Patience In Poker

Poker Strategy – Exercising Patience In Poker

Of all the poker strategies, I believe that having patience in poker is in the top three requirements to be a successful player in the long term. Patience in poker can take on many forms and, if properly executed, assist you in making the best decisions possible. Practicing patience can mean not playing those marginal hands, at least from an early position. It can mean taking an extra few seconds to think through a decision rather than simply acting with little to no thought. Patience can also mean having a plan for the hand and a host of other meanings.

Boiling Water

As a child, I recall my mother putting the coffee percolator on the stove before she went to get dressed. In those days, it took over ten minutes for the water to boil and the coffee to perk. By the time she was dressed, the coffee was ready. Well, most of the time. I doubt you can even buy a percolator anymore, like the wall phones. They are gone forever.

My point is it took at least 10 minutes to boil water, and no one thought anything of it. Now, in the microwave, it’s less than two minutes, and people are complaining about the wait.

We go buy a nice automobile. Our car is air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. We even have heated seats that recline. Car stereos, TVs in our cars, and the other things you can have in your car are nearly unlimited. We pay big bucks in some cases. $50K, $75, and upwards for our cars, so we can be comfortable. More than houses cost 40 years ago.

Yet, what’s the first thing we do if we have to sit in them for, say, stalled traffic, an accident, or to wait for someone to go in the store? We whine and complain about how long it’s taking. You just can’t wait to get where you are going so we can hurry to get somewhere else. We are in such a hurry to get wherever that we can’t even follow the speed limit. Don’t believe me; get on the interstate and go the speed limit. See what happens.

But, what’s all that got to do with Poker Strategy – Patience In Poker?

Poker Strategy – The Art Of Patience In Poker

On the Cash Game Strategy Page, I briefly spoke about Patience In Poker and that it should be at the top of your list of skills required to be a winning player. I believe that patience is the most underrated of all poker virtues. All the poker books, journals, and blogs talk about aggression, always raising, never limping, don’t check, and so on. I can’t recall reading a single article on the importance of patience in poker.

It has been said that your pre-flop decision, to enter into the betting round or to fold it, is the most critical decision of the game. I can argue both sides of that coin. Why can I argue both sides? Because poker is situational, and that could change depending on the situation. That said, it is potentially the most important decision and probably the most important decision the majority of the time.

As a poker strategy, I will say that pre-flop patience is the most important poker skill you can develop. We have all been card dead and will be again. I have sat for hours and folded every single hand I get, pre-flop. You are doomed to failure if you lose your patience and start playing that 8,3 because it’s suited. We talked about having a plan for every hand. If someone can develop a plan for 8,3, please send it to me.

You should have a well-defined range of hands that you plan to play pre-flop and from what position you will play them. Don’t add to that list in the middle of the game because you aren’t getting any “good” cards. Nor can you lower your standard unless you have something against money. Nor do you start complaining to other players about being card dead. So what do you do?

Poker Strategy – Build Patience – Stay Engaged

You stay engaged in the hand. This is a great time to work on your tell reading. Watch one player at a time, as they are in the hand, and see what kinds of mannerisms you can identify that may help you when it’s you against them. How do they bet? Do they throw their chips in or slide them in in a neat stack? Do they use the same hand each time? The same mannerism? How do they behave when they are strong or weak?

Take note of what cards they are playing, assuming it goes to showdown. From what position did they play those cards? What I usually see, from players not in a hand, is them playing “Candy Crusher”, or some other game on their phone. Or they’re texting, watching the TV across the room, basically anything but paying attention.

If you will stay engaged in the game, it will serve several purposes. One, you will learn about how your opponents play and potentially some of their tells. You will also have a better understanding of the table texture. Is it loose or tight? Who are the loose players, the rocks? Plus, you will be practicing patience, a virtue that is as valuable away from the poker table as it is at it.

Patience Is A Skill

Patience is absolutely a learned skill. How can I say that? Because there was a time when I had exactly zero patience. I didn’t even have the patience to learn patience. Then, I started getting serious about my poker game, studying, practicing, and playing a lot. I quickly learned that I had to make a change unless I was content to donk off thousands of dollars.

These things may help you with your patience challenge.

• Mindfulness: Focus on the present and live in the moment only. Don’t be concerned with what may come next. You can only accomplish things in the “now.” In theory, there is no past or future.
• Accept the current situation: You aren’t getting cards. Fine. there’s exactly nothing you can do about it. Put your time to other uses, in the “now”.
• Anxious: When you start to feel anxious, take a quick mental break. Go for a walk. Get something to eat. Go talk to a buddy at another table.
• Reflect: Think about why you are practicing patience building. Consider the long-term benefits and all the money you will make as a result.
• Remember: Recall all the times that you lost your patience and played that 8,5 suited. Then you hit the miracle card on the turn to give you the flush, only to be beaten by a K-high flush.

My hope is you learned something from this article, or that it at least gave you some ideas to think about. As always, check back in with us here often. We are adding content daily.

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