Poker Pays My Bills

When you were a kid, did you ever think that it wasn’t fair that you didn’t get paid to go to school? After all, grown-ups got paid for getting up early and going to work all day, and school certainly felt like work. Most people don’t like to spend time and energy learning to do something well if there is no reward for their efforts.

Poker is a great hobby (or even career) for those who like to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Not only is it fun and fairly exciting, you can also get paid for playing. Poker, unlike elementary school, actually pays you real money for making an effort, doing your homework, studying, and getting good grades on your tests.

Playing a session of poker is like taking a poker test. Every time you have a decision to make, your poker skills are being tested. The more correct answers you get, the higher your score will be. The best part is that if you do well on this test, you get paid! (In the short term the relationship between good decisions and money won can fluctuate due to the variance inherent in the game, but the correct decisions always make money in the long run.)

The test metaphor is a useful way to improve your poker habits and decisions. For example, if you had to take a test on a subject and you wanted to do well, you would probably study, read the necessary books, take notes, and make sure you get enough sleep the night before. So the meta-game decisions such as learning poker theory, deciding when to play (and not playing if tired or emotional), and preparing for each session will ultimately affect your performance on the actual test.

The test analogy also helps with specific poker decisions. Often times it can be difficult to separate what we would like to do (such as win a pot, or get revenge on the guy who robbed us) from what is actually the best poker play. When it comes to success in poker, what you want to do doesn’t matter. All that matters is doing what is correct for that exact situation. In order to do what is correct, you need to ask yourself the right questions. (Like all tests, an important part of getting a high score is reading the questions carefully.) So next time you get a sudden overly-optimistic urge to play a marginal hand in middle position, remember the test analogy. The test question in this case is “Is it correct poker to play this hand in this position?” and not “Is it possible that I might win a pot if I play this hand right now?”

How well you perform on every poker test will ultimately determine your win rate. Studying the game, preparing for your sessions, and asking the right questions will help you find the right answers.

November 22nd, 2009 Magdalena posted in Good Poker Habits