Poker News

Tom ‘Time’ Leonard

Today, let’s talk about what we do with our results. Most dedicated players keep meticulous records but aside from determining whether you’re winning or losing, analyzing what they mean can be a tricky business. Don’t jump to invalid conclusions just because they seem to fit. There are just so many variables at work that short term results can be misleading as to their genesis. Regular readers of the Improving Performance series may recall a column several months ago wherein I described my friend Jon’s playing of Queen/Jack offsuit and how he used that experience to improve his game. Jon recently related to me that he began to really focus on his opponents’ tendencies as a variable in his game which he felt could use some honing. In fact, what really made him realize how important this element is was the fact that he began playing multiple games at one time on the internet and jumping back and forth only allowed him to play his cards and position. Since he wasn’t learning how his opponents played, he felt his results were suffering. Whether on the internet or in real world card rooms, studying your opponents’ tendencies is a critical part of becoming a winning player. Jon, with his usual passion to improve, began really studying his opponents and since he played with the same general field of competitors on a regular basis started to really build a “book” on several of them. So much so, he began to feel that these perceived weaker opponents were actually playing with their cards face up. “I’ve really been in the zone since I know these opponents’ tendencies so well”, he recently crowed. “My recent results prove this out as I’ve been booking wins on a regular basis”, he continued.

Well, certainly focusing on your opponents’ tendencies will greatly improve your game but were the short term positive results that Jon experienced directly attributable to his improved focus on competitors? Maybe, maybe not! Don’t let short term results delude you into thinking you can 100% attribute their cause. There are so many variables that it just isn’t realistic to make this conclusion Can you say……a run of good cards? Can you say…….catching lucky while your poorly playing opponents aren’t? You get the idea.

Now, while I don’t necessarily agree with Jon’s conclusions regarding his short term results, I do admire his zeal to improve his game and how he goes about it. Our goal for this session is to, once again, emulate my friend Jon’s tenacity to improve. He picks elements of his game that he believes could use honing and then concentrates on that element until he sees significant improvement That, my friends, is how you become a consistent winner……..both in poker and in the game of life. So, just maybe Jon was right and his opponents were playing with their cards face up. In closing, I’d like to add that Jon and I have a symbiotic relationship in so far as our frequent strategy discussions where we may well have different perspectives but these discussions help us both to improve our games. I’d recommend that you find a buddy, who’s game you respect,to discuss strategy with away from the table to help you improve your game. See you next “TIME”.

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