What is the #1 thing that is holding you back from the next level?

[BigEndian]

Hopefully, people will get as much as I have while I've been thinking about this.

It used to be that my number one liability was hand reading skills and using that information to minimize loses and maximize earn. I'm still not nearly as good as I could be, but I have improved this area dramatically in the past few months (which included a shot at the 15/30 and 10/20 games - no coincidence there).

Now, I think my biggest problem occurs in live games (occaisionally in online games). I care what others think about me and my play. This leads to two really unfortunate situations. If I'm losing, I tilt faster because I'm embarrassed. If I'm winning, I splash money around and give too much action as a point of pride.

To help myself with this, I plan on reading Zen in the Art of Archery (should arrive Friday or Monday) and making an concious effort to try to avoid the rollercoster known as arrogance. Maybe I could get a nifty little card marker that says, "focus, play and win without pride."

Anyone else care to share?

- Jim

[meep_42]

Bad beats. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
Table selection.

-d

[shant]

I have the exact same problem with live play, but it isn't so much an embarassment of my play thing as it is a wishing they would all die slowly thing. I am reading that same book you mentioned. I also stopped playing live.

[MaxPower]

I am able to effortlessly pull back on the bow and set the arrow while maintaining perfect balance, but I am unable to gracefully release the arrow in a similarly effortless manner.

I also don't enjoy losing more than 3 thousand dollars in 1 day.

[TheHip41]

[ QUOTE ]
I have the exact same problem with live play, but it isn't so much an embarassment of my play thing as it is a wishing they would all die slowly thing. I am reading that same book you mentioned. I also stopped playing live.

[/ QUOTE ]

I love it when you have to sit there and watch horrible players stack up 20 red stacks while people keep hitting sets on the turn vs my TPTK. I really really really have worked on just sitting there and smiling, and trying not to tell them how badly they suck. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[pudley4]

[ QUOTE ]


I also don't enjoy losing more than one thousand dollars in 1 day.

[/ QUOTE ]

(I have a lower tolerance for losing)

[SmileyEH]

Dealing with agressive opponents.
Unable to play as recklessly at higher limits.
Unable to deal with big losses.
Laziness.
Need to have a steady income.

-SmileyEH

[molawn2mo]

Zen and the art of archery is a good book but you may want to engage yourself in "the real thing" rather than a western approach to an eastern philosophy.

All reading to gain insight into an eastern-type thought process will by definition be a western interpretaion (except for a strictly koan-type reading approach) but we had no choice how we were born and brought up. It is only, now, with our current perception, that we are able to attempt to alter our western mindset.

I do not purport to be a scholar by any means, but I, many years ago whilest in my early 20s embarked upon a path that leads to the subjugation of the ego in the attainment of a oneness of being. It is a very singular and, many times, lonely path.

To "focus, play and win without pride" is a function of being in the moment. To be able to be in the moment is not doable without cleansing oursleves of our ego (Helmuth is a toad [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

I suspect that my comments are a bit more grandiose than you were expecting and I apologize if same appear to be off the wall.

In reply to post's real question... It is my mental laziness as it relates to learning and understanding much of the math that we use that is currently the most obvious weakness that I see in myself (aside from being a bit verbose and boring).

[ThisHo]

interesting question:

my issues (not necessarily in order, but probably close)

1 - overagression with overcards on missed flops : distinguishing the difference between "That couldn't have missed me more, if I can't win the pot right here I need to get out" type hands from "hmmm, ok, not top pair, but I've got some playable draws here, lets proceed carefully and see what happens" hands. Also, trying to accurately determine "can I win the pot right here?" When 6 people see the flop and the flop comes 10-high the answer is NO but I seem to refuse to believe that. Back to SSHE "Overcards" section once more!

2 - wimping out on the river and not getting those value bet/raises in at the end. This is probably closely tied to...

3 - Hand reading skills need some major work! Its getting better and I'm not bad at it when I play live and we're only getting in 35hnds/hour, but 3-tabling Party (on a laptop so I'm not seeing much of the action) leaves little time for improvement of this skill.

That's the short list.

~ThisHo

[JinX11]

Inability to stop spending poker bankroll on toys.