How to Deal with "Running Bad!"

 Peter, a local Vegas poker player came up to me in the card room yesterday and said; “Kenna, I’ve been looking for you for 3 months. I’ve been wanting to ask you something important! How long can someone run bad?” “Hmmm,” I paused considering the source. “Well, I know it’s a lot longer than 3 months,” I told him. I wanted to give him more hope, but looking at him I feared he couldn’t have it, so I assured him it could go on for quite some time. My statement took, as he looked relieved in recognition, nodding in approval.

Anybody who sits in the swamp of “running bad” wonders “How long can this go on!? When you’re in it, it actually feels more like quicksand then a swamp. Which gave me the idea to pick up a stick, I mean a pen, and write about the subject of “How does one deal with “Running Bad?” instead.

To the first part of the question in regards to length of time. A poker professional who had played for decades once said to me that he had been running bad for more than 3 years! At the time he told me this I was winning a tournament every other month. So I just shook my head in bewilderment, not able to relate to the absurdity of that statement. I was much younger back then and now that I’m on the other side of 50 I see a parallel to the statement to the age of the person muttering the consideration. “Luck is wasted on the youth,” I think to myself. I say “wasted,” because all too often the spoils that go with it will be duly squandered on worthless momentary objects of desire. Later, when the appreciation for the finer things in life appear, the “luck” like an old water well, may run a bit dry and all too often the bucket will come up empty. So, what to do?

First, recognize that when you catch yourself saying “I’m running bad,” that you’re always talking about the past. Never the present moment. And yet, we sell it as if it were our fate. Something that we should prepare ourselves for as if we were destined to walk this path for quite some time. And I do mean “Sell it,” to anyone who will listen the bemoaning of our fate. Unlucky for us that we find a sympathetic ear because I believe the more our cries land on these sympathetic victims, the more we propel our fateful journey. Stop, listen to yourself and as if you were going to change direction on a walking path, turn around and let your victims go. Do it in mid-sentence and consciously choose to go a different direction. Don’t allow yourself to continue perpetuating the story.

YOU are the biggest reason you are running bad, not the cards, I hate to tell you.

With that wake up call, comes the practical dealing with the emotional roller coaster we all ride when we choose to play this thrilling game.

The second thing you want to recognize is the specifics of the emotion you are feeling. Don’t be general with your upset. Define the emotion you are feeling and work your way up and out of the quagmire!  What exactly are you feeling and displaying?  Is it Anger at your results, or Frustration of players continually sucking out on you? Are you Worried that your “bad run,” is going to outlast your bankroll, or are you secretly Afraid that your game isn’t good enough to survive? While you may be feeling a combination of all of these emotions, each one is different and where you reside most of the time will usually be one specific one. So, what emotion are you really suffering from?

Here’s a list of emotions to help you pinpoint how you’re feeling about Running Bad;

Anger  – Frustration – Resentment – Worry – Fear – Apathy

Any of these ring a bell? If not, perhaps you can ask your friends. They probably have a better perspective then you do. 

Let me give you some hope. The farther you are to the right, on the above scale, the farther one tends to have drifted off the “winner’s path.” But, since you are reading this article, you’re most likely are not yet down on the bottom rung of Apathy. How do I know this? Well, in the emotional state of apathy, reading this articles about your demise would just become too burdensome and pointless. So, the hope is in the fact that you’re reading this (and not having it read to you) and you’re not in apathy. With a little bit of conscious effort on your part you may just be able to climb out of this pit of despair and get yourself back onto the winning path.

After you’ve identified where you are at on the emotional scale, you can use it as a guide to start climbing the ladder to the left end of the scale towards anger. Yes, that’s right, ANGER! You’re going to have to allow yourself to get angry about running bad if you want to climb out of the swamp. Your opponent’s certainly aren’t going to help you. You’re going to have to help yourself. If you’re afraid of getting angry, well then you are in a pickle aren’t you? Well, you don’t have to start there, start moving out of Fear by worrying! For example, If you’re really afraid that your running bad is going to outlast your bankroll, just start worrying about what you’re going to do when it does!

If you’re lucky enough to already be worried or anxious, then start voicing your complaints and you’ll soon find yourself filled with Resentment. Those who are Frustrated with players whining and complaining, consider yourself lucky! You’re already a few rungs up the ladder and you just need to take out your frustration by getting angry. Hit a punching bag, rip up the cards, get a penalty! When you do, at least something you’ll be doing will be starting to work! Players get stuck in frustration because nothing they do seems to be working. Pros who are clever will actually use Anger to drive them even farther Up tone and back onto the winning path which begins with the emotional tone of becoming interested once again and connecting to the present moment. There is nothing as certain as the angry person and often they get what they focus their mind on, which is usually the chips of their opponents who are hopelessly sitting in Frustration or Fear and who are left scratching their heads wondering how long this is going to last.

I say to my poker friend Peter. “Don’t get frustrated, get even!” In the meantime, while you’re waiting, stop resisting this beautiful night. Have patience and learn to appreciate the stars and before you know it, the darkness of the night will fade away and you will clearly see and be on the winner’s path once again.”

I sat down in a poker game and without concern or another thought, booked a win without even trying.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

PLAYING THE PLAYER - Choose your battles...

There are many battles to be won if you’re going to win the war. None bigger, however, then the one in which you will battle your self. In my personal observations, I find that many players are defeated not as much by the cards or the dealers (as they would have you believe), as they are by themselves. It’s as if the ego will not let them see past the cards their dealt. 

The defeatist is one who readily accepts defeat. She lays down and gives up the battle. He surrenders the pot too easily without adequately confronting his adversaries. Together they look for a way out-of instead of in-to, or standing their ground when the going gets tough. And it does get tough. Especially when it comes to personal battles with self-discipline, patience and understanding. Poker tournaments especially can be emotionally, physically and mentally tough.  

That is why I always thought that real life soldiers and military personal in general would be great at this game. They have trained themselves to exhibit a level of discipline and courage that would seem to serve them well at the poker table. After working and playing with them, however, I realize it is a different type of battle. It’s not the same as fighting on the battlefields of yesteryear, where the enemy was easily identified as the one firing the bullets at you. The game of poker is more like todays type of terrorist urban warfare where locating and identifying the enemy is becoming an increasingly more difficult task.

It may be easy to not differentiate and say that everyone is your enemy at the poker table, but that is simply not true. Which is one of the reasons why sometimes playing poker competitively can become confusing. There are many times in which you form allies in poker, even if it is unspoken. For example, in a poker tournament when you are playing short-handed and the third guy is short on chips, it is common for the other two players to form a “secret” alliance and gang up on the short stack in order to improve their position. Many of us have been on both ends of that experience of being the hunter and the hunted at the end of a tournament.

There are many other times, albeit a lot less obvious, in which subtle moves and shifts of strategy are made in which to avoid conflict and align with one player and target another. In cash games the regular pros at the table often lay down against each other, only to play against the tourist or the “fish.” These secret alliances are not so much spoken as they are understood by the veterans who play the game. Which may be  one reason an isolated young “pro” who feels she is on the outside would walk around confused, frustrated and befuddled in her plight to forge a career in this business.

There is a mutual understanding and respect that can develop among peers that has been earned through the many battles that are fought along the way. Many times it is not until you have been battle tested and earned your stripes, so to speak, that you are invited into this type of alliance. Again, not by formal invitation, but by actions that take place in which you both recognize the truth. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in this position, respect and honor it. Don't take it for granted and leverage it in pursuit of your own self-interest. Just like with any war you don't drop allies in the middle of it, less you find yourself surrounded on all sides, disrespected and alone. There is honor among thieves. So, as the saying goes, “choose your battles wisely.”

Now, once your common enemy is defeated, well then, a new war may begin.

so many questions...too few answers

One of the phrases that player's often say when they are discussing a poker hand is "it depends." To me this sounds like nails on a chalkboard! Eeeeeeechhhh! I hate that answer because it's no answer! The player's question may be general, but then just give a general answer.

Q: "What should I do with AQ?"
A: "Well...it depends!"

NO IT DOESN'T!

A:  "You Raise"

The person who then says, "well, what if there is a Raise and a 3b from a tight player in front of you?" - Well now, that is a whole different question, isn't it?  A:  "I fold!"
Ask a different question, get a different answer.

With each new parameter in a poker question, just like when a new card comes out on the board, the answer changes and that's okay! You don't need all the information on earth before you make a decision. Is it true that the more information you have, the better decision you will make? Generally speaking of course, the answer is yes. It is better to make an informed decision then an uninformed one. Sometimes you can have too much information. But don't let any lack of information keep you from making a decision. Otherwise you could put off and procrastinate till the cows come home and never make a decision.

Consider whatever information you have, evaluate it and make a decision. General information

produces a general answer, not no answer.

Q:  "How much should you buy-in to a poker game?"
A:  "Look at the table and whatever the average stack size is, buy-in for that amount."

I don't need to know what size game, the type of game, what level of player the person is whose asking me the question,  etc. etc. because the person is not asking me the question with those parameters.

Now, that said, the more detail that is in the question, the more detailed my answer will become.

Q:  "I was playing in a NL tourney and around the middle of the tournament this hand came up. I Called a Raise from an Early Position Solid player from the SB with TT. The flop came down Q86. After calling the 3x Raise I have 25bb left and my opponent has me covered. Am I suppose to lead, check and call, check and raise, or check and fold?"

A:  Great question. In spots like this I generally like to 3b big pre-flop, fight for the lead and define the hand early. I then would lead in on the flop and put my opponent to a tough decision. However, that is not our situation here and doesn't address your question. If for some reason I decided to just flat and play it defensively because of the player profile, then I would continue with that same passive line. I would check-call any reasonable flop bet and then re-evaluate on the turn. A check-raise would put me in a too high-risk, low-reward situation. Check-folding is giving up too much equity when I have my opponent beat if he has a smaller pair or AK.

So, when someone comes to you looking for an answer, acknowledge them and answer it with whatever the parameters given. Remembering of course that communication is for the other person. Meaning that in forming the answer you give, you should take into consideration the person who is asking it and answer accordingly.



Kenna

Play Well, Run Well! What percentage of poker is Skill versus Luck?

"Play well, Run well" is a common well wish given to players about to sit down in a poker game. I certainly will be trying to find this balance as I head into a special competition today. This statement alerts the question, what percentage of poker is skill to luck? 

It is a question that is often heatedly debated at the poker table, usually, by players who fall on one side of the fence or other and think they have the definitive answer. The beauty of game of poker is that it involves both. I don't think there is an exact answer or percentage. Even over time, where skill tends to sway the the pendulum back towards the center or beyond, I don't think there is a definitive answer as to what the exact percentage is. Our journey on the poker felt is one in which we hope to find that perfect balance between the two. 

In games of chance, anybody can win on any give day...in fact, we've all witnessed people run well for weeks. We've seen players at the WSOP final table who are only there because they have gotten lucky and run well for the entire main event. Which, by the way, is more then a week long. 

I believe myself to be a lucky player. Those who don't believe in luck at all just aren't playing with a full deck. There's that saying - "those who believe they are "right" and those who believe they are "wrong" - are both correct." And the same is true with luck. Those who believe they are lucky tend to be so and those who don't, continually find themselves falling on hard times. The reason is, in my humble opinion, is because BELIEF itself is so strong. 

The first part of the equation - "Play Well" - is a much more popular one. We exalt and admire our most skilled athletes. The command they have over their bodies and minds in accomplishing great feats is inspirational. They display for all of us what is possible when you put focused effort and discipline into what you are doing. 

Playing well, means being ethical to your purpose. Playing with integrity and being true to yourself. Not always easy in a game where the line is always moving. Bluffing is legal and in less then a minute you're making tough decisions for all your chips.  Being brave while making choices that need to be made, with the limited or hidden information that poker offers you, takes courage. And courage is just one of the higher faculties you'll have to employ if you want to win the game. Having faith to follow your intuitions when logic is telling you to do the opposite. Being self-determined and not being diverted by distractions requires mental will power. A player must see themselves as the cause of the outcome and stay the course that you know is "right."

So, this playing well, is a tough bill to fill. When we do play well we feel great and when we don't, we feel less good about ourselves. When we don't play well there is a tendency to not look inward for the solution, but to look outward at the deck or the dealer to save us. Sometimes they do, but more often then not, luck catches up with us and we fall flat on our faces only to pick ourselves up and try again. That is, unless you give up.

How much give up is in you? When a hand doesn't go your way do you take it personally, get angry and try to attack the opponent who beat you and try to get "your chips" back? If you have a losing session do you not go play for fear you're going to lose again? If you get knocked out of a rebuy or re-entry tournament to you pack up ship or do you raise your hand and yell "Re-buy!" to reload and try again? When to stay and fight and when to pick up and leave is a personal decision that each person has to determine for themselves. Certainly there are bankroll considerations and guidelines, but I'm talking more about personal resolve here, then about proper bankroll management. 


Today I'm heading to the Wynn casino for day 2 of a special event. About 80 players remain, battling for a top prize of just over $60,000.  Will today by my day? Will I bring home the cash and the trophy? Answers come after an experience, not before, my mentor Fast Eddie would tell me. And perhaps, that is one of the reasons we play the game. To find the answers to our own personal questions. I do know the answers I am looking for, are more likely to come, if I Play Well and Run Well!  

My focus will be on playing well and to allow those things that are out of my control to be. Perhaps I'll crack a wry smile from time to time with the irony that comes out of a simple deck of cards, that surely has a hand in dealing us, her players, our fate.