Stay Focused, Don't Quit
During the 2008 World Series of Poker I ran into some tough opponents, tough hands and, even worse, a tough streak of luck. I was running bad but I came back each day trying to make the right decisions and continue playing the best game I could.
Poker isn’t an easy game and even if you believe that you play perfectly at all times, mistakes will be made when you start losing focus or become overly pessimistic.
One event I always look forward to on the WSOP schedule is the $10,000 Heads-Up World Championship. My fi rst round match should’ve been easy as my opponent was pretty simple to read. I knew exactly where I stood in each situation and I chipped away at him for the fi rst 20 minutes, getting him down to only 20% of the starting stack without playing a single big pot. Every time he acted it was clear where he stood, so whenever he was weak I would bet or raise and take the pot from him. However, even though I had quite the chip advantage, every time I got him all in – six times in a row – he had the worst of it but caught the card he needed to double up.
After the third all in came my fi rst and only major mistake that I can recall from this match. After I raised in position, he called and we saw a fl op of A-9-7. He bet into me, and I knew exactly where he stood. I held Q-J for nothing and knew my opponent had hit a piece of the fl op, but not enough to continue playing the hand if I were to put the pressure on. It was just clear that this is how he bet with second or third pair. I’ve seen the pattern and noticed that he will play in this manner and then fold when I reraise him. I moved to grab my chips to make a $2,500 raise. However, as I looked at the three chips sitting on the felt in front of me, I realized that I had bet $7,000 instead of $2,500, by grabbing two $1,000 chips plus a $5,000 chip instead of a $500 chip. I sat there knowing that I had made a mistake, but not necessarily a horrible one. He only had about $9,000 total when he bet $800 on the fl op, so it wasn’t unreasonable to make a bet that totally committed him to the pot if he didn’t fold. It is just that doing so wasn’t my intention. However, if he doesn’t make several mistakes himself, I still win this pot.
His fi rst mistake: He gave up mentally. As soon as I made the raise, I could see that he knew he should fold. But then, a look came over his face, and I could see him just mentally give up on the match. He was frustrated, tired and was ready to go home. It happens all the time to players who can’t seem to get on the right track. He had been all in three times already and had gotten lucky. If this was a boxing match, he would’ve just fallen to the canvas at this point.
If giving up wasn’t the worst of it, he then made another mistake: He misread my chips. Thinking, as I had intended, that the bet was $2,500, he grabbed that amount from his stack, and put it into the center of the table. Then, just before he removed his hand from the chips, he says, “Call.”
The dealer then pointed out to him that I had bet $7,000. At this point, he admits he misread the bet and pushes his cards towards the dealer while trying to take back his $2,500. The dealer then said he couldn’t do that and my opponent says, “You’re right, once chips go into the pot, you can’t take them back.” He then puts the $2,500 back into the pot, and pushes his cards even closer to the dealer, attempting to fold and surrender the $2,500. The dealer then informs him that he said “call,” and thus he has to call the entire $7,000.
He put in the $7,000 and the turn brought another 9. He perks up, sits up in his chair, smiles and ships his last $1,000. I instantly muck, knowing I am drawing dead. If I don’t make my mistake, he calls $2,500 and I don’t lose the other $4,500. If he doesn’t make all his mistakes, I win the pot, but that’s poker and the unpredictability your opponents can bring to the table.
Poker is a game of keeping your head and making the best decisions possible. Clearly this is a situation where mistakes were made and there are a number of lessons that can be learned.
First, I recommend that all players announce their bets and raises. Don’t let mistakes with your chips cost you a big hand. If I had verbally announced my bet, none of this would’ve happened. I often see online players transitioning to live games make this type of mistake. The bets aren’t clearly on the screen anymore, so announce your intentions. Plus, it removes all questions about chips that accidentally fi nd their way to the center of the felt.
The next thing to learn is to never give up and, along those lines, never give in. Later during the Main Event, I was frustrated with a player who was running over the table. On a board of 5-5-8 I held top pair and was pretty short-stacked. I had decided that I wasn’t going to give up this pot and didn’t stop and think about the situation. I committed my chips in a bad spot and he, holding pocket jacks, knocked me out. I was frustrated and in retrospect, I could’ve gotten away from the hand, but I was so worn down by all the previous action that I committed myself to this pot prematurely. My play wasn’t unreasonable, and it was quite possible that this player could have turned over a hand where I was the big favorite. However, in hindsight, it might have been the better play to fold on this fl op and I did not take the time to weigh all my options fully.
Keeping this focus is important. As soon as you give up on yourself and your chances, you will likely make some big mistakes. If you keep expecting the bad beats to come, they will come. Stay positive and focused and if you’re making the best decision you can make, don’t alter your mindset if you lose.
Finally, learn from your mistakes. If you only admit that you make them and then do nothing to improve your position the next time around, you aren’t doing yourself justice. Try to make the best decision you can and no matter what the outcome, you should feel content knowing that you made the best decision possible at that time.
