Activities with a high degree of complexity require introspection to raise them to a level where they can be considered “art.” This principle certainly applies to playing poker and even not playing poker. To play or not to play poker requires an intimate knowledge of oneself, more so than most people are willing to learn. Self-evaluation is the basis of introspection and this is very difficult to take on. We struggle against inward knowledge and find it much easier to obtain knowledge of events and circumstance outside ourselves. Accurate self-criticism of our characters is anathema. In poker, lacking introspection can make you play way more and way longer than you intend, but you don’t know how or when to stop.
You may have come to poker because you had no idea what to do with yourself in the first place. Persons without purpose regularly engage in pointless activity. If you just won’t take any introspection, but still want to deal with the problem, a possible way is to deliberately focus on the idea that poker is about winning and that nobody, including yourself, despite what may have been happening for the past year since you had taken up this accursed game, nobody likes to lose.
Zero in on the fact that whether you opt to stay or leave has a serious impact on your profits from the game and losing is not an option. So, you are staying in the game only for the reason that you have a good chance of winning. This is your ultimate goal. At issue is not whether you are winning or losing right at this moment, whether luck is with you or far, far, away, the issue is your overall net profit, and if it is clear to you that no matter what is happening now, the end will result in a loss to you, get out, get out now.
If you wish to play safe and adopt a hit-and-run strategy, go ahead. If your goal is to win, though, you must play with clarity of mind, and know when to hold and when to fold.
Realize this, all cards are dealt to all players with random mathematical chance, having nothing to do with lady luck. Becoming a nervous wreck when you get bad cards or getting high on the good ones is nonsensical. However, self-fulfilling prophecies do have some validity as psychological phenomena. A really good game and a lot of luck impresses upon others that you are a good player. This builds up your confidence and allows you to play more aggressively, while your opponents are now feeling weaker, playing in a more cowardly manner, and even more disheartening to them, feeling unlucky.
So, what is important here, is to not let this happen to you. Allow yourself some introspection and you may even find that you are afraid to take chances and may really think that it is wrong to do so. Admit to yourself that this is you and this idiosyncrasy alone must not control what you do in life or in poker.
The author of this article plays online poker and gets Rakeback at Power Poker where they offer the highest Power Poker Rakeback.
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