Poker Mantras to remember at the table

[IADaveMark]

My friend Maxx Holland and I have been coming up with a list of "mantras" that we use to keep ourselves centered and on-track while at the table. We will often remind each other via text message of some of these even when we are playing in events across the country from each other. We will list them off -- even just using shortened versions of them. Often, we have replied, "yeah, I know... I know... but I really needed to hear that just now." The preferred result is, of course, that we remind ourselves of them and what they mean when we need them. Which is kind of the entire point of mantras, no?

I am going to list many of them in this thread in the hopes that other people will get some use out of them. Each will have a short description of what it means to us in case it isn't obvious. I will be doing one per comment to make it easier for people to reply to a specific one if they want to discuss that one further. The initial rollout will come over the next few days.

 

[IADaveMark]

"Find the fold."

This was one of our first ones. While it seems a bit fearful and over-paranoid, it helped us counter a very bad habit. We would often find ourselves talking ourselves into a call because our analysis of the situation tended towards what could go "right" in order for us to win. We would skip over the fact that, for example, a 20% chance is still a 20% chance. If we had done some stats, we probably would have found that we were counting on 20% chances far more often than 20% of the time.

Instead, we were trying to turn this on the head and look at the things that could—and were probably more likely to—go wrong. By trying to "solve" the hand in terms of how we could get burned, it forced us to be more realistic about the likely outcome of the situation. So a longer version of "find the fold" would be, "how can I get away from this hand? Oh... yeah... there it is. I found the fold."

 

[IADaveMark]

"Chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained."

This one can almost be considered one of the primary reasons for "find the fold." While it seems contradictory on its mathematical face, there is a lot of truth to this.

Consider if you had 40bb in the middle of a tournament. If you lose 10bb in a single pot (typical), you are now down to 30bb. That was 25% of your stack on a single hand. In theory, you could have seen 4 flops at 2.5bb each for that same amount. More to the point of the mantra, though, losing those 10bb hurts you more than gaining 10bb (and going from 40 to 50) helps you.

This gets significantly worse when you start shorter. For example going from 30 to 20 is 33% of your stack on a single hand. Would it have been better to see 4 flops and pick a better one to continue with?

 

[IADaveMark]

"Trickle down; jump up."

This one is less about individual decisions and more about the result over time. If you were using a graphing stack tracker like the Poker bankroll Tracker that I use, what would your session look like? If you are following the "chips lost/gained" mantra above, you would see lots of little drops and hopefully a few large jumps up. This is what "trickle down; jump up" is referring to. Lose small pots and grab big ones.

 

[IADaveMark]

"That hand isn’t playable just because you are bored."

2 summers ago, while at wsop, Maxx and I were texting back and forth mid-tourney. He mentioned that he had made a stupid play because he was trying to make something happen. Later, he said that he was "just not very good at these longer events." (That has since changed a lot!) Over dinner, I brought up those 2 comments and suggested to him that they were related. "You're just getting bored and trying to make a move." He agreed and we both went on to have serious cashes in that event and that weekend.

It didn't become one of the mantras until the past few months though as I realized that I was doing a lot of it myself recently. Oddly, some of it came up when I was playing cash instead of tournaments. In cash games, you can pretty much limp in with anything because you usually start (and stay) 300bb deep. That luxury is pretty rare in tournaments. It is better to wait for your regularly playable hands (I VPIP about 23% myself) than loosen up, play more questionable stuff and burn off more 2.5bb pre bets or, worse, lose because your weak hand was 2nd best. Again.

 

[IADaveMark]

"Let other people bust out."

This one comes up in obvious ICM situations—particularly nearing the bubble or ITM near pay jumps. It is more obvious when you are short-stacked and run the risk of busting out on any given playable hand. However, it is also relevant when you are big stacked. Normally the 10-15bb range becomes that "shove or fold" mode time. However, rather than putting yourself in questionable flips what if you were to wait longer for an even better hand? You get an ICM pay raise every time someone else busts out before you. Even people with more chips than you at the moment could bust out before you. Let it happen.

 

[IADaveMark]

"Flops are cheap; chasing gets expensive."

In a similar vein to "find the fold" and "trickle down; jump up", this one reminds us to go ahead and see our flops but be prepared to eject if we don't hit it. Better to pay the 2.5bb than the 5, 10, or 20 that might come on later streets. Because, as mentioned above, "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained."

 

[IADaveMark]

"Greed cranks up your variance."

A similar effect of the "bored" one happens with this but for different reasons. This often happens more post-flop. If you are chasing draws in questionable situations, it might be because you are telling yourself, "if I hit this I will make a ton!" And if you hit, you might just do that. But by exposing yourself to those sorts of situations, you also might just lose a ton—not only by not hitting but by perhaps by the other player hitting something bigger than you. This also comes into focus when slow-playing hands that aren't the stone cold nuts. Yeah, you were good but you allowed the other player to draw to something bigger. Simply because you were greedy and trying to make the most. So "you win some; you lose some" could turn into "you win lots; you lose lots". And your chip count graph starts looking like a seismograph in a California earthquake.

Play more controlled. Be happy with the pots you can get for the least amount of crazy risk because you are trying to grab too much.

 

[dreamer13]

I think we need to release a deck with icon cards. And carry them with you like rosary beads or car triptychs.The most popular superstitions among poker players relate not to clothing or aromatherapy, but to cards.

 

[IADaveMark]

I think we need to release a deck with icon cards. And carry them with you like rosary beads or car triptychs.The most popular superstitions among poker players relate not to clothing or aromatherapy, but to cards.

"Dude... what's up with your card cover? Covers? You have like 10 of them each with a different picture and words?"
"Oh... that's just my mantras for my poker meditation during play."

 

[fundiver199]

"Find the fold" is a dubble edged sword, since we can also end up playing to tight and being to easy to bluff. So it really depends on, where our starting point is. At the end of the day we cant win tournaments by folding. But we can also not win them, if we lost our chips making bad calls.

 

[IADaveMark]

"Find the fold" is a dubble edged sword, since we can also end up playing to tight and being to easy to bluff. So it really depends on, where our starting point is. At the end of the day we cant win tournaments by folding. But we can also not win them, if we lost our chips making bad calls.

I agree. And that's why in the description I put in that it was meant to solve a very particular problem. That is, getting way too overconfident or hopeful with our hands.

Thanks, diver...

 

[Pokerpoet2]

One of the Many Mantras I constantly use is "If you ain't had to Pay, You don't need to Play"
Which basically means if I have not posted a blind, there is no reason to play those 2 cards in my hand, no matter how good they look, there is nothing forcing me to play those cards, Even if I have posted a blind there is nothing forcing me to call.
This is where having favourite hands falls flat on it's face, Just because you think they are your favourite 2 cards in the deck, does not mean you should play them, Position is far more important than having favourites, and if you are short on chips and out of position, then folding is really the only option or going all-in and busting out.
In one Tournament I was involved in I was dealt K/10 off suit and even though I would normally limp with that hand, The player UTG pushed all in stating he had his favourite hand, Initially being on the BB, I considered folding, but as the rest of the table folded around to me, he made a crucial mistake of adding "J/10 suited I never lose with it." I instantly called.
My reasoning was, I don't believe in having favourites, also if he was playing J/10, I was in the lead already and only had to beat his Jack, We both missed the Flop, Turn, and River and I won with a Pitiful King High.
If he had kept his mouth shut he might have won the SB and BB, and still be in the game, Instead he became History!

NEVER HAVE FAVOURITES! Another Mantra I constantly use!

 

[IADaveMark]

"Realize equity before it's taken away."

While we all think about how cool it is to slow play a flopped strong hand, we've all also been in the situation where you get drawn out on and lose it. Instead, Maxx and I try to take down more hands—especially semi-nutted ones—early. If you get them to fold, it's a win. If they come along and you still win, you've inflated the pot. Especially more than you would have had you slow-played and they checked back.

This one also goes along side "greed cranks up your variance." Yeah, you might win more if you slow-play, but you also might lose the hand entirely on a later street.

 

[G0930]

"Flops are cheap; chasing gets expensive."

In a similar vein to "find the fold" and "trickle down; jump up", this one reminds us to go ahead and see our flops but be prepared to eject if we don't hit it. Better to pay the 2.5bb than the 5, 10, or 20 that might come on later streets. Because, as mentioned above, "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained."

You can however, provided you have the required skills, turn your chase into a bluff and can still come Out as the winner.
Won't happen ofc course If this chasing becomes a regular thing

 

[IADaveMark]

You can however, provided you have the required skills, turn your chase into a bluff and can still come Out as the winner.
Won't happen ofc course If this chasing becomes a regular thing

Right, but you need to understand that those later streets are going to have geometrically bigger effects on your stack. i.e. "expensive" Just be careful.

 

[G0930]

Right, but you need to understand that those later streets are going to have geometrically bigger effects on your stack. i.e. "expensive" Just be careful.

Agreed !

 

[CheezeWiz]

Great Stuff here, Dave! Keep Trickling Out The Gems! Thoroughly Enjoy Reading These and The Comments, as well!

 

[IADaveMark]

"Only bet if it helps you."

This one came about when I was analyzing my c-bet strategies—both on the flop and later streets. I was asking myself why I was doing it. Some acceptable answers were for value to inflate the pot when I was ahead or on a serious combo draw and for fold equity. However, there were times when I was betting just to bet and ended up losing more money than I should have. And remember, "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained." So that's not good.

So sure, there are numerous and varied reasons to bet, but one should only do it if you have a good reason to do so.

 

[IADaveMark]

"Hero folds are just as important as hero calls."

We all talk about going into the tank for a while in difficult situation and doing a "hero call"... but only when we win that hand. What is also important (and a corollary to "find the fold" at the top of this list) is the "hero fold". Those are the times when you feel like you are ahead... but probably simply just want to be ahead... and you lay it down anyway. Often, you don't even know if that was the correct play or not unless it is a multi-way pot with all ins or something similar. And, as always, "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained." So even if you are wrong sometimes and fold the best hand, it may come out safer in the long run.

 

[Luvepoker]

Great thread Dave. Love your Mantras.

 

[Vallet]

What do you think about the phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned"?
Sometimes pot odds look attractive for a call, despite the fact that the opponent's equity was realized in the late streets. We save on showdown or pay for information. What will you choose?

 

[Quikcue]

"Flops are cheap; chasing gets expensive."

In a similar vein to "find the fold" and "trickle down; jump up", this one reminds us to go ahead and see our flops but be prepared to eject if we don't hit it. Better to pay the 2.5bb than the 5, 10, or 20 that might come on later streets. Because, as mentioned above, "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained."

Yes I am convinced the flop are the cheapest cards to get for the hand. The decision time comes when you face the push shove kind of player. Your 2 cards have value be it A2 or AK and 47 . You got to ask if that value supports the call . All hands are potential winners it's how you play the table. To play that style of game you have to stop believing and following cards to no where.If it don't hit leave it . Don't throw good chips after bad .

 

[IADaveMark]

What do you think about the phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned"?
Sometimes pot odds look attractive for a call, despite the fact that the opponent's equity was realized in the late streets. We save on showdown or pay for information. What will you choose?

This would go in the category of "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained." I'm not a big fan of paying to find out information since hands vary so much.

 

[Vallet]

This would go in the category of "chips lost are worth more than the same amount of chips gained." I'm not a big fan of paying to find out information since hands vary so much.

Thanks for the reply. I am reading your mantras with interest.