The Best In The Business

[david3103]

vis a vis the showing cards thing - do you ever show a bluff?

[DaveShoelace]

Have you read the mental game of poker? I now it sounds really silly, but it's a fantastic book.

I think a lot of people on blonde will attest to my mental game problems. I developed a bit of a reputation for it, it's all over my blog, and it has cost me some friendships and some potential backing in the past. Even though I have improved an awful lot on that front this year, I still relapse reasonably regularly, and as a result I've started to get very interested in breaking down what the fuck is going on in my head to make me behave in the way I do. I don't know if any of this will help you, obviously you're a far superior player to me and will be speaking to people with way more experience in every aspect of the game, but I'll try and go through the work I'm currently doing and how it applies to me, and maybe it can help a little.

I feel one of the first ways to approach any problem is trying to find it's route cause. For me, it was the years I spent playing rugby. Basically, the defining years of my early life (like 11-16, when your personality properly developed), I spent 3/4 days a week being taught that if I made a mistake, I should get increasingly aggressive and take out any frustration on the other team. Needless to say, I got sent off a few times in my rugby career, and that mindset became very heavily ingrained into my competitive personality. This has affected my ability to perform in other sports, like golf and bowling, where relaxation and mental balance are vital. If I throw a bad shot in bowling, my instant reaction is one of (sometimes intense) anger.

The same thing happens in poker. If I make a bad decision, my instant natural reaction is anger. If I am losing consistently in a certain area, then the same feeling arises, because I have an annoying habit of convincing myself it's completely my fault and I must be doing something horrifically wrong, which causes me to believe I'm making bad decisions, which causes an angry reaction, which prohibits my ability to improve. I was often told that I have to cut that out entirely. That I have to be emotionless at the table, and remain totally level. For me, this just isn't possible. I think I'm always going to have that instant reaction, but what I do now is get over it ridiculously fast, and the reaction itself is considerably smaller. I work through the feeling in my head, find the route cause, and invariably end up laughing at how completely illogical and counter-productive my reaction was. Now I know this is mostly to do with tilt, but the same principal applies here. The first little success is always ridiculously rewarding too. I imagine the next time you go to type something into the chatbox and then snap delete it you'll feel pretty good about yourself.

One of the things I learnt through "The Mental Game of Poker" was to break down each individual feeling in a more scientific way, and I've ended up applying this approach to basically everything I do. For example (and this is all totally presumptuous, obvs I've never met you and don't have a clue about your mental approach to things), the showing your cards thing probably comes from one of two feelings. The first would be a desire to prove yourself, that showing a sick fold gets you their respect, and their reactions fuel your own confidence and their appreciation of your success validates all the work you have done to be able to make that fold. The other would be more of an alpha male thing, to be a boss and show everyone that you never make a mistake. The two are kinda similar, but the second is more to do with showing people either you've just owned someone or that they've just got very lucky, so they don't feel like they've owned you. Because I don't know you, I might be completely wrong and it may stem from something else entirely, but I guess what I'm trying to pick out is that line "There really is no reason to do this but I do it every time". Psychologically, there is always a reason why we do these things. At the time, it has to make complete sense and seem like the best thing to do, else we wouldn't do it. The key, imo, to starting to solve these problems is discovering the reasoning behind them.

In my unbiased opinion, +1

[cheesies]

Enjoying the read

It's almspt as if to say omg look how fucking good this fold is. It's obviously bad to do and after listening to a podcast with jabracadabra he said he loves to look like a killer at the table. Game face on, not giving anything away being the guy people just want to avoid. And I totally agree.

This seems like just another incarnation of the same problem to me. From 'I want to be seen as someone who can make sick folds' to 'I want to be seen as someone who doesn't care whether anyone knows if I can make sick folds or not, and come across as a killer'. The problem is the 'I want to be seen as...' bit, not whatever comes after.

[DaveShoelace]

I've been hiding behind insecurities over the last 12 months. I know I have mental game problems by because I've done well in other areas it hasn't been such a huge problem. I want to truly eradicate them all and for 2015 play as close to my a game as possible.

I'm going to write down what I can think off the top of my head I do wrong that I know I do wrong but still choose to do it. I feel like just writing that I do it will bring it closer to my attention Than knowing it's there and trying to change it.

1- showing my cards in live poker

I have this thing of whenever I make a fold that I know is big or I know is probably exploitatively very good I have to show the whole table. It's almspt as if to say omg look how fucking good this fold is. It's obviously bad to do and after listening to a podcast with jabracadabra he said he loves to look like a killer at the table. Game face on, not giving anything away being the guy people just want to avoid. And I totally agree. For 2015 in the live arena I really want to stop this whole showig my cards in big pots. Another example is if lets say I have 88 on a98q and then on the river a queen comes, he gets, I call and he has aq. I feel super compelled to show the whole table how unlucky I was. There really is no reason to do this but I do it every time. Maybe some of you have a similar problem? I know this is not a huge thing but it's definitely a mental leak

2- raging in chat

Raging is definitely an overstatement. But over the last 2 months or so I've been a little bit of a dick in the chat box. I don't donit vs fish or even in tournaments like the big 109 but if I'm in the 320 6max or the 109r or a 215 turbo/215r or something I see myself typing "clever" one liners to people. I can't really think of an example now but again being the stone faced guy behind his computer who gives nothing away is obviously a way better way to be. Showing that side in chat is definitely a weak thing to do and something I'll really try to change in 2015. Again it's really not a big issue at all, I'm doing it rarely, but never is better than rarely  

Sounds like these two are linked issues. As you suggested yourself, sounds like you want to make sure you look good in losing, and the way you do that is by showing people, either by tabling your cards or embarassing the guy who sucked out on you. The question is do you want to look good, or just be good?

The problem is when you try to surpress it, it actually can nag in the back of your mind after you do. Its a bit like trying to ignore your phone while driving after you here the text message ping. It can end up being a distraction if you don't check your phone and you might be distracted if you dont table those cards etc.

Its one of those rare spots where I would attempt to take the willpower out of the equation. Tell a friend you'll give him £20 every time you show a folded hand live and do the same for chatbox rants (or indeed, disable your chat). Its one of those things that you'll eventually do automatically with practice (I did a similar thing with not looking at my hole cards after getting a walk in the big blind).

3- acting irrationally quick

Don't get me wrong I dislike fake tanking a lot and it spoils the game but I'm the opposite of that. I act way way too quick. If somebody 3bets me to an insanely small size I just snap call because I'm not folding. When I'm the guy 3betting if somebody takes a long time to call, takes a few seconds to check the flop, takes a little while before making a decision on the turn etc it just feels a little bit different. Obviously I'm far from the complete player too so acting wuickly doesn't allow me to think over all potential options.

4- trying to play big pots

I think a lot of my early success this year was to play a lot more cautiously and small ball whilst not getting too deep into it recently I've been upping the aggression in certain spots and always trying to play chip lead pots and really going for it. I think I prefer the approach I was going with previously. I feel like between 3pm-11pm on a Sunday I play similar to most other regs but between 11pm-6am I really play my A game when others get tired:tilted etc. Last week in the Sunday 530 I was 1/200 all the way down to the final 2 tables. There was a player I'm not really fond of who raised, I called 77 and the bb called. The flop was tt5 they checked I bet, original raiser called and I decided to bet the queen turn, he raised, I called and then called his river jam on a blank. Basically all my mental errors came to the surface here. I called the turn and river so fast I really didn't put much thought into it. I knew inside I was going to call anyway so taking time to me was almost like nit rolling, when I bet the turn like always I had a plan but I still acting irresponsibly quick. I was playing a fucking hige chip lead pot with 77 on tt5q3 sure I still probably thjnk it was the best play giving everything but 3 months ago I was passing up on marginal spots and my record deep in tournaments was the best on stars this year.

I can't think of more right now, but just wanted to get all that kind of off my head and jto writing as I thjnk it will make it easier for me to eradicate them and help me improve as a player. Next year I really want to maximise my potential and cutting out all the negatives is so important in a game where others are constantly improving.

may come back and add to that list soon, if anybody has some similar stuff or perhaps the same stuff as I have is obviously like to hear about it too.

Both of these sound linked also. Both sound like you are trying to get to the result quicker than is needed. You want to get to the end of the hand in the hands you act quickly in, and you want to get to a bigger stack sooner rather than later. Is the big pots thing a recent problem? It kinda would make sense given you recent form if somewhere deep down you expected to get a big stack in most of the MTTs you played. Or would you say the issue is you really hate not knowing/uncertainty? A lot of people hate uncertainty so much they will rush to shit or bust decisions that are not in their best interest, simply to get to the result and end the uncertainty.

[nirvana]

A few interesting reads recently, liked the bit about feeling the need to show cards, something I'm trying to stop doing. Especially do it when I know I had someone beat, they fold and I want to be nice to them to show they made a good fold.. pretty sure it's the wrong mindset for poker but on the other hand, not so bad stacking up karma points.

As to the name - I like site names where the name on the tin fits what they do.

IntelligentPokerStaking
MentorPokerStaking
InsightPokerStaking

that kind of motif

[Tal]

I'm no Tendler, but I was a little harsh to you the other day, so I'm going to offer you some highly amateur but more constructive advice.

Showing cards? It's easy enough. Just show consciously. Know why you're doing it and keep a log of everything you saw and everything you think you did. Misdirection is one of the most fun parts of live poker.

As for a lot of the rest of the stuff, work on not being the guy at the table everyone hates. Try being liked. Mr Deadman is a master at it. Dare I say it, Mr Negreanu made a nice living by being the popular guy at the table (some of us are old enough to remember a time when playing poker with people you'd seen winning flips in 100bb six max SNGs on the telly was like Steven Gerrard asking if you fancied a kickabout down the park). That new bloke off of Sky isn't bad at it either.

In all seriousness, as much as you consider it your job (and more), like all jobs, it's so much better when you're having fun doing it. If a book helps you with that, great. If a counsellor can offer you needed more in-depth guidance, fine, but it will always have to come from you to make the decisions.

I remember reading about you playing SCOOP instead of meeting with some old friends. You must absolutely love poker, more even than what it offers you in return. Why? Is it the thrill of the ride? Is it risk and reward? Is it when you win a pot? When you recover from a downswing? The social elements, even online? Something else?

I seem to recall someone telling me "Find out what makes you happy and then do a lot of it". Apply that solely to the context of poker and look to shape your thinking to match that. Reward yourself when you've done something well and remember when you've made a mistake so that you avoid it in the future.

The single worst thing you can do is decide, when you make a mistake, there's no point carrying on and you've ruined everything. That's when you get frustrated and hit the big red Self Destruct button. Just get back to work - the job you love - the thing that brings you happiness - and try to spot when you're about to make another mistake (it'll happen. I've lost count of mine long ago).

I'm really looking forward to the December 2015 Pleno.

[simonnatur]

How about "Joust" or "JoustStaking"  Jousting was what a medieval knight might have done in a tournoi or tournament. As a business name short and memorable?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tournament_%28medieval%29

[pleno1]

Did a 40 minute podcast today about some MTT stuff

http://www.tournamentpokeredge.com/midstakes-living

[pleno1]

Have you read the mental game of poker? I now it sounds really silly, but it's a fantastic book.

I think a lot of people on blonde will attest to my mental game problems. I developed a bit of a reputation for it, it's all over my blog, and it has cost me some friendships and some potential backing in the past. Even though I have improved an awful lot on that front this year, I still relapse reasonably regularly, and as a result I've started to get very interested in breaking down what the fuck is going on in my head to make me behave in the way I do. I don't know if any of this will help you, obviously you're a far superior player to me and will be speaking to people with way more experience in every aspect of the game, but I'll try and go through the work I'm currently doing and how it applies to me, and maybe it can help a little.

I feel one of the first ways to approach any problem is trying to find it's route cause. For me, it was the years I spent playing rugby. Basically, the defining years of my early life (like 11-16, when your personality properly developed), I spent 3/4 days a week being taught that if I made a mistake, I should get increasingly aggressive and take out any frustration on the other team. Needless to say, I got sent off a few times in my rugby career, and that mindset became very heavily ingrained into my competitive personality. This has affected my ability to perform in other sports, like golf and bowling, where relaxation and mental balance are vital. If I throw a bad shot in bowling, my instant reaction is one of (sometimes intense) anger.

The same thing happens in poker. If I make a bad decision, my instant natural reaction is anger. If I am losing consistently in a certain area, then the same feeling arises, because I have an annoying habit of convincing myself it's completely my fault and I must be doing something horrifically wrong, which causes me to believe I'm making bad decisions, which causes an angry reaction, which prohibits my ability to improve. I was often told that I have to cut that out entirely. That I have to be emotionless at the table, and remain totally level. For me, this just isn't possible. I think I'm always going to have that instant reaction, but what I do now is get over it ridiculously fast, and the reaction itself is considerably smaller. I work through the feeling in my head, find the route cause, and invariably end up laughing at how completely illogical and counter-productive my reaction was. Now I know this is mostly to do with tilt, but the same principal applies here. The first little success is always ridiculously rewarding too. I imagine the next time you go to type something into the chatbox and then snap delete it you'll feel pretty good about yourself.

One of the things I learnt through "The Mental Game of Poker" was to break down each individual feeling in a more scientific way, and I've ended up applying this approach to basically everything I do. For example (and this is all totally presumptuous, obvs I've never met you and don't have a clue about your mental approach to things), the showing your cards thing probably comes from one of two feelings. The first would be a desire to prove yourself, that showing a sick fold gets you their respect, and their reactions fuel your own confidence and their appreciation of your success validates all the work you have done to be able to make that fold. The other would be more of an alpha male thing, to be a boss and show everyone that you never make a mistake. The two are kinda similar, but the second is more to do with showing people either you've just owned someone or that they've just got very lucky, so they don't feel like they've owned you. Because I don't know you, I might be completely wrong and it may stem from something else entirely, but I guess what I'm trying to pick out is that line "There really is no reason to do this but I do it every time". Psychologically, there is always a reason why we do these things. At the time, it has to make complete sense and seem like the best thing to do, else we wouldn't do it. The key, imo, to starting to solve these problems is discovering the reasoning behind them.

Thanks for this post btw. Good for thought.

[Kmac84]

Did a 40 minute podcast today about some MTT stuff

http://www.tournamentpokeredge.com/midstakes-living

Thought you were a Geordie?

I seemed to understand this.  Weird.

[strak33]

Cant remember if you invested in some of these or not but you did mention them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30415679

[pleno1]

Did a 40 minute podcast today about some MTT stuff

http://www.tournamentpokeredge.com/midstakes-living

Thought you were a Geordie?

I seemed to understand this.  Weird.

ha, yeah I get that a lot, guess I've lived away for too long.

Cant remember if you invested in some of these or not but you did mention them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30415679

We didn't actually. Definitely something I'd love to invest in but feel like maybe we've missed the boat. I guess the guys don't need any funding now either, shame really as it would be very fun.

[AlunB]

Serious question and not mean to offend or troll AT ALL. I'm just interested.

You have expressed some fairly controversial political views in the past. I wondered if your views on politics have softened over the years and now you are living away from Gib?

edit: Actually that question is way too broad to be helpful so maybe answer this one instead if you have time....

Do you think living in Budapest has changed your outlook on society at all?

I think currently politically I lose a lot of interest because there is nobody who stands who I think supports what I believe in or believe theres anybody with enough competence to not make a barrel of mistakes.

Living in Budapest definitely has changed my outlook on society. In Gib if you live for 15 years or so you get a free house (which is usually quite nice!) your children get free university education and full funding!! and lots and lots of other perks, they look after their people extremely well and just in general people don't have so much worries.

In Eastern Europe and obviously Budapest there are a lot of homeless people, I'm actually way more involved than you'd think and its actually very coincidental you ask now because I wasn't going to mention it, but I'm in the middle of trying to set up a charity to help homeless people. I've met a lot on the streets, feed many reguarly and give them clothing etc, I'm naturally attracted to the ones who look after dogs too, not just out of pity for the dogs but if these people keep themselves sober and have enough in their heart to look after a dog properly on the street then there is definitely a lot of good in their hearts. Of course there are people on the streets who for want of a different phrase "deserve" to be there, but I'm sure that society has failed them in some way or another.

For example the charity that I want to start will help fathers who have been punished due to the parental laws in Hungary which is something I will try to gain local support to help change it. Basically I'm not 100% sure about the facts and currently trying to clear them up, but basically the father is apparently legally bound to supply all things for the children up to a certain age, if you have 3/4 children which is common in Europe then if you've separated and have a low paid job (national average is incredibly low) then you are very likely unable to "break even" and thus forced onto the streets.

Pretty passionate about this but I guess won't write too much on the blog about it, I'm content with how I try to help society personally, even thought I don't voluntarily pay tax in the country I live in or the country my passport is registered in.

Interesting. Thanks for the honest reply mate, and really respect what you are trying to do there. Sorry for slow reply, but was in Barca for my work Xmas do (yes seriously).

[pleno1]

Kept my composure and my head tonight and won one of the toughest majors, the Sunday 6max for 25k outright. Probably more of an in depth write up tomorrow but going to watch the apprentice now.

Happy Mondays.

[BorntoBubble]

Incredible!

Merry Christmas pads! Have a good one.

Home with the family? Or with the Budapest family?