discipline!

[guttermouth]

This is the first thing i've posted on here, but here it goes..

I have a remarkable casino experience to shaire with everyone. I'm only 20 yrs old and have been playing hold em for about a year and a half. My friend and i went to the casino in halifax NS recently. We sat 5/10 for about nine hours. I left up well over 1K, and my friend -300.

I couldn't believe the cards i was getting. Whenever a pair landed on the flop i had the trip in my hand. I even flopped quads with 2 in my pocket. My friend however, couldn't buy a pair or even a draw.

Everyone else at the table were regulars with much more coin to throw around. They took me for a chump and i, in turn, took their checks. I left there and security walked me to the cash with 2 full racks.

For a first timer at hold em at the casino my night could not have been any better. I look at my friend and realize that this is probly not a common occurrence.

As a begginer at texas hold em, I only have one question for anyone who wants to reply:

HOW TO I KEEP MY DISCIPLINE AT THE TABLE (ANY TABLE) WHEN I'M NOT GETTING THE CARDS??

this is a major problem with me and usually is the reason i might lose at my home games. when i start getting bad cards it seems there is nothing i can do to pick myself up and re-build.

any suggestions would be great

[Stu Pidasso]

Before you sit down to play, go to the bathroom and look your self in the mirror. Now say out loud the following phrase

"I am dogshit"

Say it again, this time louder

"I am dogshit!"

Say it a third time, you have to mean it. Say it louder and with more feeling. You have to believe it in your heart

"I AM DOGSHIT!!!!"

Once you accept you are nothing but dogshit, the pokergods can never say anything, or give you a bad run of cards that can hurt you emotionally.

Seriously, has anyone ever seen a pile a dogshit go on tilt? Just make sure you leave the table before you dry up and blow away.

Stu

[Snoman]

You simply must continue to fold. If you cannot take comfort in the fact that to play would be throwing money away than it is unlikely that you will be able to be a winning player. You said it yourself in the subject line; discipline. Start with shorter sessions during which you promise yourself to play as well as you can. Hope this helps.
Sno

[PokerBabe(aka)]

Snoman is correct. [img]/forums/images/icons/ooo.gif[/img] Fold, fold, fold. Wait, wait, wait. Boring, boring, boring? [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] Yes, but who said this poker stuff is easy? If you observe the better players you will see them sitting and waiting for the opportunity to play. Observe the best players and learn from them. If that 10,Q starts to look good to you UTG, it's time to go home or at least take a break. Try not to acquire bad habits. Solid and straightforward play will get the money. Remember Babe's motto at all times...LGPG, Babe [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]

[bernie]

learn how to watch hands that youre not involved in...

i think one of the main reasons players tend to play too many hands is boredom and the 'seeming' lack of involvement. they dont feel like theyre playing unless theyre actually in the hand..

if you know how to watch a hand after you fold, you wont be bored. but this takes time and experience to develop. and some develop quicker than others if at all.

also, come clean with yourself as to 'why' you would play hands you shouldnt. and answer honestly. even if it's an answer you dont want to say...

if you dont know your own weakness, another player on your table eventually will. and he'll take advantage of it. simply because he may know part of your game better than you...

just some ideas....worth exploring...

b

[bernie]

"If you observe the better players you will see them sitting and waiting for the opportunity to play."

i think youll agree that they are also using time out of a hand to assess/look for adjustments for other players...theyre not merely 'just' waiting for a hand...theyre actually very involved with most of the hands...even the ones theyre not in...per se...

b

[ResidentParanoid]

Some things that I used to do that would get me in trouble with losing discipline: Let's say I folded some small unsuited connector pre-flop, and then hit an open ended straight on the flop. I'd anguish over the turn and river card, hoping my straight wouldn't come.

Now, my pre-flop play is mostly automatic, and I rarely remember what I mucked after about 30 seconds. I usually pass the free time doing things like: calculate some pot odds; chat with someone at the table who I think is interesting; watch a good player who has position on me most of the time to try to get a read; talk about the jackpot and any promotions going on; make some guesses/reads on the more obvious players at the table; talk about the game on the big screen; try to remember the details of an interesting hand so I can post it here; *be sure* to watch the outcome of the hand when there's a showdown and think back to how those hands were played in the earlier rounds.

[Bob T.]

I think you have to develop confidence that you are a good enough player to beat the game in the long run. I find that in the games and limits that I have enough good results at that I am confident of my abilities long term, I don't have a problem staying patient and playing my game. Even if I am stuck 30 or 40 big bets for the session, I can continue to play well.

But if I am moving up, or playing a different game than one I am familiar with, then I feel a lot more tense about losses, even though they might be smaller than those that I can deal with in my regular game. So when I am out of my comfort zone, I limit my time and loss to a level that wont be significant, and that way I don't have to maintain my patience for a long time.

If you find yourself getting impatient, don't sit there and try and be patient, change the situation enough so that it is a new one, and you can start over playing well. Take a break, get a seat change, get a table change, change limits or games. When you sit down in the new situation, try and play as well as you can just as you do when you are starting out for the day.

You also need to be involved in the pots that you are not playing in, try and predict the action on the next round, what hand will win, and who holds it. Watch what they turn over at showdowns, and notice what position they played from. Figure out what kind of plays your opponents are making, do they bluff, do they semibluff, do they raise for free cards. When do they fold, do they always take on off if they see the flop, do they fold alot on the river. How do you take advantage of each players tendencies when you are headsup, can you use one players aggressiveness to leverage players out of pots, or just to build big pots.

If you are watching and thinking about each hand, you might not even notice that you are sitting there not playing hands, and won't get so anxious about not being involved. When you finally do get involved in a pot, you will also be ready to use the information that you have developed, and will be able to make the most, or spend the least when you do play.

Good Luck,
Play Well,

Bob T.