Poker Isn’t About How Good You Are

Poker isn’t about how good you are. Poker is about being better than the people you’re playing against. Like the man trying to escape a bear in the woods you don’t have to be a fast runner just faster than the other bloke the bear is also chasing. Actually an even better option is not to go to the bear infested woods in the first place – I mean they have bears in them and as far as I know no internet poker.

Cash games are about game selection pure and simple. Find a game in which you have an edge, play as long as possible with that edge and watch the money roll in. The problem is we all have an ego and the temptation to tangle with good player and prove ourselves is almost irresistible. Maybe I’m speaking for you all too freely – okay I confess I have an ego problem. When a player pops up at my table with good aggressive stats, or if I know he’s a winner in my games a little bomb detonates in my head and I’m ready to rock and roll with him at the drop of a hat.

A few nights ago I sat down for a session of mid stakes no limit and was reminded, quite painfully, in the wallet, of the perils of ego driven decisions. I was playing three tables and the same regular player was sitting next to me on two of them – one in position the other to my left. I’ve played with him a bit before and knew he plays really well, is tricky, aggressive and probably has about 4 gagillion posts on two plus two. I was focused and playing well but when he joined the tables I felt the beast slowly crawling out of its cage.

I started deliberately playing more pots with him – three betting him preflop regularly sometimes with cards sometimes without, and calling his preflop reraises in position all riled up and ready to ‘out play’ him post flop. The initial exchanges went well as I managed to bluff him off a couple of hands which only increased my confidence. The problem with good players is that they pay attention and adjust quickly. After three betting him several times in position and making a four bet bluff out of position the beginning of my demise arrived.

I held 99 and three bet him in position. The action passed round to him – he thought for a bit and then shoved in 110 big blinds. It was a huge over shove which snapped me out of my poker haze. After some thought I realized what was going on – he was frustrated with all my three betting. I’d got under his skin and forced him to error. He was shoving with a small pair or two broadway cards or even junk because he’s ‘snapped’. I hit call knowing my nines were ahead – maybe miles ahead. I hit call and got shown Aces.

He knew I’d think he was fighting back light and his shove would look weak and bluffy. He’d trapped me, was thinking a level ahead of me and I’d been owned. It took me a while to realize I’d been completely out played. Sadly that while was about an hour and several buy ins. I couldn’t adjust as he had, I was frustrated and stubbornly trying to out play him instead of just playing my hands for value or making the one correct adjustment I needed to make and leaving his tables. He proceeded to check raise me off my non-existent hands when out of position and beat me up when he was in position. After thirty or forty minutes I was no longer playing that well at any table and playing really poorly in any pot with my villain.

After steadily bleeding some money to him the end came. I open raised with 88 and he, as he had been remorselessly reraised me which I called. The flop came J 4 3 with two clubs. I checked, he bet and I called. The turn brought a 6. Again I checked he bet and I called – so far so passive and bitch slapped; though I was confident I was ahead. The river brought the Q clubs. I decided I could represent the flush and get him to fold a bigger pair and bet out. He thought and then shoved all in over the top of my too small, too weak, illogical looking bet. Of course he can be bluff raising me here but I didn’t even consider the possibility instantly hitting the muck button in pure frustration. I have no idea what he had but then my focus and clear thinking had disappeared 4 buy ins ago.

This last car crash of hand was enough and I finally managed to leave his tables. Looking back the next morning I had to admit to myself that on that day, in that session I was outplayed – he was the better player. And as a poker player that’s the hardest thing in the world to to admit.

Originally published in Poker Player magazine.

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