Take a Day Off

I love hearing from my readers. Another email came in this past week from David T. in Riverside, CA. and it went like this:

'Dear Geno: Your advice to poker players and other people who gamble is always good. I have a question for you. While I am an above average poker player who wins more often than he loses, I do have my losing days. When I lose, it puts me in a bad frame of mind and I often get on a losing streak. What can I do to change that? Your advice is greatly appreciated.'

Good question, David. It took me a while to overcome this problem in my own playing, but I finally did.

Losing isn't a pleasant experience for any gambler and it seems to be especially hard on poker players. I think the reason for this is we expect to win.

Poker, unlike other casino games...

...is a skill game rather than pure chance. When you are playing cards, baccarat, roulette or even dice, your fate lies in the hands of chance. There is little you can do to affect the outcome of the play except pray and hope for the best.

On the other hand, poker like some other table games depends on how skilled you are when you read players and decide whether to fold, call, raise or re-raise a hand.

Assess the odds correctly and play properly

And the outcome should be positive for you. Now, this is not to say you will always win. There will be days when nothing you do will change the results and you will wind up a loser.

What do I do after experiencing a losing day at the poker tables? I take a day off. Sometimes two.

Here is why:

You need some time off to clear your head from the loss. That generally takes at least 48 hours for me, sometimes longer.

With a clear head, you can go back to the games full of confidence that this time things will be different. And generally, that will happen to you. This is how it has always worked for me and there are still only 52 cards in a deck.

Try out my advice and then get back to me. I think you will notice a distinct difference in how you do playing poker. Good luck. Let the games begin.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).