A Poker Manifesto
Written by: Scott Lum
Now is the time for recreational players to uplevel their game. Stop playing just for fun. Stop making it just a social night out. Stop treating poker as a card game.
With the U.S. and global stock markets going through wild gyrations, most of our retirement savings have been plummeting and face an uncertain future. A possible recession looms, and prices of everyday things may start to rise. Companies will be tightening expenses and jobs may be at risk.
We need to take control over our expenses and that includes our poker spending. We play a game of skill and with some simple tweaks we can turn those expenses into a possible asset. You don’t need to give up your hobby when you tighten your belt.
If you’re a losing poker player, lose a little bit less. If you’re a breakeven player, turn your game into a profitable one. If you’re a profitable player, use your game to supplement or replace your income.
What can I do to improve my game?
- Self-Awareness: Analyze your game. Find your leaks. Become more intentional on specific things to work on and fix those parts of your game as if your finances depended on it.
- Deep learning instead of passive consumption: Stop reading books and watching videos without an action plan to put what you just learned into action. Experiment with your game. Get outside your comfort zone and push your study to take your game to the next level. Practice visualization like professional athletes.
- Master the basics: Stop playing your favorite junk hands and splashing around to kill time. Treat poker like a war. Tighten up your game by perfecting opening range charts. Play aggressively from position. Play cautiously when out of position in multiway pots. Learn to read board textures. Profile your opponents and exploit them relentlessly.
- Become a student of the game: Learn GTO and Exploitative poker and become a master of balancing strategies based on table dynamics. Stop watching YouTube poker videos for entertainment and curate the best content to get the most out of your limited time. Read O’Kearny, Brokos, Sklansky, Little, Fitzgerald, Acevedo, Tendler, Elwood, Miller and Matros. Take voracious notes and make action plans to integrate what you just learned into your game. Subscribe to a poker coaching site. Join a poker community. Hire a coach. When times are tough, that’s when you need to get serious and double down – in life, at your job and at the table.
- Find the right games: Play games you can beat. Play games which will challenge your skills to take you to the next level. If you’re a tournament player, try adding cash games which have lower variance. If you’re a cash game player, table select, and game select relentlessly to maximize your profits.
- Manage your bankroll: Play within your budget. Take intentional shots. Protect your wealth and find ways to grow it.
- Master your mindset: Manage tilt through emotional control. Don’t let outside news and the economy impact confidence in your skill. Minimize distractions and prioritize focus at the table. Breathwork. Meditate. Eat a diet to help you perform at the top of your game. Get lots of sound sleep. Exercise. Do whatever it takes to play your A-game longer through each session and raise the ceiling.
We don’t know how long the economy will be in turmoil. It may be short-lived or may take years to recover. Most of us have no control over what happens to the economy, but we can embrace the things we can control. There will be many better ways to spend your time to make guaranteed income in a turbulent market. But if you are going to play poker, don’t use it to kill time and escape reality. Be more intentional with your game and make yourself better.
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