Take Caution When You Play Poker Especially With Seasoned Pro’s By Paul O'Donnell At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Just when we thought there could not be a more infernal addiction, gambling burst on to the scene. At lower levels, it provided great pleasure. Bets were placed in a controlled, calculated and well-formatted way. It resulted in wins and losses; but losses of a large magnitude were not heartbreaking, to start with. Unfortunately, we slowly moved into the era of no-holds-barred gambling, and people started putting in everything they had. The lure of big bucks compounded with the evolutionary patterns of the country resulted in big betting houses. Most of them were regulated and properly policed, but still did not do enough to put an upper ceiling on how much one wanted to gamble.

Let’s take the case of poker to form an idea about how gambling in its various forms have simply taken the sheet from under our consciences and trapped us viciously in its lure. Poker is addictive. It leads to euphoria and trauma, and honestly it is trauma that largely surfaces at the poker table. Statistically (though nothing ever is conclusive in the poker circles) 80 to 85 percent of poker players lose money; this is enough to support the average living structure of the remaining 15 to 20 percent of players. The best players are not the ones always involved in big games, and the poor players are not the ones you would invariably find in small games. The competition at hand is largely the somewhere-in-the-middle- type.

The small, mid, and large games all have their players, and this has resulted in the lavish spread of all kinds of games. Most people enter poker having read just few books on the subject. They assume it would support their stay around the table. What they tend to forget largely is that it is about money, and hence there can’t ever be a quick path to success.

Also, we have professionals, who keep playing at lower stakes almost invariably. Very seldom they do move out to the bigger arena of higher stakes and lose money to the who’s who of the game. Sometimes, with the tide of fortune their way, they also make some money and prefer to move back to their acquainted smaller yards. The problem occurs when they successfully do it a few times, because it is then that they begin to play with the big shots more often and consequently end up losing largesse, in the due course of time.

People tend to lose on higher limits because they are constantly beset with the notion that they are making money - or at least breaking even. With higher stakes, such a notion can be a death-bell.

Another mindset, which causes huge downfalls, is ego of a gambler. Big poker losers would vouch how they wanted to be known as ‘people of the big league’, and hence jumped unarmed, without preparation, into the field of high stakes. This results in an expected abysmal show, and hence loss of a huge amount money. The big players know how to work this out most of the time, and hence lure the rookies by encouraging them with soft statements like “you were good, you deserve more, and perhaps a little more luck would have done it”. With such deceit coming in from the big players in a subtle way, the novices lose their ground and get further trapped in the mire.

Sometimes these rookies move back to the lesser arena only to show-off their newly acquired skills. Unfortunately, some of the players there are too well-versed with the game, and thus the rookies get a beating even here. This compounds their worry and in a fit, they pile on their losses. This is how small poker losers turn into big ones.

The high point is to effectively challenge one’s own mind and ensure that as a poker player, we must not let ego come out from behind the tapestry. Moreover we must be analytical, properly prepared, know the balance and, obviously, understand that a bad day is a bad day, and the best that can be done in such times is to minimise the losses. Good days also come. And yes, lastly, to make money out of the game, one must preferably keep as anonymous as possible. Poker tables are scattered with people who know the art all too well and are yet constantly treated lightly. They put a hold on their ego and just concentrate on making money, which they effectively make anyways.

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