Dangerous thoughts

Demana · #1 12-09-2004, 07:06 PM

I feel like I should be able to win any hand I play and crush any table I sit at.

I consider both of these very dangerous thoughts.

Handling the easier of the two, winning any hand I play is more of a "I want to win" type of thing and I don't let it blind me such that I will play dumb. It is just that if I am in a hand, I feel like I should be able to outplay my opponents and win the pot. I'll still throw hands that miss, etc., but that just means that on the next one I'll be that much more aggressive.

As for crushing any table I sit at, that falls in line with just being lucky enough to find some really good tables lately and beating them up.

I have no doubt that both thoughts are ego driven (leading to over confidence), but I have yet to figure out why they are there and take a more objective look when they come up.

I'm sure a lot of people on 2+2 deal with this.
How do you handle it?

Xargque · #2 12-09-2004, 07:08 PM

Have a losing night (not intentionally of course, but eventually it will happen on it's own).

-X

CinnamonWind · #3 12-10-2004, 02:05 AM

You'll lose 200BB in a swing at one point, and realize that sometimes the cards just aren't with you. It's called "gambling" for a reason. All you can do is improve your chances of winning. The rest is not up to you.

Demana · #4 12-10-2004, 05:38 PM

I had a losing session last night and it felt... good?

Yep, it did, at least once I left the table. I took bad beat after bad beat and lost the money I bought in with.

Looking back on it though, I didn't have my A game. Heck, I didn't even have my C+ game. And it showed. Horrid card reading, weak aggression.

I didn't have any of the dangerous thoughts either.

So perhaps the thoughts aren't as dangerous as I thought they were. Maybe instead they let me know when I'm playing good...

Spidurman · #5 12-10-2004, 07:19 PM

Having self-confidence is NOT a bad thing. Believing in your ability to play is also NOT a bad thing.

Assuming that anytime you sit down that everyone is cowed to you and (I assume) you aren't a world famous player - that's dangerous.

Demana · #6 12-10-2004, 07:25 PM

I much prefer for people to make judgements about me based on how I play, not just who I am, though I don't mind the occasional first impression assumption based upon my sometimes lackluster dressing standards.

Spidurman · #7 12-10-2004, 07:45 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I much prefer for people to make judgements about me based on how I play, not just who I am, though I don't mind the occasional first impression assumption based upon my sometimes lackluster dressing standards.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well yeah - what I was going for is your impression of yourself (as a feared player) may not match their initial impression and if you make assumptions based on your impression and not their impression - its a non-optimal play at times. (if that didn't make sense, I can try to rewrite it, but longer).

Demana · #8 12-10-2004, 09:00 PM

I understand what you are saying and I try to hold off on the tricky moves until I've built a table image that warrants it's action.

Especially in the $4/8 lakes that I tend to play in.

tek · #9 12-11-2004, 11:42 PM

I was viewing my Sklansky The Video and Seminar dvd set yesterday. DS says that you are doing good if you win 2 out of 3 sessions.

If the poker god doesn't expect to win every time, why should we?

Mike · #10 12-12-2004, 12:58 PM

Think about all the good you can do at the table. Scared players have somthing real to be scared of, newer players can be intimidated by a very agressive style. More seasoned players have time to re-evaluate their play.

Seriously if you are not going out of your way to be disrespectful to another player at the table, and you can afford it, why should it be a problem?

As Dr. Al said in his book, not everyone is at the table just to win.