A look at one of the hardest obstacles to overcome in online poker, discipline 

You have read about them on the two plus two forums and you hear their stories while watching the World Poker Tour. They talk about how happy they are and how much freedom poker has brought them. They talk about money like they have an inexhaustible supply. Some even talk about the little things, like how poker has become a consistent second income for them.

 

Who are these people? They’re winning players. 

They are the players who have done the same things you have done. They have read all the greatest poker books, put in their time at the tables and probably lost a lot of money on the way. Yet somewhere along their journey they started winning, and they haven’t looked back. What’s the difference between you and them? Most likely it’s one of pokers hardest challenges and that’s learning discipline. You can know all the poker strategy in the world and have all of Sklansky’s and Malmuth’s books memorized to the T, but if you don’t have discipline, then you might as well just show up to the table,  pay everyone sitting there and then leave. It will be a much better use of your time.

 

Becoming a winning poker player is a true accomplishment and a big challenge. You may read a lot of success stories and see a lot of people doing it and they probably all make it sound fairly easy. If discipline comes naturally to you, then it very well might be easier for you than someone else. If not though, then it is truly something you must challenge yourself to work on.

 

Poker is a game of short term skill and long term luck. What this means is that you need to make the correct decision during every situation over a very long period of time to show a profit for your good judgment. In the short term, luck will either make the journey pleasant (during a good run of cards) or it can make it unbearable (when you get cold cards). The point is that the most important aspect is that of the long term. If you are well trained and know the game well, then you will show a profit over the long haul. The problem is when you let your lack of discipline cloud your otherwise good judgment.

 

Every time you deviate from your otherwise good strategy, you cut into your long term profit and increase the likelihood that you will not be a winning player. 

Let’s take a look at a few examples of how this might happen:

 

  1. You are playing in a soft game on Ultimate Bet when you are dealt a pair of Aces. After a pretty flat board and just some players who call you down to the end, you are slapped by a pipe dream inside straight that caught on the river. You are really mad. Now because you are so mad, you play the next eight hands in a row trying to recapture your loss. The problem is that you’re playing weak hands out of position and you are just throwing money in the pot, not raising or check raising, just calling. You’re afraid to play because you were beat by a long shot, yet at the same time your anger if influencing your judgment and you are hemorrhaging money. Going on tilt is hands down the best way to lose all your money playing poker. When a bad beat gets under your skin, exercise some good judgment and take a break.

 

 

  1. You have an affinity for Jack/Ten suited. You think it’s a good hand in large multi way pots and you play it well. You’re in middle position and the pot has already been raised twice pre flop. Despite the fact that you know calling is the dumbest move on earth, you do it anyways because you simply have to see the flop. You know it’s the wrong move, but you do it anyways. Winning players win because they eventually get away from behavior like this, do the same and you’ll be happy.

 

 

  1. You have been playing excellent for a month now at the $1-$2 Hold’Em tables on Ultimate Bet. Your poker tracker stats are good and your bankroll is sitting pretty at around $750 up from the $400 you started with. You decide your going to move up in limits today and multi table some $2-$4 Hold’Em with maybe a table of $3-$6 thrown in. You lose most of your bankroll in a couple of hours and feel like you have a giant hole in your chest. Your discipline, which grew your bankroll in the first place, went right out the window and now you’re probably done with poker until you can afford it again.

 

 

Are these situations you often find yourself in? Are you playing hands that you know you should throw away? Are you sitting in games that could eat your bankroll in an hour? If you’re answering yes, then you have a discipline problem and it would be in your best interest to curb it quickly. Unless your supply of money is truly endless, you will never build yourself that high limit bankroll by being an idiot and playing without discipline. Knowing that an adjustment to your mind set and your decision making could turn you into a winning player should be enough motivation to work towards improving your discipline.

 

If you are reading this saying “I hear ya, but I just don’t know if I can do it” then take a look at these tips below. Integrate them into your playing routine and keep an eye on the prize. Solid discipline can turn you from a knowledgeable, skilled losing player into a powerful and dangerous winning player:

 

  • If a good hand gets cracked or you can’t catch a good hand to save your life, then get up and take a break. Nothing feeds a losing streak better than more losing. Get up from the table (or the computer) grab a glass of water and give your mind a break. Simply change the scene for 15 minutes and collect your thoughts. If when you return, things still don’t feel right, then take an extended break or go find something else to do until tomorrow
  • Model your playing after the true disciplinarian you want to be. If you are about to make a move that you don’t feel right about, then ask yourself “ Being that I am trying to improve my discipline at the table, would this be the right move to make?” Most likely the answer will be no.
  • Look at the good things you have done to help calm stupid cravings. If you are doing well and making lots of money, don’t go ruining it by playing out of your limits. Trust me, the boys at the $10-$20 table will wipe out that $300 bucks you have made playing $1-$2 so fast you won’t know what hit you. Manage your money and your bankroll wisely and don’t go for broke the second you have some success. It is your consistent good judgment and playing that will eventually turn that $300 into $6000, at which point you will be able to take on the higher limits. If you need advice on money, read an article about Bankroll Management.
  • Get advice from, or watch, a truly great winning poker player. You will be amazed at how disciplined they truly are. Its one thing to read about discipline and know the right starting hands, but it is completely different to actually sit there and do it right.
  • Try to eliminate outside factors that might have an influence on your discipline and judgment. In online games, avoid chatting with other players and keep web surfing or other distractions to a minimum. In a live game move to a different table or find a different game if distractions at the table are clouding your decision making. Lastly, try to keep alcohol out of the picture unless you are purely playing for fun and don’t mind losing.

 

The most important thing you can realize about playing online poker is that if you never truly develop in to a disciplined player, then unfortunately you will never be a winning player. If your only goal is to have fun and enjoy the game, then this may never be a problem. But if you seek to truly profit from the game and be a winning player then mastering discipline will be your greatest achievement in becoming a truly profitable poker player.