Emotion

[IlliniFan97]

You hear so many pros talk about this topic. The problem is the inability of many players (me included) from becoming emotionally invested in the game.

I remember when I first started playing, I would marry those pocket Aces. Until death of my bankroll or the river, whichever came first (in those days, my bankroll). Why? I was emotionally invested in the hand. Aces never lose, right? Be aggressive, push with them, right? I can't lay down the best starting hand in poker....but that's what it is, the best STARTING HAND. Not the best hand after the flop, turn, or river. Just the best pre-flop.

Sometimes you get the feeling that a player or players are targeting you, reraising you on purpose. Pushing you around. A lot of times, you are right. They have tagged you as an emotional player and have decided to get under your skin and put you on tilt. And it works.

The hardest part of the game for me lately is dealing with normal variance. I no longer am married to the Aces. I may raise pre-flop, but if warning bells start going off I can lay them down. I have learned to play smarter, and have started to study my game and see that I am no longer emotionally invested in any individual hand.

But, looking at my play, I am still emotionally invested in the game. When I have a bad day or week and my bankroll is seeing some "variance" I get grouchy. I get a short fuse and bark at the wife, Mrs. Fan. I neglect the list of stuff I need to do around the house and mope. If I have a good day or week, I have more energy and get a lot more done. I have learned to let go of emotion during single hands, but am still working on the emotion around my entire game.

A bankroll is what a player uses to determine how well they are playing. It is your "score" as to how good a player you are. It is a vicious circle. You have to learn to not hold on to your score in order to be truly competitive.

So, here I am. Trying to learn from my mistakes of being too invested. I'm going to make a real effort for the next several weeks to not care about my bankroll, and not be obsessive about it. Hopefully, I can let it go and become a better player. If anyone has advice on how you have managed these situations, please start some comments. See you at the tables.

[R_Ellender]

If I'm on a downswing, I'll usually try to spend some time doing things that don't involve poker for a few hours/days, whatever it takes. It's good to have other hobbies or interests so that all/most of your focus isn't on the one thing that's bringing you down(your unlucky stretch). The bad luck is never the problem, it's thinking about the bad luck that gives you the trouble.

Eventually you have to confront the bad luck before you sit down again, but its best to think of it in a positive way. When I go back over my losing sessions, I think of the few hands where I may have been outdrawn, though my play was correct. Then I do some math in my head to see how much I earned when I value bet my AA on the turn against a flush draw... and I feel better realizing that I earned 7.8 bbs when I made the bet, or whatever the total may be. (I assess my earnings in each situation like Sklansky does in TOP examples)

After going over a few of these hands, evaluating how big my earnings were in each situation, I think to myself, "I kicked ass that day." So I sit down, ready to play well, and ready to earn... that's all that's important, whether I get my paycheck now or in the year 2009.

[Rozez]

My thinking is quite similar when it comes to losing streaks. Every time I make a play that has +EV but ends up horribly I tell myself "I made the right decision and the outcome doesn't mean a thing because eventually the money will find it's way to my wallet". This is hard at times , like when you have played outstandingly throughout the hand but still wind up second-best. Recently I've even tried smiling to my opponents after they draw out on me and saying things like "Nice hand" or "Well played, pal". I've still got a lot of work to do with that but I hope someday I'll be free of all my emotional limitations so I can improve my game further. I want to wish good luck to all readers with your emotional struggles.
[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Rozez