Player's Stories

Test your poker 'IQ'- Do you have what it takes to play professionally
By Martin D'Alexander

The following 'test' to see if you should be a professional poker player was reviewed in Card Player magazine by Mr. Lou Krieger, a respected author and regular contributor to the magazine.

The test is geared to those who play in Limit (as opposed to No-Limit) games such as those you find in a typical public cardroom.

1) Do you agree that if poker ever becomes like work, it's time to quit?

Playing poker on a day to day basis for the purpose of earning money to pay your bills is work and should be treated with all the conscientiousness and tenacity as any other money-making endeavor.

2) Do you play more carefully when you get ahead?

Think of all the playing you have done and will do as one long poker game. Being ahead at one particular time in one particular session has no significance when viewed in this way. It's most important to play your best game all the time--ahead or behind.

3) When you are losing a significant amount, do you tend to play more aggressively?

This would be a lack of self-control. Playing more aggressively should depend on the way the game is going, not on your emotional state.

4) Have you ever chewed-out a dealer for bringing you bad luck?

Kill the messenger because you don't like the message?? Luck, good and bad, just happens; no one 'brings' it to you.

5) Do you think a lot of players take the game too seriously?

A lot of players depend on the money they win to support their lifestyle. If you aspire to do the same, you had better take it seriously.

6) Do you view a poker session as primarily an opportunity to have fun?

It's great if you can have fun while earning your living, but don't count on it.

7) Do you try to avoid heads-up confrontations?

You will be getting heads-up with an opponent quite often. It's a fact of the game. Concern yourself with playing well in these situations. You must play heads-up reasonably well to survive.

8) Assuming you can continue to feel good, and the game stays about the same, do you think your edge increases the longer you play?

The longer you play the more you should learn about your opponents. As a good poker player, you should then use this information to gain more of an advantage.

9) Would you say that you play more hands than most other players at the table?

Weak players, both the passive and the aggressive kind, should be playing more hands than you. Poker is one game where patience is a virtue. Wait for the right situation--only then should you act.

10) Do you ever run a bluff just for advertising purposes--knowing you have very little chance of pulling it off?

You simply don't have to do this. If you are employing a viable bluffing strategy, you will get caught often enough. Only bluff when you think you have a reasonable chance of picking up the pot.

11) Are you the big winner in a game about as often as you are the big loser?

If you are, you're probably gambling too much. It should be a rare occasion, indeed, when you are the big loser.

12) Do you take it personal when someone check-raises you?

A check-raise is part of the game. It should be a part of your arsenal. Although you may view it as being underhanded, you should be gratified to know that it's legal for you to do the same thing.

13) Do you find yourself playing more hands when you are losing a significant amount?

Patience and self-control are what it's all about. You cannot expect to win when you deviate from what you know is the right way to play.

14) If you are really stuck, will you play as long as it takes to get even, or at least close to even?

There is nothing sacred about one session of poker. It's the long-run that counts, not what you did on any particular day. What does count at all times is whether you are employing a winning strategy-and that's it.

15) Have you ever had to depend on your poker winnings to pay your bills?

It's good to have felt the pressure, the urgency, to win, at one time or another, before doing this as a profession.

16) If you hoped to win a certain amount in a session and a short time after sitting down you found yourself ahead three times that amount would you 'take the money and run'?

This is crazy. You probably have a bigger edge now than when you started. Many of the weaker (and superstitious) players will give you more credit for having a hand--you could be perceived as the 'lucky' player at the table. I'll say it again-there is nothing sacred about your results from one poker session.

17) Do you agree that a check-raise is frequently used as a bluffing play?

It is used as a bluffing play sometimes on the early rounds, infrequently, but almost never on the later rounds.

18) Do you often get angry at an opponent?

We're all human. It's going to happen. But if you find yourself getting angry quite often, it's a sign that you may not have the emotional make-up to do this for a living.

19) Do you try to maintain an awareness of how other players perceive your playing style?

It's important to be conscious of your table-image. You can use it as a weapon in certain situations, especially bluffing situations. And remember, your table-image changes as the game wears on. A string of legitimate bad beats, for instance, may alter your opponents perception of your 'reliability' and you should avoid trying to bluff. On the other hand, a solid, conservative image may help you pick-up some pots that you normally wouldn't be 'entitled' to.

20) Do you ever play the same hand the same way twice in a session?

Most situations require you to play a particular hand in the same way. There's no harm in this. Of course, you don't always want to play the same hand the same way all of the time, but most times you will find that the best way to play it is just as you had done before.

21) Do you like to discuss hands with your poker-playing friends?

You should second-guess yourself after a hand is over. Could I have played this another way? Did I win the maximum amount of money? Should I have played the hand at all?? Getting feedback from friends is a good way of finding the answers to those questions.

22) Do you prefer to play in a public cardroom rather than a home game?

You should. A public cardroom is always accessible, the deal is fast, the games are standardized, and honest. Of course, if you have a sweet little home game in which you have been very successful, then that's another thing.

23) Do you keep careful records of your poker winnings and losses?

It's a good idea to track your progress. A good way to measure progress is by computing your hourly rate. An hourly rate will allow you to compare disparate periods of time as well as how you're doing with respect to a straight job. And, oh yeah, the IRS may be rather curious too.

24) Do you agree that consistent winners play pretty much alike?

Most of your actions in any one game are cut and dried i. e. you must perform them to win the maximum. Consistent winners will vary somewhat in certain aspects of the game, such as heads-up play or bluffing frequency, but over all they will be making the required moves most of the time.

25) Are you visibly upset after taking your first bad beat of the session?

If you are, it is a sign that you have zero tolerance for the ups and downs of the game. You must learn to take your bad beats in stride.

26) Are you frequently intimidated by an opponent?

Your opponents will try to intimidate you in a variety of ways. Being susceptible to intimidation is very bad for your game because your opponents will sense this and take advantage of it, especially in heads-up situations.

27) Is a game with a lot of action and big pots always to be preferred over a game with moderate action and small pots?

Many times the tamer game is filled with passive, weak players. You can use your whole arsenal of weapons in a game like this. A wild game is frequently a game of showdown where your bluffing skills and hand-reading skills are practically useless and luck is paramount.

28) Do you ever openly criticize your opponent for making a dumb play?

Oh, you would rather have him making all the right plays?? This is not the way to 'win friends and influence people'.

29) Do you usually stop thinking about the session as soon as its over?

The only way to improve is to think about what transpired, and try to determine where you went right and where you went wrong.

30) Do you ever have an alcoholic drink or two in the course of a playing session?

Need it be said that this is not a good idea? Alcohol, even one drink, is known to throw a person's judgement off. If you need a stress reliever, take a walk or order some tea.

31) When you feel that you are on a "rush", will you start to play hands you normally wouldn't?

The cards have no memory: your feeling is entirely subjective. "Playing rushes" is a characteristic of the worst gamblers and the biggest losers.

32) If you suspect that you may not have the best hand, do you make it a habit of counting the number of cards left in the deck that will win for you?

Many of your decisions should be based on pure mathematical card/pot-odds values. In order to compute such values you need to know how many outs you have. After a while, because you will be facing the same situations over and over again, you won't need to compute so much--you will just know.

33) Would you be in a good seat position if you had solid players to your right and "action" players to your left?

You want to have position on the people that you will be involved with in the most hands. Having position on them will allow you to play off their actions and have more control of the hand. The difference in profitability between having position and not could be enormous.

34) Do you continue to concentrate on the game even when you are not involved in the hand?

You need to catalog people's styles and idiosyncrasies in order to take advantage of them. The more you know, and the more you use what you know, the more you profit.

35) Is your playing bankroll at least ten times the normal buy-in for your usual game?

This is a minimum. No matter how well you play you're going to have periods of time when you can't seem to win. You need enough so that you can still play at your normal limit and feel comfortable during those times.

36) Do you ever go two rounds without playing a hand (except when you are forced)?

This should happen quite often. Patience is a virtue. If you can't stand to wait, you're in the wrong business.

37) If you have a losing session, does it ruin your day?

It shouldn't-unless you know you made too many mistakes. But even then, look at it as a learning experience. There's always tomorrow.

38) Do you agree that if you find yourself in a game with all solid players the best thing to do is find another game?

Game selection is of paramount importance. You need to be up against people making a lot of mistakes in order to make a profit. Don't kid yourself--and don't waste your time.

39) Do you think your opponents perceive you as very unpredictable?

If they perceive you as being unpredictable and because of the deceptive way you play you are really not, then that is good. But if you really do play erratic or wild, then you are playing sub-optimal. Believe it or not, your opponents should see you as being predictable to a certain extent. That image will allow you to deviate (such as when you try to bluff) at opportune times.

40) Are you willing to sometimes go easy on a player who is losing heavily?

Poker is a self-contained world with its own rules. Survival of the fittest is one of them. You must pull the trigger when the target crosses your path. Period.

41) Do you sometimes continue to play when you are bored or a little tired?

Sitting hour after hour at a poker table is not always very titillating, but you must continue to sit and play to make an adequate amount of money to support yourself. The task is to keep alert during those times so that you can continue to play your best.

42) Do you have a tendency to play more hands against weak players?

These are the people that are making the most mistakes. You should be looking for opportunities to play with them. This does not mean that you should be taking bad hands against them as a matter of course. It means that you should be recognizing when you have an advantage over them and playing accordingly. This should be happening far more frequently against weak players than strong, solid players.

43) Have you read more than one poker book on the game you normally play?

You want to gain all the knowledge you can. If you get even one small idea from a $30 book, it's worth it.

44) Will you sometimes take the worst of it in terms of mathematical card/pot odds because you think you can outplay your opponent?

This frequently happens in heads-up situations when you know very well how your opponent plays. You can play a draw like a made hand, for instance, and bully your opponent into giving up the pot.

45) Does a bad beat sometimes throw your game-off?

Ups-and-downs are part of gambling. Things aren't always going to happen as they're 'supposed' to happen. You cannot allow one of these "downs" to knock you off the path of winning play.

46) Do you ever play with a stack so low that you probably won't be able to avoid going all-in?

There's no reason to do this and it can really hurt you. Always have enough money in front of you to see the hand through, always.

47) Do you avoid playing aggressively against friends?

Your friends, if they have half of a brain, should know that your hostile actions are justified in the context of a poker game. You are playing to win, not solidify friendships!

48) Do you think a good player is capable of losing five sessions in a row?

This happens more often than most of us would like to admit. A bad streak should cause you to think deeply about your game. You may be doing something wrong. But streaks like this will happen even when you are in top form. Don't get discouraged; just continue to play your best.

49) Does smoke bother you so much that you will quit a good game to get away from it?

If it does, then you may be sacrificing some real money-making opportunities. Good games are sometimes hard to come by. If you have to, wear a mask.

50) Do you look for opportunities to take a really bad hand and draw-out to win a big pot?

If you have a compulsion to do this, then you have a propensity to gamble that may doom your chances of making it as a professional. Play hands that are appropriate to the situation.

51) Do you believe that in the long run, luck evens out?

The laws of statistics say it is supposed to. But that begs the question: how long is the long run? I think I would be safe in saying (although I'm not a statistician) that the long run for the games this exercise is based on is at least 4000 hours of playing time.

52) Can you tolerate playing against people you dislike?

Poker is a self-contained world. Treat your opponents as opponents, not as friends or enemies. The player you dislike on a personal basis may turn out to be a source of profit.

53) Should your starting hands change according to the level of action?

You should be entering more pots when there is a lot of action and fewer pots when things are squeaky tight. It takes a lot of experience and study to determine what hands to play and where to play them. The knowledge of when to be flexible is a big component of your skill level.

54) Do you worry about making enemies during the course of a session?

By enemies I mean people who may come to dislike you because of your play. Some people, for instance, take a check-raise as a personal insult. You may want to remind them that it's nothing personal, that it's part of the game.

55) Do you mind playing in a short-handed game?

Playing short-handed in a public cardroom is quite frequent. You must learn to play well in such a game. Besides, many of your opponents, you will find, play even worse than they do in a full game.

56) Have you been playing serious poker, on a regular basis, for one year or more?

Having experience under your belt increases your chances of doing well in the future. After your first year, you should have a good taste of what it means to play this game day-in and day-out, and you should have corrected your more serious flaws.

57) Do you think physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle can make a significant difference in one's overall poker success?

It's important when you sit down to be alert, be ready to concentrate, and be feeling good. A healthy lifestyle will help you do this, and help to keep you in that state for a longer period of time.

58) Would you say that on your worst days you have a tendency to go 'on-tilt'?

Going 'on tilt' is the sure route to squandering your hard-earned profits. If you can't stop yourself from doing this you will have no chance of making it.

59) Do you think the house rake on a game should be taken into consideration when deciding whether to play in that game?

The lower the limit the more the rake is a factor. Be mindful of the rake and your toking frequency--it could be the difference between making it and not.

60) Do your sessions frequently last more than ten hours?

This is oftentimes a question of stamina, but you should examine why you are playing so long. If it's because the game continues to be good that's one thing; if it's because your stuck and you don't want to leave the table until your even, that's another thing entirely. Remember, you always want to play under the best conditions, your physical-self included.

61) Do you think that overall, money won and money lost, because of your bluffing strategy, should pretty much even out?

You should be earning a profit on your bluffing strategy. Don't bluff unless you think you can win the pot.

62) Do you ever use profanity in the heat of anger at the table?

This is not good form. You want to keep things pleasant and enjoyable for your adversaries. Foul language and histrionics can cause people to get up and leave. Take a walk instead.

63) Will you always give action to players who give action to you?

At these limits, you should only give action when you think you have the advantage. You can't afford to fritter away your profits just because you're afraid your weaker opponent will be bored or will leave. This almost never happens anyway--they just start gambling more.

How did you do? As the author of the test and someone who has played cardroom poker for many years, I believe that if you disagree with more than a few of my answers, you are not 'ready for prime time'. To play professionally you must have practical wisdom and self-control as well as talent.