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Maryann Guberman has been a writer and editor with many gaming publications, including Sports Form, Card Player, Poker World, Player's Panorama and Systems and Methods. She also has written and edited numerous books on gambling.

July 10, 2004

Seven Habits for Successful Poker

My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.
-- Errol Flynn

About 15 years ago, Stephen Covey wrote what has become one of the best selling how-to, self-improvement books of all time. His "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" has been translated into more than 30 languages and was produced on cassette tape. It has sold in excess of 10 million copies, continuing to be one of the top selling texts today. Parts of Coven's title (Seven Habits of...) have been appropriated by others, including this writer here, to help get across a single point -- that success can be achieved and it can be achieved by mastering as few as seven shifts in the way you currently operate in your world.

Now if you're the kind of person who is already successful, you might think you don't need any assistance. But when it comes to poker, success is as fleeting as that made-straight on the river. Even if you don't aspire to bump heads with the likes of the fossilman or a maker of money or a dolly from Texas, you should aspire to playing a decent game of poker because, after all, someday in the future you might need that money you're bound to lose today.

Assuming you have a goal -- winning -- here then are seven habits you can work into your life to help you play profitable poker:

1. Don't settle for what's happening in the moment. If you're in a pot naturally you have to pay attention but this single hand is just a portion of your focus. If you intend to make X amount of money in a given session or a given time frame, you have to plan for that outcome and work toward it.

2. Project your success. While it smacks a bit of positive thinking (and there's certainly nothing wrong with that concept), you should constantly fantasize about how great the world will be when you achieve your goal -- even if it's a short term goal.

3. Take care of extraneous business before coming to the game. There's nothing worse than having your mind wander away from poker to think about a bill that must be paid before 5 pm. or a vehicle that has to be registered before Friday. Take care of those annoying necessities of life so they won't intrude in your game.

4. Think like a winner as often as possible. No matter who beats you in a hand or how they beat you, you are a winner. One setback or two might be a losing battle but doesn't not mean you will lose the war.

5. Pay attention to what makes people tick. As soon as you begin to understand the personality of your opponent you will begin to get the best of him.

6. Keep your mind alert at all times. A momentary lapse of concentration during your game can spell disaster. (And if it does, don't let it happen again.)

7. Keep your mind, body and spirit in the best shape it possibly can be. Acid reflux, drug use, alcohol, personal conflicts, and other problems will always take the edge of your best. Don't let it happen to your poker game.

If some of these seem to overlap, delete them and insert your own habit. Then start practicing them because good habits take as long to master as bad habits and time and money are awastin'.