Focus Is The Key For Winning In Poker
There might be a fine line between stupid and clever, but there's certainly a fine line between winning and losing if you play poker at anything like a serious level. I'm sure I'm not alone with memories of playing a great night’s poker and then when I wasn't looking somehow ended up with empty pockets and rocks in my belly.
The worst of those night I'd been playing smart, I'd made plenty of beautifully timed bets, used the right cards (at the right times), slipped in a tidy check-raise or two and even a couple of sneaky bluffs just to keep the fun ticking along. My stack of chips is high the field is thinning the clock says it's late and maybe the calendar says it's already tomorrow, but I own this table and I can read these cards. Around this time my mind would drift to spending my winnings or maybe if I should bet the pot once or twice, shake these guys up a little.
Less than an hour later I'm out. What just happened?
I didn't know and yet I should have known cos I was right there when it was happening, but I can't remember just when the tide turned, sure I can remember the couple of daft moves and those two bad beats, but I was chipped-up and rolling. Those things shouldn't have upset the flow. And it wasn't them that cost me, it's a usual thing three or four hours into the online poker tournament, (with the big last win in my grasp) it was all me.
When it happens to you (and it will) try and remember the hand when things went bad, if you can't remember it EXACTLY how it happened then you lost focus. You want proof? You'd remember it if you hadn't lost focus, that's your proof. If you can remember it might play out something like this: it's a cheap and easy flop, nothing to get excited about, maybe you're thinking of fixing grabbing a bite to eat or a swift refreshing drink once you've won this hand, and to make it a little saucy a couple of other guys stick around and add to the pot, that's no problem, (maybe a sandwich, or a coffee) the turn makes no real difference to anything and we're in (mm a steak sandwich perhaps, with that nice mustard, I'm not a Blind on the next hand so what the hell I'll either fold…but if I get the nuts I might bet the limit) and there's the river, yeah I'm in (yeah a bit hungry) and sure re-raise, and feeling bit tired too – I wonder how long till I win this thing, and what….? I just lost…on a stupid hand! What a mug! How did I get so far in this game playing like this rube.
The answer is I didn't. The mistake I just made wasn't the sport of stupid play I was making three hours ago when I sat down to play poker. I'll start by blaming fatigue, I'll blame the stack of chips for spoiling me, but whatever (or whoever) I might blame it all boils down to focus, or rather the lack thereof. Even if you don't "accidently" go all in a bad beat when your brain is wandering, it often leads to panic betting and chip haemorrhaging.
Stay focussed, you're responsible for your own chips and your own money, good cards aren't a god given right, and you have to work at getting lucky. The simple fact is that the longer you can stay in (by keeping focused and concentrating) the better chance of you hitting the sweet spot. A great hand can pop up at any time, respect the gods of poker by paying attention to the game and they will reward your concentration.
