money is the obvious answer, but there could be something more to it. Perhaps a sense of accomplishment that you've taken on an issue, studied it and are doing what it takes to get past it. Knowledge is power and you should never be content with the knowledge that you already have. Crave more, it can only lead to better things.

Thanks for the feedback Chiefer, it's greatly appreciated!

I do know how to be assertive in a business environment/boardroom ...I just haven't transitioned it very well into the poker room (b&m...I think it's cuz I'm ~5'3" & weigh ~110 lbs so look pretty harmless ) & the tendencies have carried into online since my return a few months ago.

I've been playing the KO SNGs which does require more aggression on my part...it's a take-no-prisoners arena so it has been a good place for me to practice. It's just that I'm used to working in teams, often cross-departmental, where the goal is for everyone to be successful...so this is going to require a paradigm shift on my part >>> baby steps, baby steps, baby steps...& then I when I grow up I'll get to be a big badass girl .

Good point about the well-timed aggression...since I'm playing the micro-levels I have noticed how some peeps are overly aggressive in the early stages of an SNG &/or MTT oop with a marginal hand & end up being KOed.

I also need to take TriggaLos' recommendation & invest in a poker tracker program...just havent decided which one to invest in for current & anticipated needs.

^ This.

So many people say they can't understand why they're losing because they're playing good poker.

Anyone who thinks they have any idea what they're doing is either insanely good (and you're not, neither am I, not even close) or doesn't have a clue.

Work on everything, a lot, put in huge volume and work on everything. Figure out how to improve your calling and 3betting ranges vs x type villains in whatever situation, think about your equity vs ranges in standard situations and then re-evaluate the ranges you're against, abuse poker stove until your computer blows up from having to calculate so much.

I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to poker and am nowhere near as good as I think I should be, but I've done enough in poker to know that if you can't find anything about your game to improve and you're not actively working on that then you're not nearly as good as you think you are, and nowhere near as good as you could be.

Very nice post/thread chiefer - there's not too much I can add.

(For those who don't know me I'm an ok MTT player at the micros - though just recreational.)


Aggression

I learnt that whenever in doubt whether my hand is really as good as it looks: bet

By not betting you're giving away initiative and momentum

Patience

Since I played along time without the assistance of PT/HEM I had to take notes on players.

Observe the tendencies of your opponents - what does he play and how ?

With what type of hands is he ready to stack off / raise in early position / limp / cold call / 3bet / float ?


Tilt control

I'm not as prone to tilting as some others might be - yet it does happen, too.

Analyse what makes you tilt and remember next time in order to stay calm.

Sometimes it's good if others think you are tilting when in fact you aren't.

Persistence

You've got to love the game - and it will take a lot of experience to master it.

Challenge yourself and get into available challenges any time possible

- CC has a good place for this - the CC-challenge.

Just my small amendments....

You are welcome. I can relate to the size thing. I'm a pretty small guy, standing between 5' 9" and 5' 10", and well, i'm pretty skinny, lets just say that. Being small led me to be a very non aggressive person as well. Almost everyone I know is bigger than me and I've taken slack for it all of my life. I guess for me, there came a time when I realized that there is nothing that I can do to change that. I need to embrace it and figure out how to use it to my advantage. I have found that because of my size, people under estimate me and when I show some aggression towards them, it takes them by surprise a bit. Now, I can't walk straight up to a guy the size of trigga los and expect to knock him down, but I can possibly, with some well timed aggression, make him rethink his position on me. Although, I'm sure trigg will disagree and tell you that he would just step on me and continue on.

When I talk about tracking software, I always say PT3 or HEM. That's because it doesn't matter. I made a post in another thread saying how it's like Coke vs Pepsi. In the end it doesn't really matter which one you like. Just find one you like and stick with it. They both offer free trials, I think PT3's is 60 days and HEM's is 15 days. I would suggest doing the free trail of both, then purchasing the one you like the best.

Your mom read you David and Goliath every night, huh?

Great article, thanks Chiefer, found myself in what you wrote about aggression, still working on beeing aggressive..damn ..lol

All true, but the one trait that really helps is being able to tell your opponents patterns.. How much does he bet when he has top cards versus suited connectors versus just a sb that he wants to "protect" This is difficult when you are at a table that folds alot which keeps you from seeing others hands for a long period. This is where the patience comes in. If he bets big, and you have not seen a final hand from him, he may be a donk, he may have a big pocket pair, or he may have a low pair. Until he shows his cards a couple times, be cautious.

This is a great point. A definite situation where your patience can pay off. Being able to sit there while not in a hand and watch the action is something that you need to do. Most players just want to get to the next hand so bad that they try to occupy their time with other things until it's their action again. That's a huge mistake. You miss valuable reads and lose all sorts of information if you are not being patient and focused on what's going on around you at the table.

Snowmobiler relies heavily on his reads at the tables. He remains focused and studies his opponents and I'm sure he will attest to fact that it's a big part of what, not only made him a better player but a winning player as well.

Bazerk.

I searched around to try to find you some info on woman poker players and aggression and i found this link to a short article with a link to a book that you might be interested in. Have a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.women-poker-player.com/ag...oker-play.html

Getting a tracking program with a HUD definitely helps a lot with the "well timed" part of being aggressive. Once you get used to it and start to get a feel for the information, you basically have a graphical representation of a players tendencies, and that's a HUGE help when you're trying to put them on a range.

Thanks Chiefer, it's grealy appreciated >>> good article. I'll wander around her site for other good info that applies for/to the female player. May invest in her book after obtaining a poker tracker.

One of my mantras happens to be 'Daniel Negreneau sez I can, so I can'...LOL (even tho he doesn't say/write it until nearly the end).

http://www.a2date.com/article_qa.html?aid=2

Over aggression can get you into a bad spot, or get you knocked out of a game...
Lesson learned!!!

Since most of the responses have been about aggression issues, I figured we get into that a bit more and the advantages of have tracking software and a HUD.

When I first started using a HUD, I didn't have a clue as to what I was looking for or at. I knew what VPIP and PFR was but I never really knew how to use that information to my advantage. Learning how most definitely help with my aggression factor. It helped me pick my spots better and show me who I can and can't get over aggressive with. A lot of poker is all about timing. ie "well timed aggression". With a HUD, it takes a lot of the guess work out.

You will know that you can steal from someone who is running 5/1/0 with a 0 3bet percentage and vice versa. Stealing from someone who is 55/31/2 and a 5 3bet percentage is not a good idea. You will be able to pick out the decent players from the donkeys a lot of times, just by looking at their stats. Of course it helps to have a decent sample size of hands to go on, but you can usually get a decent idea with anywhere from 50 to 100 hands IMO.

Now, using a HUD is not 100 percent fool proof as we all know. Sometimes the villain wakes up with a hand, or simply decided that he is going to take a stand. If the villain plays back at you or just flats you, you can reasonably put him on a decent hand and then you can proceed with caution.

I found that when I knew the villains numbers, it helped me be more aggressive with my betting and made me feel more comfortable sticking bets out there. I've had to lick my wounds on more than a few occasions relying on my HUD, but more times then not, it will win you money.

Knowing what's going on around is the the key to playing poker successfully. Having the software is a huge step in doing so. You will be more aware of players tendencies and overall quality of play. It will more than pay for itself with the money you win by using it correctly but also with the knowledge you gain by studying yourself and your opponents.

Once you feel comfortable with your surroundings, you will find yourself being more aggressive, much like in life, the more comfortable you are doing your job, the more aggressive and competent you become at it.

^^. Okay, okay...TriggaLos & Chiefer have convinced me to get a HUD >>> test driving the 15-day trial version of HEM...still trying to figure out how to use the darn thing but decided to take the shortcut to well-timed aggession (vs the long & winding road I have been on). Thank you both!

LOL im NOT good at online poker, thats why im here...to learn

If you are having trouble with HEM, PM me and I can help you. We can set up a sweat session. I've helped quite a few CCers set up their tracking software.

Bazerk,

Take him up on this offer if you need to. Trigg has sweat me on more than a few occasion and I have always yielded positive results. I'm glad you decided to take the plunge. Keep us updated as to how it goes. Remember that If you don't like HEM, Pokertracker also has a 60 day free trial. I might suggest trying both to see what you like and what you feel comfortable with. There are arguments for both. Good luck and enjoy!