The Three P's of Poker

by Matches Malone

The Three P's of Poker are: Patience, Persistence, and Point of View. Okay, poker would be a fourth P, however for purposes of this discussion, does not count. Because obviously, you wouldn't be reading even this far if you didn't want to know about poker. And, you've probably already read about the Five C's, which I wrote about back in October of '05, and started me down the long journey to where we are now.

Patience

Recently, I saw a promo for a set of nature books aimed at the children's market. Right in the middle, there was a bear standing in the middle of the stream, waiting for something. After a couple of seconds, a salmon jumps seemingly into the bear's mouth, and he eats it.

I thought to myself, "Wow. Bears play poker, too!"

Ever been at a table where someone plays almost every hand, bets wildly, and takes almost everyone else out of their game? You may have heard the term calling station before, however, this is a variation. This person will raise with nothing, and with the nuts, and you seemingly can't tell which is which. They'll call every bet, and they'll make every raise, and they can't be bluffed. You might have heard the term maniac applied to this type of player.

It's at this point, you have to be patient, and wait for a monster, or in this case, the fish.

Like the bear.

Wait for the salmon to come to you, move all in, and take the pot away from them. If it's a tournament, you may or may not have to deal with them again, in case they had your money covered, however, it might make them think twice about going upstream again.

The next time you sit down at a poker table, ask yourself the question, "Are you patient like the Bear, or a maniac like the Salmon?"

Persistence

The top pros all have this in common. Because if at anytime they had given up because of a few bad beats, or wild swings in their bankroll, you wouldn’t be following them online and on TV. I find this quality is especially important after taking a bad beat in a tournament. If it doesn’t bust you out, your attitude playing the hands following your bad beat will dictate whether you get back into the tournament, or end up on the rail in the next orbit or two. Knowing that bad beats are part of the game, means that how you handle them is key. You can play through your bad beat, and remain focused on winning, or you can steam and eventually go on tilt, and bust out momentarily thereafter if you haven’t already. If you do end up busting out, by all means, enter the next available tournament, and continue to play your best game.

Persistence also applies to how you play throughout the tournament itself. Or more likely, how you play the hands you’re dealt. I never vary my bet according to the strength of my hand, and I also believe that if a hand is worth betting, it’s worth raising. I choose an amount that’s roughly three times the big blind, and also take into account the size of the antes, if any. Of course, there’s a P that you want to avoid, and that’s Predictable. Don’t get yourself into a routine where you become an easy read for the others at your table. Your persistence can be shown by never giving up, and being consistently inconsistent.

Point of View

You perceive yourself in a certain way, however others my perceive you differently. You have your point of view, and they have theirs. This will necessarily affect how a given opponent will play a hand. You may have tells that you don’t even know about. Or, there may be things that you do that aren’t tells, that others will read as such. Understanding these things will bring you to the next level of play. Understanding your opponents’ POV of yours, will bring you to the next level of play above that.

You can get to the next level above that, when you start to manipulate others’ POV of you. We’ll leave that for another article, and at another time.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Next time, I'll write about poker. Be there. Aloha.

Matches Malone has been writing for us for a few years now, and if you'd like to contact him with your opposing views, he can be reached at Batman@azteca.net