| 13 Oct | Focus on Long Term GoalsPosted by PokerBarney on 4:00PM, 13th Oct 2007Permalink |  Send to a friend |  RSS feed |
Casual poker players would perceive poker as a game that involves short-term decisions and instant winnings. They overlook the long-term aspect of the game. People play for the fun, excitement and the attractive monetary rewards associated with this game. Since pots are won frequently, they hardly ever bother about a long-term strategy that would help them win games in future. This is the shortest and the surest path to failure.
When you are playing poker, always plan for the future. There can be no arguments against the fact that poker is thrilling and offers huge rewards every moment, but this can mislead you into believing that you stand a chance to win every game you play. It is high time you got disillusioned. You have a better chance of losing than winning if you are only looking at the momentary pleasure of winning. Talented players have, many a time, gone astray because of the lure of winning fast and big money. An attitude such as this drives people to doing stupid things that make them highly prone to mistake. Wins and losses are a part of the game. A roller coaster ride is exciting only when there is a slide downwards. A desperate player bets recklessly and eventually loses a fortune.
Focus on the ultimate prize is what keeps good players going. They do not focus on what is right in front of their eyes, but look beyond what they perceive as either a win or a loss. Luck does play a significant role in poker and even good players would have had a string of losses, which could perhaps be attributed to luck. However, very few good players believe that luck supersedes skill in poker. The first skill that good players learn is perseverance. They understand the need to keep going regardless of the circumstances. However, they do take risks whenever they feel they can justify it. Reckless play is not appreciated, but calculated risks are. There have been times when good players have put down the opportunity of a momentary win to focus on the bigger prize ahead.
A common observation made in tournaments is the tendency of players to put in heavy bets after a spate of good luck and excellent hands. They lead the table and start believing that they can translate the momentary fortune into great winnings. Sometimes, they do win with such reckless play. Fortune is a fickle mistress, they say. One moment, you are extremely lucky and you race ahead and the next moment, you could be the least fortunate person under the sun. These circumstances are unpredictable and it would be inane to assume that you cannot be defeated after a sizeable lead. People who assume this are the ones that blunder most of the time. It is a natural tendency to pile up more chips when you are doing well. However, the point made here is - do not go overboard with your illusion of invincibility. The ones that keep persevering regardless of how bad their situation is are people who taste success in the long-run. They are always disillusioned and never go overboard when they are fortunate enough to win a few games. They sustain their focus till the very end, neither faltering nor playing recklessly. They are the players who play sharp and play with an intention of bagging the big prize. Momentary wins do not distract them at any point of time.
Poker is a game of patience and perseverance. You might sit pretty at some stage in the game with big earnings. However, remember not to take your eye off the ultimate prize. If you instill this thought in you early on, there is no way you would be a short-term winner.
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