Poker Player Survival Skills

Unfortunately Survival

One of the great statesmen and most quoted men of the twentieth century was Winston Churchill. He was the Prime Minister when England faced the greatest challenge in its history. He understood the need to instill backbone into the people of Britain so that England would survive in World War II. Let me quote:
Victory at all cost, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival. Unfortunately, a poker player is often faced with plain ordinary, garden variety, vanilla-flavored survival. Whatever level of skill you possess, regardless of mental acumen, notwithstanding the amount of study and dedication, it appears there is at least one period or more in every career when one's very survival is threatened. I believe this also applies to every person in whatever career choice they make. Since this is a book about poker and how to win at poker, I will concentrate on how one must first of all recognize the crisis of survival and, more important, how to survive a tragic turn of cards/luck.

Recognize The Fact Of Crisis

I write about the shift of fortunes and recognizing if the cards have turned against you or you have turned against the cards. In my experience, I find it is usually a combination of both. A flow of bad cards often precipitates a flow of bad play. I will not say it is easy to determine what comes first, bad cards or bad play. It is a most difficult task to be completely objective in analyzing the interfacing of luck and skill. Usually the recognition of the crisis comes from poverty, reinforced by a serious review of your won-lost record.

Coping With Survival

I believe you would agree that a most critical matter is coping with a tragic turn of the cards. We must know how to survive? The first suggestion I have is to lower your expectations. It is a true statement that expectations are a key to happiness. Don't expect to win much. Be willing to quit with a very modest win. In fact, be happy with a modest win. Adjust your thinking so that you are in a famine and a bowl of soup might be all that you can expect. The second suggestion is to critically review your discipline. Do not let your emotions rules. Do not moan and groan. Pick only the best starting hands and abandon. Your hand if the situation turns dangerous.
My third suggestion is to be extremely careful to find the optimal conditions. Don't play in any game where you are not a favorite in Australia poker. Don't play in any game that is beyond your current bankroll. If you have to sit and wait for the better game, do so. Remember, this is survival. You cannot afford the luxury of deluding yourself that you can now beat every game. When money is in short supply, don't risk. Face the fact that every player in the world has a crisis and this is yours. How you cope with the crisis will determine much of your future success.