Knowing When to give Poker a Break

There was an exceptionally good article on www.ukpokerplayer.co.uk recently (in fact, most of their articles are excellent) regarding “When not to play online poker”, and the author listed several standard reasons such as, not playing when you are drunk, tired, or playing with money that you cannot afford to lose - and then added “Never Play For Playings Sake”.

The article continued that switching on your computer and logging into your favourite poker room because you are bored and have nothing better to do, is equally as detrimental to playing under the influence of alcohol when you have not slept for a week. The author correctly pointed out that, if you have gone to your virtual games room in a non-winning frame of mind, then guess what – you won’t win! S/he concluded the article by writing that they wondered if there were any more good reasons not to play.

Well, there is. When you stop going online to learn how to play poker, that is when you should stop playing poker. The world’s greatest players confirm this every time they write a book. Do you think they actually need the £11.95 that we will happily fork out to read their latest musings about the game? Of course not. Writing about poker for the poker pros of this world is both cathartic and educational. They get to analyse their own play, identify their own weaknesses and use the opportunity to improve their game.

This is what every player, no matter what their standard, should do every time they enter a game. Inasmuch as the ultimate aim of your participation is to leave the table in profit, you should also have learnt something about the game and the other players who were involved with you. You should be trying different strategies, playing different starting hands from various positions and identifying others players traits and weaknesses. You should be using every opportunity to hone your game and increase your skill level until it is time for you to write your own book!

The cause of this problem can often be due to having spent too much time online recently, in which case it is better to give it a break and come back to the game when your enthusiasm is rekindled and your desire to learn has returned. For failing to do so displays an arrogance that will damage your game, and eventually your bankroll.