Poker News

John Carlisle

Ask any serious poker player about which personality characteristics are needed to be a successful player, and the descriptor of “patient” will usually be somewhere at the top of their list. This comes to no surprise, as we know that it takes measured, solid patience to sit and fold for hours at a time, when needed. A patient player isalways poised to trap other players, to maximize their premium starting hands, to outlast the maniac player, and to play through a string of bad luck and bad beats. As a general rule, those who are impatient while playing and start pushing mediocre hands from poor position are very likely to donate their bankroll, in the long run.

So, we know that patience pays, and we know that impatience costs dearly in our game. But what do we do if we are NOT a patient person? What can we do if we are only sometimes patient? One of the sticking points is that in our culture we believe that “patience is a virtue.” With that, we are implying that patience is a basic moral, inherent characteristic. In simpler terms, we are saying that either you are born with it, or you’re not. I see this viewpoint as deterministic and narrow. It tells us that if you are not born and raised with patience as a focal point, you are essentially doomed to never truly be a patient person. If you were predetermined to never be patient, then you would be doomed as a poker player as well.

Patience, like most personality characteristics, does indeed have some inherent qualities. If your parents and family members continually display a level, calm, and patient personality you are probably more likely to hold similar characteristics due to heredity and learning. Regardless of your background, though, it is very possible to hone and improve your skills at being patient in daily life and at the poker table. I believe that with enough work, thought, and practice, everyone can exercise patience at the poker table.

First, be sure to take time to regularly think about and evaluate your performance at the table. Each time you are in the big blind, perhaps, take just a moment to recall the last round to see if you were as patient as you’d like to be. If not, take a moment between hands to think why you acted as you did and how to fix it. Likewise, I’ve instructed some players to think of the word “focus” or “patience” while letting out deep exhales after a bad or tough beat. Some players have taken that technique a step further by doing this thinking exercise before they look at their hole cards of each hand, especially during a long dry spell of cards that may begin to wear at your ability to persevere. Remember that patience doesn’t just happen; you can make it happen. Harness your thoughts, be confident and patient, play your game, and wait for the chips to pile-up in front of you. Now go make it happen.

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