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POCKET ACES

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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.

April 12, 2008

Feed Your Head

Some of you might recognize the title of this article from the hit song of the mid-1960s by Jefferson Airplane and originally recorded by lead singer Grace Slick when she was a member of The Great Society. The line has been used in film, TV and in print to imply (or associate with) '60s culture reference. (And FYI, the dormouse in Alice's "Adventures in Wonderland" or "Through the Looking Glass" never said those words.)

I'm saying the words here as a preface to repeating my own believe that should become a mantra for every poker fan. It should really go like this: Feed your head; read your head.

So it doesn't exactly fit in with the literal definition of good grammar but the point is salient. You ain't never going to get nowhere in poker if you don't learn how it's done.

I'm going to give you a hypothetical example. The trouble is, the example has probably occurred thousands of times in recent years to thousands of different people.

John Doe discovers poker. He sees complete unknown men and women becoming national celebrities because they have appeared at the final table of major poker tournaments. He knows what beats what in poker so he thinks perhaps he can be in that spotlight, and that he can win at least a good portion of the million dollar-plus prize money.

Off he goes to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Mississippi, Arizona, any of the states where poker exists in a legal atmosphere, or to cyberspace where the legality is a bit obscured by various U.S. laws.

In short order, John Doe moves up from low-limits to one-table satellite, arguably the easiest games to beat, and he takes down some first- and second-place money. Now he decides to move up in class, either to no-limit games or to big-money tournaments.

And he is destroyed.

His no-limit bankroll was never enough and he suddenly realized these tournaments are not just about 10 people at a table; they are about 10 people at 10 times 10 tables. Those astronomical buy-ins mean he has to get into the money or start off losing money. And every time he enters and doesn't cash, he gets deeper in the hole. If he had enough cash for 10 tournaments and never made it beyond the bubble, he's out of there.

He might not realize the seeds of destruction were planted when he made that first wager.

In truth, even if John Doe had more intimate knowledge of poker, say from home or country club game experience, chances are he'd be devastated by the sheer number of competitors and by the core of players who really know how to play.

While it's natural to assume that since someone with no experience can excel (because it has happened), it's unreasonable to assume it will happen to you, John Doe. You are just one of a legion vying for the money. You would have to be doing a powerful lot of imagery (The Secret?), positive thinking, maybe even praying, to climb through the levels to get to a place where you will make money.

Luck? Sure, it's a factor; it's probably a big factor. But what if you had something extra? What if you knew how some players think? What if you know how a certain scratching of an itch indicated what a player had in his hole cards? What if you knew your chances of filling your open-ended straight were twice as good as your opponent's chances of making a full house?

It's just not enough to know the rules of poker and what beats what.

You must read, if not books then people. You must supply your head with more information, more knowledge than the next guy so you have something extra to go along with your lucky streak.

I wish we could all just jump into a big tournament or a high-stakes poker game and walk away winners. Well, actually, I wish I could be the first among us to do it and you guys could be next.

When it comes to poker, I have a practical side that tells me I have to continue to work on improving my game. I have to read the books written by players of all styles, which means I will read what most people might consider junk, what some might consider inaccurate, what others think should be standard and what some think is perfectly accurate theory (if there is such an animal). I'll even read the works of people who bore me to tears. (If these people play the way they write, I want to use that information against them.)

This is why I continue to feed my head with poker writing. This is why I recommend you feed your head with poker writing as well. If you're in the game for the long term, it's the only way to survive.