Once again my dear friend Falstaff missed the boat. Playing smarter and at tables where you've done better is NOT the cure for "fear & doubt". Not worrying about losing your bank roll IS the Cure.
Gambling money is (and should always be) entertainment dollars that you can afford to lose and still pay your bills. To me, poker is an absolute blast, win, lose, or draw. Obviously I want to win just like everyone else. It's simply NOT the "be all, end all".
Isn't that what I said? Exercising proper bankroll management and table selection means that you won't ever worry about losing your bankroll. If I don't play above the limits dictated by my bankroll, I don't have to worry about losing it. I pretty much adhere to a 10% rule, which is not exactly the tightest bankroll strategy, but it works for me. I don't sit down at a table with more than 10% of my roll in front of me. I can lose a couple of buy-ins at $200 a clip without being crippled, and I'm a decent enough player to be able to pull the plug on a shitty session if I'm going to go further south than that in one session anyway.
Warbucks looks at his poker money as gambling money, which to him is entertainment money. I look at my poker money as a self-supporting revenue stream, contributing positively to my personal net worth. That's a pretty stark difference, and it highlights the two most common opposing viewpoints of poker players.
If you want to play recreationally and to have fun, go for it. You're more than welcome at my home game just like the dear friends who came over last night, some of whom donated and some of whom took cash away. If you look at the game as recreation, then Warbucks' view is absolutely correct - play with extra money, just like you spend your extra cash going to the movies. Do NOT ever play with money you can't afford to lose.
If you want to play seriously and as a form of revenue, then you might want to consider a little deeper the concept of bankroll management. If you don't ever put more than 10% of your bankroll on the table, you're not going to go broke. If you pick your tables carefully, you'll have a better shot at growing your bankroll to increase the limits at which you play.
There's nothing wrong with either view, I just tend to look at poker a little more seriously than the average recreational player. I still have fun, win or lose. But I have more fun when I win and play well. The odds of me ever becoming a professional poker player are slim to none (and Slim, he left town). But I'm a hell of a lot better player than I was a year ago, and I know that I can continue to improve and move up in limits with more study and analysis (I know Warbucks thinks that's crap). And that's another part of what I enjoy about the game, the ability to improve and learn. And make more money. I likes money.
In other news, if the opportunity ever arises to sit between G-Rob and The Mark in a G-Vegas home game, come down with dysentery. Fast. I felt lucky to get out of that bloodbath only down one buy-in (and a little change). Raises, re-raises, push-monkey moves and a blatant misuse of the "Easy" button made for a hilarious time and a nice little lesson in dodging hyper-aggressive players for me.
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1 comment:
I find that one of the dangers of proper bankroll management and keeping checks on wins and losses leads to a fear of losing your bankroll.
You put that much effort into tracking your money and watching it grow slowly over time...it can be hard to accept losing a chunk of it all in one push.
I'm in the same boat myself. Maybe it'll get better in time once I've got more confidence in my game and my abilities to rebuild my bankroll should it suffer a serious ding or two.
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