PATIENCE!!!!

Congratulations Corron10 on winning the Math, taking down his 2nd seat for the BBT3. As for me I went out in 44th place, I just can't seem to be able to get anything really going in any of the BBT3 events which brings me to my topic "PATIENCE".

pa·tience (noun)

1.the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2.an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3.quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

One of the reasons that I love poker is that it's such a personal and mental skill game. It is a microcosm of our world in so many ways. In poker, you have to have discipline, be patient, take the right opportunities, be aggressive but not reckless, know when to take a chance, know when to bluff, and know when you're beat. These are not only good poker skills, but good life skills as well.

If I don't consistently have discipline and patience at the poker table, I'm not going to be a winning poker player in the long run. Even if I somehow manage to squeak out some profits, I'm not winning as much as I could. My goal in my poker game is to crush my competition and make the most money that I can. I've learned to do that by trying my best to master the psychological aspect of poker. I'm not talking about getting inside my opponents' heads in this instance, but rather my own head. I can memorize every poker strategy trick in the book, but it won't help me if I don't take control of my own mental habits.

A major leak in my poker game is my starting hand requirements. I get antsy to play, so I like take chances and play hands that I know I shouldn't. This shows a lack of self-control and patience. I'm not going to pretend that any of us can completely eliminate the urge to play trash hands from the wrong position. Sometimes, we all do it. But I know I have been trying to minimize how often it happens because in the long-run, it's costing me money. Most players have hand guidelines for a reason: certain types of hands are profitable from certain positions, and other types of hands are unprofitable from any position. Of course, you're occasionally going to hit that two pair on the flop with your 7-4 offsuit, but don't forget all those times that you missed completely or the times when you sort of hit the flop and made a questionable call to stay in, costing yourself even more money. This is where discipline enters the equation.

If I'm in that pot with your 7-4 and I'm not on the big blind, I probably threw patience to the wind. However, since I can't take that back, I'm going to have to show discipline throughout the rest of the hand. A huge reason why you don't play trash hands is that you're often going to be stuck in a tough situation on the flop. It's easy when you don't pair up or make any sort of draw on the flop, and you throw your hand away. However, what do you do when the flop comes out 7-J-2? If you have good poker discipline, you throw this hand away if your opponent bets unless you have a perfect read on him and know that he's bluffing. Most of the time, it's just not worth the risk. You made a mistake by being in this hand at all, so try to resist throwing more good money into this pot. If you call that bet on the flop with middle pair, you usually won't improve on the turn. You can't call another bet, so you've just chased part of your stack away. Sure, it might seem insignificant at the time, but these lacks of discipline and patience will add up.

I hope to see everyone in the Skills (Razz) game tonight.