I try to remember what all results are possible before making a decision. It's much more easy to accept whatever happens when you go through it in your mind, sometimes opponent has top of his range, sometimes he will hit runner-runner to beat you, etc. Then whatever happens, it's easier to accept than to be surprised at the end - even if you win it's better to be prepared for it and not elated by it. EDIT: Oh, this was rather during I play than when I prepare to play. Well, when I prepare I try to remember that most of the tournaments will go badly and most of the time I will lose.
Johnathon .. what’s the goal? Meaning if it’s a long term goal, then should it be calculated monthly , quarterly or annually. How do you measure poker success?
Since I am a competitor... my struggle is accepting defeat. With poker it really isn't all playing skill vs. playing skill. It's often "he or she who can uphold the fundamentals thru and thru the swings of ups and downs". One important thing poker has taught me is to be stoic through the good and the bad. We often share the idea that when things go bad is to calm down, relax, and stay focused. But, often forgotten is the opposite of the spectrum which is... what happens when you "run good"? Does it change your play? Does it make you feel invincible? Do you open your ranges? I see it all the time in tournaments when someone gets a huge stack early in a MTT and loses it all before the bubble.
Thankfully my blow up was at 16 years old. Where I worked we played on breaks and sometimes break was all day. One day I had a string of bad beats and went on tilt and lost all the money in front of me. I then went back to work and spent the rest of the day thinking about how terrible that decision was and how I shouldn't let it happen again. That was 29 years ago, I have lost my cool a few times since then but I haven't punted off my stack in anger. It was a great lesson for young person to learn.
Such good advice. I've had plenty of 10 hour cash sessions where I was just completely dead, zero chance to do anything. If that happens in a tournament, you're just gone. And you have to be ready to accept that if that's how it goes down.
Great video! can you make video about how to reduce variance on MTT? like use more FE, try to play more postflop because the pool are like to call shove with any two and bink, etc
Your lessons are enjoyable. I am mostly a tag or lag depending on the table makeup. Once my money is converted to chips it ceases to be money for me. Chips are just to keep count of my relative position among the other players. Up or down when a hand is over I forget it and play my game. Cheers
I found a good strategy to help with bad beats is to be happy you got the money in and to be even more happy when your opponents are happy to put the money in whilst behind
Getting a bad beat is usually a good thing! Your opponent is likely to learn the wrong lesson, and you made the correct play, yet still lost. This bodes well for future hands. The variance is why bad players keep coming back to give you their money - if the bad players lost every time (like chess), they'd learn they're bad and stop giving you their money.
A few times a year, poker tournament winner highlights are “Joe Schmoe has won his first live tournament ever!” Whether it’s a bracelet, a daily tourney, anything in between. I think those people struggle the most with these mindset leaks. In the moment, to win your first ever tourney in a sizable field, the amount of luck, good fortune, poker “bounces” that go that players way needed to win. create a sense of entitlement for said player. They think they’re going to win 4/5 flips, hold more often than the math states, and bad beat others at a high clip like they did in a winning run. Losing in poker teaches you a lot about a man. Including yourself.
My bad beats can be avoided or averted when it is an all in situation as stars allow you to cash out during the hand according to ur equity so if u have 87.54% equity subject to a 1% pot fee u will be paid your % of the pot if u cash out, doing this affects ur postflop strategy to a degree
I keep records for the year. At the end of year I see where I have ended up. Some years I have made 2K. Some years I have lost 3K. I am not a winning player for the last 10 years. It does not bother me at all. I never risk food, gas, mortgage money. Its just one long card game to me. Does it get frustrating to get sucked out with AA? Sure but I remember a tournament where I won and beat AA and KK with pocket 33"s. It just part of the game.
Hello, thanks for your great advice. What do you think Is the best thing to do? If I have a day with all the bad beats and feeling card dead, as you said I'm not a robot, do you think it's better to stop that day, because feeling bad causes mistakes?
How many weak players always forget the times they suck out on someone else? 😅 I had Ac9d v KdKh allinmid stage of a small buyin tournament yesterday and the run out was 5 spades 😅. Someone lost most of their stack with JJ v JJ 😅. These things happen. Just enjoy being on the good side when it happens!
Does anyone play poker anymore for fun? It's not even fun anymore when 7+ players at the table are only there to in a little money. Even more so at 1/2 games.
I tilt in the opposite direction when i fold 9-4o and a full house flops, ok it happens, but then it happens again , and again so now i'm afraid to fold , but i do , i fold J3 off and what do you think happens !? flopping the nuts is the best feeling for me , 2nd best feeling is a clean fold TRUTH !!!
@@LowTide941 yeah i'm pretty new to poler, yesterday i folded 3 crap hands in a row and 1 was a full house and the very next 1 was a straight , it seems like every 3rd or 4th hand i fold woulda won, but thanks i was starting to think it was only me .
I started playing 5/5 pot limit holdem in the late 70's. I disagree with the idea that seems popular today that short term results don't matter. YES THEY DO. If you take care of short term results the long term results take care of themselves. Avoiding large losses is key to overall profits. One of the influences to my understanding of this came from observing a hugely successful cash game player from the old underground games in Texas.
I don't mind variance at all, in fact if it was real for me I would embrace it. Problem is I don't have positive variance and haven't for two years. And it's not just getting outdrawn, it's massive absurd coolers, myself never hitting a draw, etc. For example just this month I've had FIVE instances of having the king high flush losing to the ace high flush. I've never had it the other way around. I also never hit a draw. So when five people in one night hit a gutshot on me, I wouldn't mind if I could just hit my share of gutshots or even good 33% equity draws but my equity is nowhere near 30% it's like 5% at best. I used to wonder about the existential implications of all this but now I've come to peace with it and I just play for fun. I'm good enough now to break even despite running this way. I win all my hands by bluffing and then I make crazy folds that no one else would make. But I know I can never be a pro with that kind of variance (and neither could anyone else) so I'm cool with that.
2 years don’t mean anything. You could have played 20 hours in 2 years. So it’s a matter of how many hours you played. I’ve had break even stretches for 400 hours. Meaning that I’d lose, win, lose, win, eventually win anyway. But while I was losing I’d study every single day. Do you?
![When GTO Poker Meets EXPLOIT! [Charlie Carrel vs Andy Stacks]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Sym6DP0Q-pU/mqdefault.jpg)
What strategies do you employ to make sure you're in the right headspace before playing poker?
Love your videos man.
A mantra that I can only control the decisions I make
I try to remember what all results are possible before making a decision. It's much more easy to accept whatever happens when you go through it in your mind, sometimes opponent has top of his range, sometimes he will hit runner-runner to beat you, etc. Then whatever happens, it's easier to accept than to be surprised at the end - even if you win it's better to be prepared for it and not elated by it. EDIT: Oh, this was rather during I play than when I prepare to play. Well, when I prepare I try to remember that most of the tournaments will go badly and most of the time I will lose.
Johnathon .. what’s the goal? Meaning if it’s a long term goal, then should it be calculated monthly , quarterly or annually. How do you measure poker success?
Since I am a competitor... my struggle is accepting defeat. With poker it really isn't all playing skill vs. playing skill. It's often "he or she who can uphold the fundamentals thru and thru the swings of ups and downs". One important thing poker has taught me is to be stoic through the good and the bad. We often share the idea that when things go bad is to calm down, relax, and stay focused. But, often forgotten is the opposite of the spectrum which is... what happens when you "run good"? Does it change your play? Does it make you feel invincible? Do you open your ranges? I see it all the time in tournaments when someone gets a huge stack early in a MTT and loses it all before the bubble.
Every time I feel myself tilting and start to make bad moves, I imagine Jonathan shaking his head in disgust at me. Works every time.
I do the same thing
@@snhlandscapingsames got a poster on my wall of him looking disappointed
Thanks Johnathan! Happy Holidays!!
Thankfully my blow up was at 16 years old. Where I worked we played on breaks and sometimes break was all day. One day I had a string of bad beats and went on tilt and lost all the money in front of me. I then went back to work and spent the rest of the day thinking about how terrible that decision was and how I shouldn't let it happen again. That was 29 years ago, I have lost my cool a few times since then but I haven't punted off my stack in anger. It was a great lesson for young person to learn.
Always appreciate your solid advice. I apply it all the time
That is why it is super important to play at stakes where you are comfortable and that your bankroll can support
Such good advice. I've had plenty of 10 hour cash sessions where I was just completely dead, zero chance to do anything. If that happens in a tournament, you're just gone. And you have to be ready to accept that if that's how it goes down.
This really the best video. Poker discipline is number 1
Yessir Johnathan!! Best free content around 😎
Great video!
can you make video about how to reduce variance on MTT? like use more FE, try to play more postflop because the pool are like to call shove with any two and bink, etc
I needed this video. Going through a downswing.
How many hands? 2500?😂
me too bro. it's crazy how bad i feel after losing... it really affects my well-being
Your lessons are enjoyable. I am mostly a tag or lag depending on the table makeup. Once my money is converted to chips it ceases to be money for me. Chips are just to keep count of my relative position among the other players. Up or down when a hand is over I forget it and play my game. Cheers
Going through my worst ever downswing. Thanks for this video 🙏🏻
In Ref. to #2... This is why "mixing it up" is so important. I don't want to go into details because I still want you all to make mistakes! 😉
I found a good strategy to help with bad beats is to be happy you got the money in and to be even more happy when your opponents are happy to put the money in whilst behind
Getting a bad beat is usually a good thing! Your opponent is likely to learn the wrong lesson, and you made the correct play, yet still lost. This bodes well for future hands.
The variance is why bad players keep coming back to give you their money - if the bad players lost every time (like chess), they'd learn they're bad and stop giving you their money.
Thanks for this
Somehow I can take and manage variance in tournaments but it's a little tough to handle in cash games tbh
A few times a year, poker tournament winner highlights are “Joe Schmoe has won his first live tournament ever!” Whether it’s a bracelet, a daily tourney, anything in between. I think those people struggle the most with these mindset leaks. In the moment, to win your first ever tourney in a sizable field, the amount of luck, good fortune, poker “bounces” that go that players way needed to win. create a sense of entitlement for said player. They think they’re going to win 4/5 flips, hold more often than the math states, and bad beat others at a high clip like they did in a winning run. Losing in poker teaches you a lot about a man. Including yourself.
Me personally, never created a scene playing live. Although in the past, i had my fair share of blowups playing online in the comfort of my home lol
The paradox is that to be truly successful you have to play with no expectation. This is challenging for most because of the money factor.
My bad beats can be avoided or averted when it is an all in situation as stars allow you to cash out during the hand according to ur equity so if u have 87.54% equity subject to a 1% pot fee u will be paid your % of the pot if u cash out, doing this affects ur postflop strategy to a degree
I keep records for the year. At the end of year I see where I have ended up. Some years I have made 2K. Some years I have lost 3K. I am not a winning player for the last 10 years. It does not bother me at all. I never risk food, gas, mortgage money. Its just one long card game to me. Does it get frustrating to get sucked out with AA? Sure but I remember a tournament where I won and beat AA and KK with pocket 33"s. It just part of the game.
Hello, thanks for your great advice. What do you think Is the best thing to do? If I have a day with all the bad beats and feeling card dead, as you said I'm not a robot, do you think it's better to stop that day, because feeling bad causes mistakes?
4. Scarcity mindset
Facing river bet - "I don't know what he could have, so I fold."
I hear that a lot on advice channels.
Well, one day I got knocked out four times in a row by all in AA preflop.
Guess I need to get used to it
These three mindsets can also apply to life in general.
Hey Jonathan have you ever played with Mike Matasow
I like frustate player we moji part my game they tilt works 90% special final table😅 merry chrismas pro happy new year your lovely family🎉❤😊
Thank you, happy new year!
"If you get in with AA vs J4o" made me giggle 😆
J4o🤣
Can’t feel entitled at the poker table.
How many weak players always forget the times they suck out on someone else? 😅 I had Ac9d v KdKh allinmid stage of a small buyin tournament yesterday and the run out was 5 spades 😅. Someone lost most of their stack with JJ v JJ 😅. These things happen. Just enjoy being on the good side when it happens!
WHENEVER I START TO LOSE IT I CHANNEL CHIP REESE .
Does anyone play poker anymore for fun? It's not even fun anymore when 7+ players at the table are only there to in a little money. Even more so at 1/2 games.
I tilt in the opposite direction when i fold 9-4o and a full house flops, ok it happens, but then it happens again , and again so now i'm afraid to fold , but i do , i fold J3 off and what do you think happens !? flopping the nuts is the best feeling for me , 2nd best feeling is a clean fold TRUTH !!!
Did you just learn how to play poker? That’s kind of a beginner thing
@@LowTide941 yeah i'm pretty new to poler, yesterday i folded 3 crap hands in a row and 1 was a full house and the very next 1 was a straight , it seems like every 3rd or 4th hand i fold woulda won, but thanks i was starting to think it was only me .
Who could have guessed?
I started playing 5/5 pot limit holdem in the late 70's. I disagree with the idea that seems popular today that short term results don't matter. YES THEY DO. If you take care of short term results the long term results take care of themselves. Avoiding large losses is key to overall profits. One of the influences to my understanding of this came from observing a hugely successful cash game player from the old underground games in Texas.
1:26 what is that ??? Ur makeing coke line with your fingers..... SHOOOCKING ALLEGATIONS !!!
There is someone who likes J4o 😉
its the flat tire.
I don't mind variance at all, in fact if it was real for me I would embrace it. Problem is I don't have positive variance and haven't for two years. And it's not just getting outdrawn, it's massive absurd coolers, myself never hitting a draw, etc. For example just this month I've had FIVE instances of having the king high flush losing to the ace high flush. I've never had it the other way around. I also never hit a draw. So when five people in one night hit a gutshot on me, I wouldn't mind if I could just hit my share of gutshots or even good 33% equity draws but my equity is nowhere near 30% it's like 5% at best. I used to wonder about the existential implications of all this but now I've come to peace with it and I just play for fun. I'm good enough now to break even despite running this way. I win all my hands by bluffing and then I make crazy folds that no one else would make. But I know I can never be a pro with that kind of variance (and neither could anyone else) so I'm cool with that.
You should get Jonathan Littles master class!! Sounds like more than just crappy luck
2 years don’t mean anything. You could have played 20 hours in 2 years. So it’s a matter of how many hours you played. I’ve had break even stretches for 400 hours. Meaning that I’d lose, win, lose, win, eventually win anyway. But while I was losing I’d study every single day. Do you?
I hope your books are better than your YT videos.