To Improve Your Poker Game, Do What You Hate
If complexity means art then poker is as artistic as it gets. Philosophy is a requirement of the arts. Unless you are a robot and get your motivation for passion and achievement from an on-off switch, you will need more than just electricity. You need a philosophy, a credo, or if that makes you nervous, how about calling it imagination or perception?
Imagination and perception are the springboards to allow you to force yourself to do that which you don’t like to do. These two concepts will enable you to view the unwelcome chore from a more favorable perspective. Think of comparing the somewhat abhorrent task of developing communication skills with taking a cold shower. The cold shower will shock your system and turn you off of them completely. But with repetition, over a few weeks of taking them one or two times a week, you actually may look forward to the occasion and you won’t give them up. It becomes a challenge to step into the shower, but it will wake you up, and the warm water feels so good after the cold.
The same holds true for learning any new skill and the challenge involved is appealing to many people, they begin to seek those experiences even though somewhat stressful. The results are worth it.
So with the analogy of the cold shower in mind, take the plunge and dive into those areas of poker that you would really rather not venture into.
Okay, no more lessons on philosophy, it is now time to consider more pragmatic advice. A good way to acquire meaningful expertise is by hiring a professional trainer to give you private, hands-on lessons without the embarrassment to you caused by onlookers. The coach will point out your weaknesses, most of which you are probably unaware of, so you can learn from them and move on. A good trainer will have you make notes of your play so you can continue to learn from both your strengths and weaknesses.
If the cost of a professional trainer is too much for you, the alternative is to acquire poker friends: sincere and frequent arguments even between average players significantly improve logic and perceptiveness. You may also want to be a member of poker forums. Very good players often post and share valuable experience via online forums.
Jot down notes whether playing online or offline. You can review these later and don’t have to depend on memory alone, which given the complexity of the game will probably fail you in the end. The notes will aid you in formulating a self concept of how you are playing the game and why you made the moves you did. This is applicable as well to your opponents. The goal of this recordkeeping and critical review is to progress to the point where you can ask crucial questions before you make a move.
What reaction do you expect from the opponent? Is that expectation, dictated by the current situation, consistent with what you have managed to learn about the opponent? Can that bet or raise evince the expected reaction? What hand do you want him to think you have? In which specific cases do you want him to call or raise?
If you continuously ask yourself questions like these, while cumbersome and difficult at first, they will become second nature. After a while, this questioning process will become a welcome challenge and this is when you become a genuine player of the game of poker.
For more interesting poker content please visit The Poker Source or Big Poker Blog
Tags: entertainment, Gambling, games, Online Poker, Poker, recreation, sport, sports
