Poker Professionals
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I finally got a chance to catch up on the Poker Superstars Invitational and I was reminded of a recent article by Linda Johnson in CardPlayer Magazine regarding behavior in the poker room. Not one player at the PSI ever seemed anything but thoroughly professional at all times. Bad beat? They just nod their head or make a playful self-deprecating comment. Busted out? Well that’s just how the game works. There’s no jumping up and down, screaming fits, or other amateur outbursts. When you contrast that with the WSOP event it’s painfully obvious that some folks have the emotional maturity of a small child. No Josh Arieh taunting of other players. No Phil Hellmuth bratty remarks. No Mike Matasow emotional collapse. IMHO, I think the poker community would serve itself a much needed reputation boost by showcasing the play of players like the PSI lineup over ESPN coverage of the childish antics of players who have mastered the knowledge but haven’t quite grasped how to master the game.
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hdouble added these pithy words on Nov 28 04 at 10:27 pmI still believe that most of the money that poker pros win is from those who are still tied to results-oriented thinking. We’re so hard-wired (especially Americans) to judge our performance on results that it’s extremely difficult to think that bad beats mean we are playing badly. The successful pros learn to ignore the results and focus on performance, and collect a lot of big bets from other players who are on tilt.
This goes back to your post about beginning players not understanding gambling theory. Have you ever seen a card counter whine to the dealer after losing to a 5 card 21 when the deck is heavily in their favor? No, because they understand the theory behind the game.
Understanding the odds is a big help in preventing tilt. Unfortunately, knowing the odds cold also eliminates much of the thrill of gambling. Ignorance may be bliss, but it’s certainly unprofitable.
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