Activities with a high degree of complexity require introspection to raise them to a level where they can be considered "art." This principle certainly applies to playing poker and even not playing poker. To play or not to play poker requires an intimate knowledge of oneself, more so than most people are willing to learn. Self-evaluation is the basis of introspection and this is very difficult to take on. We struggle against inward knowledge and find it much easier to obtain knowledge of events and circumstance outside ourselves. Accurate self-criticism of our characters is anathema. In poker, lacking introspection can make you play way more and way longer than you intend, but you don't know how or when to stop.
You might have found yourself playing poker out of boredom or the lack of imagination to find something else to do. This leaves you without purpose and causes you to indulge in pointless activities. If you refuse to undertake the rigors of introspection, but still want to stick with poker, you might concentrate on poker with a goal of winning, and no matter what kind of poker year you have had, winning or losing, no one want to lose, so you play on.
You should concentrate on the fact that you must decide whether to keep playing the game or leave. The decision will have an immediate impact on your profits from the game and you know you cannot afford to lose. Now it has become apparent to you that the only reason to remain in the game is the odds are with you to win. Think about your ultimate goal, not whether you are winning or losing at any given time. You may be on a hot streak or in a cold spell, but what is important is the overall net gain. If you reason it out and see that however great the game is going now, that at the end you will suffer a net loss, get out now.
Practicing hit-and-run strategies may be a safe bet, but if you aim for more than safe play, this strategy is not for you. If winning is what you play for, play with discernment and introspection and leave the game only when you clearly foresee a net loss.
The plain truth is that in poker, all hands are dealt to all players by pure mathematical chance, having nothing to do with the goddess of luck. It is just foolish to get sweaty nervous when your cards are bad and totally elated when they are good. It is true though that self-fulfilling prophecies have been proven to have some psychological validity. If you have played a hand well and have had luck on your side, your success impresses upon your opponents that you are a player to be reckoned with. This makes you play even better, with confidence and the courage to take calculated risks, while your opponents are beginning to feel weak and cowardly, and even worse, they feel disheartened and unlucky.
So, what is important here, is to not let this happen to you. Allow yourself some introspection and you may even find that you are afraid to take chances and may really think that it is wrong to do so. Admit to yourself that this is you and this idiosyncrasy alone must not control what you do in life or in poker.
You might have found yourself playing poker out of boredom or the lack of imagination to find something else to do. This leaves you without purpose and causes you to indulge in pointless activities. If you refuse to undertake the rigors of introspection, but still want to stick with poker, you might concentrate on poker with a goal of winning, and no matter what kind of poker year you have had, winning or losing, no one want to lose, so you play on.
You should concentrate on the fact that you must decide whether to keep playing the game or leave. The decision will have an immediate impact on your profits from the game and you know you cannot afford to lose. Now it has become apparent to you that the only reason to remain in the game is the odds are with you to win. Think about your ultimate goal, not whether you are winning or losing at any given time. You may be on a hot streak or in a cold spell, but what is important is the overall net gain. If you reason it out and see that however great the game is going now, that at the end you will suffer a net loss, get out now.
Practicing hit-and-run strategies may be a safe bet, but if you aim for more than safe play, this strategy is not for you. If winning is what you play for, play with discernment and introspection and leave the game only when you clearly foresee a net loss.
The plain truth is that in poker, all hands are dealt to all players by pure mathematical chance, having nothing to do with the goddess of luck. It is just foolish to get sweaty nervous when your cards are bad and totally elated when they are good. It is true though that self-fulfilling prophecies have been proven to have some psychological validity. If you have played a hand well and have had luck on your side, your success impresses upon your opponents that you are a player to be reckoned with. This makes you play even better, with confidence and the courage to take calculated risks, while your opponents are beginning to feel weak and cowardly, and even worse, they feel disheartened and unlucky.
So, what is important here, is to not let this happen to you. Allow yourself some introspection and you may even find that you are afraid to take chances and may really think that it is wrong to do so. Admit to yourself that this is you and this idiosyncrasy alone must not control what you do in life or in poker.
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