Variance Self Deception

NWPatriot · Sep 20, 2019

How do you all cope with variance during your play? I recently had an a-ha moment, brought on during reading Jared Tendler's book "The Mental Game of Poker".

I realized that when I play heads-up, I accept that it really boils down to who gets the right cards at the right time. This is the essence of variance. Because “Player A” happened to win this time, it does not necessarily mean he has an advantage (edge) over “Player B”. He may be better, but he may not. When I pay heads-up, I accept this completely, and losing heads-up does not bother me at all. Maybe this is because I am content with taking 2nd place money, or maybe it is because I truly believe what I am telling myself.

However, if I truly believe this, when heads-up, then why don’t I believe this every other time I lose a hand? I hate losing. If I could solve this, would I become a much better player?

Anyone with a similar flaw in their game, and if so, how do you correct it?

eetenor · Sep 20, 2019

No Emotion

NWPatriot said:
How do you all cope with variance during your play? I recently had an a-ha moment, brought on during reading Jared Tendler's book "The Mental Game of Poker".

I realized that when I play heads-up, I accept that it really boils down to who gets the right cards at the right time. This is the essence of variance. Because “Player A” happened to win this time, it does not necessarily mean he has an advantage (edge) over “Player B”. He may be better, but he may not. When I pay heads-up, I accept this completely, and losing heads-up does not bother me at all. Maybe this is because I am content with taking 2nd place money, or maybe it is because I truly believe what I am telling myself.

However, if I truly believe this, when heads-up, then why don’t I believe this every other time I lose a hand? I hate losing. If I could solve this, would I become a much better player?

Anyone with a similar flaw in their game, and if so, how do you correct it?

Thank U 4 Posting

Jared's books are great I continue to read them over and over myself.
You may not ever be able to play and it not affect you. The key is to recognize the emotion and balance yourself. You may need to release the frustration or just relax yourself but you should have a system by which you move your brain back to rational thought.

Hope this helps

TheDude6622 · Sep 20, 2019

Meditation is a great way to release frustration. Doing something that isn't poker is a great way to release it. Just have to say, I played my hand correctly, and keep playing your game.