Whether you’re playing online, at a home game or at the local casino’s poker room, one of the top traits of winning poker players is patience. This is true if you play poker or if you play blackjack. Indeed it is true of most strategy games, like chess, backgammon or weiqi. Let your emotions and ego at the door and use your will power to play with more patience.
Patience in poker is fueled by a steely resolve to make the very best decisions and maximize profits. Oddly enough, our patience can be tested at both extremes.
When we have a big stack (lot of chips) we tend to start playing looser, taking too many risks and taking on the role of table bully. This is a good way to piss away chips if done carelessly. Use your big stack wisely instead.
At the other extreme we have the short stack (low amount of chips). One problem is the player’s definition of short stack. Some players become desperate after a few losses when they still have a moderate stack size. They underestimate the value of their chips relative to the blind structure and start pushing all in or making risky moves at less than ideal times.
Patient poker players exercise patience, selecting good starting hands, betting to maximize their wins and folding at the first sign their hand is not going to win. One key to their success is having more chips to push into the pot with their monster hands because they haven’t squandered it playing a desperate game.
To be patient at online poker is to be a grinder to some extent. If for example you use a PokerStars marketing code to get a 100% bonus, or any bonus code from a top poker room, you need to grind that bonus in order to convert it into real cash. If you rush it in order to convert faster, you will make mistakes, such as playing too loose or playing at too high stakes.
Most people are not patient, especially when it comes to having fun and making money. This is why most people are not profitable at online poker. Some are casual players and they want to have instantaneous fun by making wild gambles. It is fine because if you are their patient opponent you can make money from them simply by being more patient than them and waiting for the good opportunities to take their chips.
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