O-Poker

I have discussed this briefly before, but I can't stress enough how important it is to have a positive attitude when playing. I have been playing very well as of late and think a lot of it has to do with keeping focused and maintaining a positive attitude.

A negative attitude towards poker can make things go from bad to worse. We have all been there before. Everything seems to be going against us. The horrible players are knocking down our AA with 94. You think you are setting a trap with the nut flush only to be beaten by a straight flush. It all starts with a few hands horrible beats in a row and from there you seem to feel like the poker gods are against you.

You say, "I can't believe what ridiculously horrible luck I am having!" "I can't catch a f$*&ing break!" "I keep getting outdrawn - WTF?" etc. etc....

..Eeeeerrrrkkkkkkk (imagine a scratching record sound - I know pretty weak)...

STOP!!! Don't start thinking like that. Once your brain turns that corner and you start thinking like that you are finished.

When you start to play differently, you are more predictable to others. Your aces just got cracked and there is no way that you are letting that happen again. You overbet when you get aces and pick up a small pot. Now you are even more upset. You didn't lose with AA but you picked up a miniscule pot. Would you have played them different if you were running good? Almost definitely. It almost because a no-win situation. You aren't happy that you won a pot with Aces and you aren't happy that you didn't lose with Aces. You start to try way too hard to win pots when you would normally fold. Your play becomes so much more forced.

It happens to us all at times.

Bottom line... You can't play your best game when you are expecting to get sucked out on. Poker is like life, more good things seem to happen to positive people. It isn't that they are luckier. They put themselves in more positions where good things will happen.

The reason I am writing this is because a friend of mine is on a horrible run and he very frustrated with poker. I think his head isn't into the game right now (I might be in the same frame of mind if I had his bad luck as of late.) Hopefully, things will turn around for him with a few days or a week away from the tables.

cmitch