In the last article, we analyzed and dissected some common beliefs that impatient poker players have. In this article, we will look at the traits that poker players need to develop in order to fix their patience problems.

These fall roughly into four categories:
• Reality
• Perspective
• Goals
• Philosophy

Reality – “Just play as a machine”

Why start with reality? Because it’s a given. Perhaps the only given you cannot change. Impatience at the table is a direct result of not accepting reality, particularly that of your own humanity. I recall one poker writer advising: “Just imagine yourself as a machine, playing hand after hand.” Wow, that’s really helpful! How do you exactly cease to be a human? Moreover, even if that were possible, what will that bring you? Denial of your humanity, which includes the fact of your own weakness and fallibility, can result only in decreased profits. You get nervous. You get upset. You get tired. You make poor plays (only occasionally, let’s hope!). Live with it. Denying or ignoring these facts will take you absolutely no where. Repression ensures that many of your problems will continue. Recognition of reality is the first step in changing and transcending it. Most players are impatient simply because they do not accept the facts, whether about themselves or the nature of the game. Stop demanding that reality is something that it is not. You are wasting your time and money. Whenever you feel tempted to retreat into comfortable denial, merely remind yourself that it will not help. You are choosing not to grow. Of course, that is not to say that the best thing is to be passive and do nothing about it. You need a positive perspective.

Perspective – “I suck”

Your perspective is closely connected to your acceptance of reality. Perspective is your own subjective angle, the “spin” that you put on what you perceive around you. There are positive and there are negative ways to have one. For example, on realizing your mistakes and weaknesses, you might say: “I suck”. While that may be a true statement about reality, it is the wrong way to contextualize it. You want to put a positive spin on things in a way that makes you feel good and that motivates you to improve. Instead of “I suck”, you may choose to say: “I need to work on my skills more.” Be your best friend. The worst kind of perspective that you can adopt in poker (and in life) is that of a victim. While you do not determine what hands are dealt to you, you do determine how you play them! You are not a poor victim of anything. Do not allow excuses to cloud your perspective. It is easy to excuse a loss from a victim point of view and it even feels good! But it is more productive to be honest. There is only one question to ask: “What did I do wrong?”. Take the professional perspective. Be interested solely in improvement.

Goals – “Easy Money”

Set realistic goals. I personally think that expecting to win significant sums of money in your first few months of play (and perhaps much longer than that!) is rather unreasonable. Preparing for large downswings and unexpected losses is wiser. Perhaps one of the worst things that can happen to you as a poker player is to start winning instantly (there are of course exceptions to this rule). Most people figure that poker is “easy money” and then wonder why they give it back in just a few hands.
Patience also has to do with breaking down your main goal into smaller ones. It sounds easy and obvious but it is in these “obvious” aspects that so many players go wrong. Most players have little understanding of how to monitor their progress. Winning more hands? Winning more money? The bankroll fluctuations do not necessarily reflect either improvement or retardation of your skills. The goals should not be thought of in terms of financial gain, but in terms of the quality of your play. The question is: how does one measure the quality of play if not through financial gain? It is your decision-making quality over longer periods of time that is the true litmus test. How often do you raise pre-flop in middle position with nobody in the pot? How often do you fold a winning hand on the river? Post your numbers on the Internet Texas Hold’em Forum and ask around. There will be plenty of feedback.

Philosophy – “I want it all”

No, I do not mean that rather useless discipline taught in universities (having a graduate degree in philosophy, I can say that!). I mean a philosophy of life, the way you put all the pieces together off the table. We are a culture of instant gratification. “I want it all, I want it now,” we scream while blasting the Queen song. Aim for balance. Don’t be one of those players who feel that if they are not playing the game or thinking about it, they are losing money. You need a life outside of poker. Make sure it is something relaxing, preferably outwards. Your health and well-being will thank you later. It will reflect in your expanded capacity for patience.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at the traits that poker players need to develop in order to fix their patience problems. In the next article, we will wrap up the series.

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