Poker Motive

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What’s Your Motive?

We’ve all seen it. A player at your table makes a terrible move and sucks out to win a huge pot. The player who lost begins to berate him and tell him how terrible he is. The target of his outrage responds, “I’m just here to have fun. If I was any good, I wouldn’t be playing a $2 tournament”. Pretty tough point to argue with, right?

It’s possible that the “donk” in the example above works a full time job, makes six figures and just comes home at night and donks around in a couple of small buy in tournaments to blow off steam at the end of a long work day.  So who’s to say he can’t shove it all in with a gutshot?  He paid his $2 just like the rest of us. It does not make it any more fun when we are on the losing end of the scenario, but it does make you realize, that everyone has a reason for playing poker.

This article is not about “tapping the glass”. I’m as guilty as anyone of having ripped in to a few clowns in my day.  It’s something I’m trying to get under control, but that is another article.  This article is about motive.  And how your motive for playing poker could (and probably should) impact the various aspects of your game.

Let’s examine some of these reasons and the possible impacts it might have on ones game.

Money

This one is pretty straight forward. Some people play poker simply for the money.  It is their job, or atl east their “second job”. Some of these people might not even ENJOY poker that much, they have simply chosen it as their profession (or at least as a primary source of their income). So what does this mean for them?  For one, it means they need to practice strict bankroll management. When poker is your job, money is your tool.  And without it, you cannot get the job done. It also means they need to be consistently studying the game. They might do this by talking hands with a group of poker friends, or by subscribing to www.tournamentpokeredge.com or another poker training site. Falling behind your competition in terms of skill or knowledge is not an option for this group.

Enjoyment

Some people simply play because it is fun. They might load up their account with $100 and play a few SNGs on the weekend.  If they burn through their bankroll they simply reload and start over again.  At the end of the day they don’t really care that much if they win or lose.  Of course winning is always good, but it’s really not their prime motivation. They are probably not “students of the game”.  Sure, they are likely to improve through experience, but they are not reviewing hand histories on their off days and sharing hands with friends. Someone who plays for fun is likely not investing in the latest poker software or in 2 monitors so they can 16 table. They are perfectly happy firing up one tournament and just playing for the sake of playing.

The Social Aspect

The reason I initially got in to poker is that it was a great social game. It was an excuse to get out of the house and hang out with new and interesting people or, in the case of online poker, forget about the other stresses of life for a while and hang out in your office to play tournaments. I’ve made some great friends through poker (including the other pros on this site). Many players are simply playing for the opportunity to do something other than work and family. It’s not their life’s only focus by any means, but it is a great escape.  Now if these players are like me, they have a drive to be good at whatever they do, so eventually they begin to search out books, magazines and forums that can help them get better at their game.

The Challenge

In my opinion, these are the players who end up crushing the game. They are also the ones who eventually move in to the category of playing for money. They have a drive to be the best at whatever they do. They spend as much time studying the game as they do playing it. They think about poker constantly and discuss hands with their friends. If you listen to interviews with the top tournament players, you will constantly hear them talk about getting hooked early in their poker career on the challenge of becoming a winning player. They flock to online forums and training sites, because they realize than they are investing in the knowledge it takes to become a winning player. They learn and practice strict bankroll management skills because they realize that without a bankroll they can’t play and if they can’t play they cannot get better. They invest in the best HUD, the largest monitors, a comfortable office chair and perhaps even a dedicated space in their home specifically set aside for playing poker.

The question you have to ask yourself is “what is YOUR motive for playing poker?”  Which category do you fall into? Once you have identified what category you are in, ask yourself if you are doing what it takes to fulfill the “needs” of that category.

If you absolutely want to be the best poker player possible and are willing to do what it takes to win, ask yourself the following questions?

–          Do you spend a considerable amount of time each weak reviewing hands and studying?

–          Have you invested in your poker education by subscribing to a poker training site?

–          Do you have the right equipment?  HUD, ample monitor space, a suitable computer, comfortable desk and chair, and a quiet and private place to play and study, etc.

–          Have you surrounded yourself with other players that you can discuss hands with?

–          Do you buy all the latest poker strategy books?

–          Are you posting hands to strategy forums such as the one at www.tournamentpokeredge.com and also reviewing other player’s posted hands?

–          Are you practicing solid bankroll management?

If you answered “yes” to all or most of these questions, then you are on your way to being a solid winning poker player. If you answered “no” to any of these questions, now is a great time to address those.  This does not mean you have to do everything on the list. Not everyone uses a HUD, for example. Bigdog does not, and he is obviously crushing the game. Not everyone can afford 2 30” monitors, but maybe you can add one 22” monitor to your existing set up so you can play a couple more tables. The point is, you should be trying to find every possible way to improve. If you’re not, then perhaps your motivation for playing is actually something other than you think it is.