Poker News

John Carlisle, MA, NCC

We have all heard the old adage telling us that “practice makes perfect.” The thinking behind this saying is very much straightforward and logical — repeating a task is supposed to increase our overall success rate. While I agree that playing experience can never be overvalued in poker, I am also certain that practice does not necessarily equate to improvement or success.

Most players hold a faulty assumption that they are learning and improving every time that they sit at the table to play. This is rather idyllic thinking, but not a reality. In fact, if you are learning in a passive fashion you are probably doing more harm than good. Think of passive learning as an equivalent to the brain being on “cruise control.” Because the mind is not engaged and energized, little is actually gained from the experience. While in this drone-like state, information is misperceived and processed incorrectly. In essence, everything that is learned passively is expected to be a truth by default, because the brain is not sharpened to challenge any thinking. In this state, players are likely to miss tells and betting patterns of the opposition. Likewise, passive learners are probably not realizing that they are exuding tells and tipping their own playing styles. Play becomes monotonous and automatic. The most destructive part of passive learning, though, is that nothing that is helpful is actually learned from the session. If you are not getting better each time you play, you are essentially wasting valuable time.

Combating this costly habit involves keenly focusing on your own thinking, energy, and attention. Active learnersare tuned into the game and themselves, primarily. They understand that they must not only identify the weaknesses of the others at the table, they must also focus on their own game. They find a way to be self-critical in a helpful fashion during play, in between hands, and even well after cashing out. They break-down the pots that they lost, searching for where the errors may have occurred. Taking it a step further, they also evaluate their winning pots to see if they may have been able to get an even higher price for their efforts. Learners who have stayed present and active also have much more accurate assessments of their play after the completion of the session. With a committed drive during play, the mind has more data (and more accurate data) for post play self-grading.

All told, practice does not make perfect. I’d say that perfection is an unreachable goal for the game of poker. Still, active learning during practice can better assure consistent improvement and deeper poker savvy. I’ve witnessed many passive learners have consistent profitable playing sessions. The true penalty of this type of play is that it will cost time. In the long run, poker knowledge that you gain at the table is more valuable than the chips that you have gathered. If you are going to take the time to play, think critically and actively to assure your investment (time and practice)will pay off (in knowledge and self-understanding).

Now go make it happen.

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