Playing Poker: What Motivates The Top Poker Players
Why do we play poker? But especially why do you play poker? This
might strike you as an odd question but it is very important for
your future success in the world of poker. The reason why you
play poker is at least as important as the way you play poker.
We can categorize somehow the reasons why we play poker, we can
properly analyze them and after that we can use them to improve
our actual gaming style.
If we could ask several hundreds of players "Why do you play
poker?" the odds are quite big that their answer would be "For
the money". But if we could access their last year statistics we
would see that some just didn't win any money at all, or at
least that they didn't win more that they lost. If money is the
only reason these people play poker they why do they keep on
doing it? Of course, there are many more answers that they don't
really want to admit. This happens because there are many other
motivations that push us to play poker just as great as the
desire to win many, but many of them are even greater.
And when you come to think about it, you can surely find many
many reasons: fun, the love of the game, competition, making
friends, the desire to beat the best there is in the world of
poker, and the list can go on and on. But if you understand the
various reasons behind your game you will eventually manage to
change your view about winning and losing or you will be able to
choose the perfectly fit games for you, the ones that will bring
you the most success.
In his book, "Psychology of Poker", Alan N. Shoonmaker explains
in detail the importance of understanding personal impulses in
order to find the answer to the question "Why do we play poker?"
I will take the liberty to speak a little bit about this theory.
Take a pen and a piece of paper and write down the following:
Money Making friends Relaxing Pleasure Competition Just passing
time
If you can think of additional reasons, write those down also.
Now you will have to think hard and find within yourselves the
real reasons you play poker for.
Once you did that, write after each reason a percentage, even if
it is 0%, just keep in mind that all of them added must equal
100%.
If someone would play poker 20% for Money, 10% for relaxation,
50% for pleasure and the remaining 20% for competition, then he
would be what is called a loose player most of the time, playing
many hands and staying in the game as much as he can just for
the thrill of being there. This is the most important think for
him and it influences his style of playing.
If you manage to carefully and correctly analyze your own
situation you can eventually change some parts of your game you
don't like or improve the ones that you consider are good.
In many types of competitions, the battle is firstly within
yourself and only after that with your opponents. Bad mistakes
in poker are made when you are too proud, when you question your
ability and doubt your self all the time, when you are too
scared or shy when you must take an action or when your thoughts
are just somewhere else.
If you play poker just with friends to pass the time, then you
must choose games with low bids, so your bankroll will last
longer. If you are playing to relax then stay out of the games
with poker fanatics and choose some games with less involved
players.
The answers can be various and they only depend on you. But
answering the question is a must if you wish to improve your
game.
About the author:
If you're searching for poker home games or
a local poker
tournament, visit http://www.find-local-poker.com today.
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