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.
