True poker story: "I had five tables open, but was totally bored."

These words are true: Poker can be dull as dishwater.

However, before you sentence me to death by stoning with ripe peaches, which would be expensive, messy and time-consuming, let me add another controversial statement.

Yes, it's true, poker can be boring; and that is a good thing.

Have I gone mad? "Fetch the peaches!" No, wait, followers. Check out this quotation, straight from the Bible:

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
Proverbs 6:9-11

To understand the subtle message at work here, we must first assume that you entered the Church of Texas Holdem as a loyal follower with the desire to improve your game; a fair, true poker professional (no matter how part-time your poker 'career' is) who's prepared to maintain your starting hand standards, no matter how long it takes to pick up a hand.

A little sleep, a little slumber -- you could be waiting for many minutes between good, playable hands. Even when multi-tabling online, that can mean there are long periods when all you seem to be doing is throwing away your cards.

In poker parlance, your form is taking a snooze. Nothing’s coming your way. You can approach this in a variety of ways. Of course, not all of them are good ways.

1) You could begin calling with weaker hands, throwing away your cards if you fail to pick up a decent flop.

The trouble with this approach is, it may cost you too much to see all those flops. The one time you pick up a great hand like two pairs, or a lucky straight, you might not get paid enough to compensate for all those loose calls; or worse, it might lose.

But the real danger with calling too often is getting involved. You pick up a middle pin straight draw, or a weak top pair no kicker type of hand, and bleed away your chips.

2) You could change gears and try to push people around.

This is actually preferable to being too passive. The reason? Nobody is going to respect a player who constantly flat calls, but plenty of people respect a raise.

The problem is, do it too often and eventually the dumbest chunk of granite will notice and adjust his play accordingly. You will run into a cow who will figure that even a hoof of a hand is more than enough to keep a bluffer honest.

3) You could heed the advice of the above quotation: "a little folding of the hands to rest".

Poker can be exhausting. It’s a mental challenge like few others, testing your powers of observation, judgement of character, psychology, mathematics, statistics, patience and sense of humour.

So, enjoy the chance to folds some hands, to rest! Don’t be a slave to the game. The true poker professional knows the cards will turn around in time. Relax, make notes on your opponents, and keep your powder dry for when the cards turn in your favour once more.

You're a true poker professional? You need more help from the Church of Texas Holdem!