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Learning Curves, Friendly Critique, Realizations, and other Random Thoughts... |
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December 2007
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Poker is a funny game. You play for a while, have fun - maybe make some money, maybe not. You read a few books or post a topic on a forum every now and then. Eventually you learn the nuances of the game and you feel like you've developed your own style of play. The next step to improving you game is really important: You should discuss other styles of play other than your own.
You may recognize correlations between the playing styles of your friends and your opponents. If so, you can ask your friends: “What counters your style?” Most people know the answer to this question, and you can use that information to adapt your play to a specifi c situation. In other words, if your friends and your opponents play similarly, you’re basically hearing fi rst hand how to beat your opponents. And although there are guidelines for the “right” or “wrong” way to play a hand, to make them a black and white issue is absurd.
I am most confident in my game after taking an extended period away from the tables to reflect on how I’m playing — what I’m doing right and what I should do differently. For me, these periods of reflection are what make the game fun. It’s important to understand where you were as a player in the past and compare that with where you thought you were. A lot of times those two places don’t match up at all. Then you start to think of the present. How good do you consider yourself and is that perception anywhere close to reality? This line of thought often puts things into perspective. All players would like to think that they are at the top of their game, but the truth is everyone can improve certain aspects of their play.
Getting a second opinion can really help this. Although I’m confident in my game, I value what other people have to say. Ultimately I may not incorporate all the advice they offer, but I’ll definitely consider the points they raise. Believe it or not, before the NBC Heads-Up Championship, I hadn’t played a single heads-up tournament, so it really helped to have a friend I could discuss strategy with during breaks.
I can’t say enough about critiquing your own play. Some sessions I played mostly on instinct. Then when justifying why I made some of those plays, I’ve found that they made no sense at all. Forcing yourself to defend your actions to a friend (real or even fictitious!) can be a huge learning tool. I try to explain why I’m making certain bets and why those bets are the amount they are. I’m not looking at just the financially significant ones, either. For example, perhaps I drove a player away when I could have made some real money later in the hand.
As with anything, timing is very important when discussing hands. Even if the player knows that he or she made a mistake, the tendency is to take criticism personally and that will likely affect future hands in the session. So, immediately after the hand is over is not the right time. But if you wait too long, it will be tough to remember the details of the hand. Therefore, if you truly want to improve your game, keep track of the interesting hands throughout a session, then when you explain the precedent to a friend you’ll have all the specifics. You could even explain each step of the action and ask what your friend would do (and why) before telling how you played it. This will give you a new point of view and you can debate whether your play was right or wrong.
Being open to criticism is obviously a must if you choose to try this. Realize that even if you think you are a better player than your friend, his advice may still be exactly what you need. I guess I’d sum this up by saying that a little friendly outside perspective can really help improve your game, even if it’s already pretty solid.
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