Poker and Gambling

When I tell people that I play poker, they assume that I’m a gambler. Although I enjoy a gambling trip to Vegas as much as (more than) the next person, that’s not what poker is about. Not for me, anyway.

I actually just had my first losing month. It hurt. At the beginning of the month I ended up having a real bad run of cards at a stake higher than I usually play. That set me up to tilt off another… 7 to 10 buy ins at my regular stake. At one point I got so fed up with losing due to another bad river card that I just couldn’t play anymore. I took a couple of days off.

During my little vacation I reflected on my poor results over the last two weeks. I realized that I was expecting to lose and my play was suffering from it. I made crazy moves thinking that the only way I could win a pot was to bluff my opponent off the best hand. I made super light call downs thinking, “He can’t have it again!”. I just let it get to me, and it cost me.

From experience I know that even when I’m running bad I should still make a slight profit, provided I put in enough hands. If I maintain proper table selection and make the plays that I know to be correct, I’m still going to win. In January I didn’t do any of that. I was frustrated and I turned to gambling.

Poker doesn’t have to be a gamble. Once you pay your dues and establish a solid bankroll, you can play poker and earn a good hourly rate for your play. You’ll still have losing days and the occasional losing week, however, provided that you play your best and keep your emotions in check, you’ll end up on top.

So, when you feel control slipping away from you, do yourself a favor and quite playing until you get yourself back in check. Do whatever it takes, fly to Vegas and blow some cash on the Blackjack tables, whatever you do will end up saving you money in the long run. And that is really what this game is all about – maximizing your long term returns by playing better than your opponents.