The Patient Poker Player
April 8, 2008
In my last few strategy articles, I’ve discussed some of the more obvious traits of a successful poker player. For instance, you have to be intellectually smart to be a successful poker player, not just poker smart. I’ve also touched on some of the more external traits of a winning poker player like playing poker with an aggressive style or playing fearless at the poker tables. This next trait may not be as obvious to some but I consider it to be one of the most important traits of every successful poker player.
Playing Patient Poker
Consider this fact, you will be dealt way more bad hands than good hands. The odds are simply against you here. There are substantially more bad hand possibilities than good hands when being dealt cards. And then consider that not every “good hand” will be a winning hand. There will most certainly be times when you will have to wait an hour or even more before you a hand even worth calling one bet with, and then it’s quite possible that you will lose with that hand.
Not every poker hand is a winning poker hand
Hoping you get lucky is a sure-fire way to lose at poker. Trash hands may win every now and then but in the long run, you will just lose more money, faster.
The successful poker player has patience. The successful poker player has the discipline to sit for hours on end, constantly folding bad hands. The successful poker player remains patient during this time, they know their position and they know what hands they can and should play. You have to have the patience to stick to your game plan.
What does the winning poker player do when getting a streak of bad cards dealt to them? They study. They study their opponents play, make some mental notes, and they study how other poker players are perceiving his or her play. The winning poker player takes advantage of the situation and learns who is doing what at the poker table. You have to be the type of poker player that has the tenacity and patience to ride out the storm of bads cards and come through with more knowledge than anyone else at the table.
There is an interesting advantage to being a patient poker player and observing your opponents image of you. As soon as you sense the table believes you to be a super-tight poker player, you can use this opportunity to steal a pot or two.