Poker News

Lou Krieger

According to John Norcross, a professor of psychology at Scranton University who has conducted three studies on resolutions in recent years, only 40 percent of adults make New Year’s resolutions. He also found that 71 percent of those making resolutions keep them for two weeks, 64 percent keep them for a month, while50 percent hang on for three months. If you’re determined to raise your game, this is the time of year to resolve to do something about it. Here are some of my New Year’s poker resolutions. I’ll share them with you, and you’re welcome to share yours with me. Together we can keep each other on track.

sadf Learn Another Game: I still play far more fixedlimit poker than no-limit, and much more Texas hold’em than any other game, but I resolve this year to play more no-limit cash games, and to broaden out my play to include more Omaha/8 and other games-if I can find them in the casinos where I play. sadf Never Go On Tilt; Never Play Less Than My Best: I make this resolution every year, and tend to grade out quite well on it. And I’ll do it again this year. I set this bar a pretty high, and while I’ve never had an entire tilt-free year, I’ll keep soldiering on and keep trying.

This resolution keeps me focused, and by aiming high I guarantee myself that any tilt incidents will be short, quickly identified, and immediately corrected.

Playing our best all the time is a reachable goal for everyone. There’s really no reason not to play our best. But we don’t. Not all the time, anyway. Yet playing one’s best is the easiest way to take some giant steps forward as a poker player. No new skills are necessary. All that’s required is playing as well as you can. It’s will power, and anyone can do it.

sadf Narrow the Target: Narrowing the target is somehow tougher online than in brick and mortar play, but all that’s required to improve is strength of will.

If we’re lacking here, we’ve no one but ourselves to blame. Pogo, the now defunct-but-still-beloved comic strip character created by cartoonist Walt Kelly, was fond of saying, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” And that’s as true in poker as it is in life.

This year I resolve to limit the number of times I put myself in speculative situations where the risk outweighs the reward. One way I’ll assess each playing session will be to answer this question: “Was there anything else I could have done to narrow the target?”

sadf Be An Ambassador for the Game: This is one of my ongoing resolutions-and one that has never given me any trouble. I gave myself an “A” last year, and won’t settle for less. Because I am the editor and a columnist for Poker Player as well as an author, I have an image I choose to uphold. While being a public figure might not prevent boorish behavior from other well-known poker players, it is very important to me. Although there’s no shortage of whiners, ingrates, and illtempered poker players, I’ve also found our community to be incredibly generous, bright, and among the most vibrant, interesting people I’ve met.

Many of my closest friendships were initially made at the poker table. The best way for me to give something back to this cherished poker community is to live my life to a high and honorable standard. To the extent that we all play up to the most ethical standards we can, the poker community will be a better place for it. I hope you join me in adopting this resolution as your own.

If you want some tips for sticking to your resolutions, Professor Norcross suggests picking realistic goals that fit your lifestyle. Sharing your goals with those around you will help you stay on track. Best wishes for 2008.

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