A Poker Player’s Self Deception
Deception and poker go hand-in-hand. The game is all about making others think one thing when the truth is the opposite. In a situation where lies and deceit are all part of the game, it’s hard to be honest with the one person you need to tell the truth to: yourself. Here are some ways poker players self-deceive.
Self-Deception and Table Image in PokerIn poker, the
table image is how others at the table perceive you. If you arrive at the table with a mountain of chips spilling all over, have a very loud personality and start betting into every pot, you will probably be perceived as a loose player. If you arrive wearing a suit and put your chips in very neatly whenever you play a hand, the image you will generate is probably that of a tight, conservative player. Your actual hand play can adjust this assessment quickly. If that well-dressed player raises the first three pots with nothing and shows his bluffs, most players will re-adjust and characterize this player as aggressive. What is important is that you understand what your image is. If you think you are perceived as a very tight player, you may be making too many plays that you think will not get called. You also probably perceive yourself as being tighter than you are which may show up negatively in your results.
Self-Deception and Poker Session Results AssessmentYou may meet “professional” poker players who proudly announce huge win rates such as $50, $100 or $500 an hour, even if the stakes at which they are playing do not jibe with such high numbers. Often these players “forget” to include certain losses in their calculations, or find a reason why they “don’t count.” You need to know the truth about your results in order to make future poker decisions such as how often to play, whether to move up or down in limits and how much you need to retool your game. It will help to keep accurate information, recording your results after each session.
Self-Deception and Poker Skill LevelWhy do we play poker? Many poker players think they are more skilled than they actually are. In fact, this is what keeps poker games good, since if consistent losers could not chalk up their losses to bad luck they probably would not come back to the
online poker sites. If you want to be a consistent winner, be honest with yourself about where you are now. Get poker friends and acquaintances to give you their assessment of your game. Look critically at your results and figure out what they mean. While this task may be unpleasant at first, it will set you on a path towards a much brighter poker future.
Anybody want some poker books, software and a Pokerstars jersey?
Go bid on
Ebay.
I'm moving to Orlando and we're selling off half of our stuff so we can travel light. My trips to Atlantic City will be few and far between now (as if they hadn't already shrunken). Before I could get in the car and be there in three hours. Now, it'll be a three hour flight and security lines, delays, etc.
I'm going to have a couple more poker games at my place to see everyone a couple more times before I take off. It should be fun, but at the same time, I'm sure it'll be bittersweet since I know it'll be the last time I see most of those people for at least a couple years.
Expectations for the 2008 WSOP: The Player's Championship
While the entire 2008 World Series of Poker is eagerly awaited, one of the events that will probably garner special attention this year is the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. Many of those who play poker professionally consider this to be the number one event. This challenging mixed-game poker contest can expect a lot of press for a number of reasons.
Chip Reese
The untimely passing of Chip Reese in 2007 came as a shock to the poker world. Reese was considered by many to be the best all-around poker player that ever sat at the felt, and he confirmed this by winning the inaugural $50,000 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event in 2006. This event, which featured the highest buy-in in World Series History, was considered by many to be the “true world poker championship” or “the Players Championship,” because it required knowledge of all poker games and the buy-in was considered too high for amateurs to participate, even through satellite. After his sudden death, the tournament was renamed in Chip Reese’s honor.
The Prestige
Although the World Series of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event still gets the bulk of the media attention and is filled with the best online poker players, and though it’s winner is still dubbed “the world champion of poker,” those in the know give more credence to the H.O.R.S.E. event. The main event is considered an amateur’s championship because of the huge field of non-pros. The H.O.R.S.E. event is almost all pros, and its winner garners a special kind of respect among poker players.
The Buy-In
Although the WSOP has increased the number of big buy-in events this year, none compare to the $50,000 that those who want to take a shot at the H.O.R.S.E. championship must fork over. With so much money at stake for each player and the giant prize pool that it will generate, many eyes will be on this final table.
