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The right attitude at the table

If you want to become a professional poker player, there are a few things you should keep in mind. While it's important to make the right plays and know the odds, a few other things may be just as important. I am thinking about having the right image for the game you're in, being disciplined in the broadest sense of the word and well-liked by players, personnel and management alike. Yesterday I witnessed an incident in a limit hold'em game, which got me thinking about this. A live one had started out his session badly and had lost two buy-ins already in just an hour of play. A wanna-be pro, who was sitting on my immediate left, bent over to this player, who was just receiving another stack of chips, saying: "Gee, that's incredible how much you've lost in just one hour. You must really be a horrible player to get rid of your money this fast. Guys, is this some kind of record or what?" Obviously, the wanna-be pro is not aware what the game is about. In poker, you've got to keep the live ones happy- it's as simple as that. Everything you do or say at the table revolves around this simple principle: keep 'em happy. In this article, I'll share with you my opinion on "the right attitude", the proper way to act and / or behave in the game.

1. Dress nicely, shave, don't look tired. Go to the sun studio once in a while. You don't have to wear Armani suits all the time, but make sure you look prepared and ready to do your job: play as well as you can. Or, as Dick Davis stated in his "Holy Poker Bible": "A player who looks like a bum is likely to play like a bum. It's for certain he will be thought of as a bum."

2. Act positively, have fun. Make the poker game a pleasant experience for yourself and your fellow players. Too many players I know (especially the "grinder" type of players) act like they don't enjoy themselves, as if someone forced them to come over to the casino and play. You should feel blessed that you are able to make money playing the game you love.

3. Don't mind losing. This is one of the most important things in poker. A lot of (wanna-be) pros play the way they should- that is, they wait patiently for the best hand and then bet the hell out of them, to make as much money with the hand as they possibly can. However, when they lose, they turn sour. They may start making derogatory remarks about their opponents, or lecturing them about their (allegedly) horrible play. I would say: be a good sport. In any game, there have to be winners and losers. If you routinely tap the table when you get beaten by your opponent and simply get ready for the next hand, then you can say you've done your share in keeping the atmosphere at the table healthy, and you know you've done the right thing for your long-term expectation as well.

4. Act like you're "gambling" once in a while. If you only play the nuts, people don't like playing with you. If you only play aces and kings, and if you act and talk like the average Rock, your fellow players don't like to give you action, and the live ones will think it's no fun playing in your game. If they know you're also "gambling" once in a while, if they know you also bluff sometimes or bet without a lock (with a big draw, for example), they will give you more credit for being a "player" and they will be more likely to want to play at your table. Even though I am known to play extremely tight, there are still some players who actually want to play with me: they know I won't embarrass them, they know I will try to create a pleasant and friendly atmosphere at the table, they know I don't whine, don't hit-and-run and they know I'm willing to build a big pot occasionally with a lot less than the nuts- I suggest you try the same.

5. Reinforce your opponents' superstitions. Don't be superstitious- but act like you are. If you have been on an extremely good run and by chance you were wearing black clothes all the time, wear these same clothes every day from now on, claiming "you're so lucky in these clothes". Since some of your opponents are superstitious, you should exploit this big (psychological) edge. It will also distract them from the points they should have focused on: the fact that your poker game is on a higher level than theirs. If they think they can get better results by wearing lucky charms, special clothes etc., they will be less likely to focus on what really matters: improving their game.

6. Have fun, but have people fear you. Don't show off with how good you are or try to impress others with your knowledge, but don't look like a sucker either. Act confidently and decisively whenever in the pot. Don't criticize or over-analyze, be nice and courteous and fun to play with, but don't be so much fun that people won't respect your play. If you can accomplish all this, you've come a long way in becoming the "Model-Poker-Pro", and both your bankroll, the enjoyment from playing the game and your own feeling of accomplishment are expected to benefit.