Psalm Two: winning poker begins with a winning attitude

Here’s some Holy help:

Church of Texas Holdem Psalm #2:
Winning poker always begins with a winning attitude.

I can hear you cry: “Come now, Father Ashley. We’re not fools. It can’t be as simple as that.”

There are millions of optimistic losers out there. People who would not know winning poker if it bit them on the behind. People who keep calling for one more card, in case they hit their miracle middle pin straight, or runner-runner flush. Sometimes, they will.

These are the same guys and gals who get up every morning and think: “Today might be the day my luck changes.” Usually, they’re wrong. Sometimes, the poker gods will smile upon them, but more often, they’re still at the mercy of the solid, patient, winning poker players.

But I return to COTH Psalm #2. You cannot be a winning poker player without a winning attitude.

Begin every session, every tournament, every single hand, as if you have never suffered a bad beat or a losing day. Keep in your mind a clear, achievable goal. An example of a clear, achievable goal is:

“I want to win $200 today.”

An example of a clear, yet less achievable goal is:

“I want to qualify for the WSOP via a satellite today.”

It’s possible, but such a challenge should always be viewed as a longer-term goal.

See the difference between this mindset, and the much more common one (among losers and casual gamblers):

“I’ll sit down with $100 now and see what happens.”

Or even worse:

“I will lose no more than $250. If that goes, I’m stopping.”

Most of the time, those players, whose experience has taught them that losing hurts, but not what to do about it (study the game, buy a book, get advice from an expert, or give up and spend their money some other way) will not play winning poker and so be down after that session.

That’s because they have begun their session expecting to lose! When they do, it’s no surprise. They have set themselves up to be a losing player.

Often a player who is dealt a pair of Aces will react with mixed feelings. There’s a little glow of excitement, sure, but this is tempered with a feeling of fear. After all, Aces sometimes get beaten, and usually when they do it’s a big chunk of their change in the middle of the cloth.

More often than not, it’s fear which leads to mistakes and mistakes which lead to losing. So be bold, be brave, and above all… be positive. You will become a winning poker player and your bankroll will thank you for it.

Here endeth the lesson.

Want to play winning poker?