Making Good Decisions

[Kurn]

I'm reading Dr. Al Schoonmaker's book "Poker Winners Are Different". It focuses on the psychological necessities of being a winner, and one of the most important is always making good decisions that focus on long-term profitability.

May seem standard, right? But he's not talking about the decisions you make while playing a hand. He focuses on all the decisions you make: How to manage your bankroll, how to manage your emotions, how to manage your focus, how to manage your behavior at and away from the table. He asks the reader to take a pretty harsh look at him(her)self. One of his points is that there are a lot of very talented poker players who are long-term losers because they make bad decisions about the non game-play issues, and many less talented players who are long-term winners because they know how to manage the rest of their approach to life and the game.

Interesting read so far, and it fits in with my goals for 2010 in that I am trying my best to stay focused on what I do well: SNGs and Stud/8 multis. But the lesson sunk in today.

I played the morning $5 R&A super to the $700 NAPT Mohegan qualifier. I won the seat. With Dr. Al's book fresh in my mind it was clear that playing the qualifier tonight was absolutely the wrong decision. Building my SNG bankroll should be my primary focus, so I unregistered and will be using those T$ for SNGs on 'Stars.

Will I occasionally break discipline and play a multi? Sure, but not often. Will I still try to satty in to the NAPT event. of course. I'll be at Mohegan the early part of that week and I'll invest a smaller amount in the steps, but likely not much more than $200. Why? It is not as +EV as playing to my strength.

Good book. Good decisions.

"Ah, take the cash and let the credit go,
Nor heed the rumble of some distant drum."

- The Rubiyyat of Omar Khayyam