Beginner Series; Part 3 - Motivation
Poker caught your eye. But what are the reasons you keep coming back?
At some point someone gifted you the game of poker. It doesn’t come in a box and there are no manuals or defined instructions. But the gift was given and it has you hooked (or getting hooked). The truth is, whatever or whomever turned you onto poker, at this point is irrelevant. What is more interesting (and in fact helpful) is to discuss your motivations for continuing to play the game. Some obvious possibilities include:
Social interaction
Making money (or a living)
Desire to Compete
Love of puzzles / logic games
Compulsion for gambling
Extreme examples of number 5 are unfortunate; as sick players are the dark side to any game or sport.
However, the other 4 reasons are positive qualities and bring experiences, complexity to our entertainment, and are good things to strive for.
It must be said, however, that we all have our own reasons for coming back to the game. In fact, I believe if you took a survey of players on what motivates each of them, the answers of the poll would differ as much as the last names of those polled.
Using me as an example, my desire to compete keeps me motivated through the entirety of a tournament while my love for solving puzzles and strategic thinking keeps me studying the game away from the table. I have a small amount of desire for #1 Meanwhile, #2 and #5 aren’t given much thought.
The major point is knowing that our opponents are likely seeking something different from our shared experience at the table. One person motivated heavily by money may have a hard time understanding why another person with a smaller stack doesn’t want to chop. Another player that plays “by the numbers” may show disbelief that another would show down with holdings that “shouldn’t” be there.
Berating another player by saying “How can you call my raise on the flop with only a gutshot?”, “Why would you limped with KK?”, or “Why would you risk your tournament life with AK?” are statements that we hear around the table from time to time from a player that doesn’t take the time to consider his opponent’s motivations.
If you aren’t sure of a player’s motivation, just ask her what she likes about playing. She is very likely to tell you all of the components of poker that she likes and even dislikes. Being free with this type of information seems very benign and friendly. What’s more you can use this information to your own advantage.
Imagine a player that tells you before the start of a freezeout (no rebuys) tournament that he entered to spend 3 or 4 hours of having fun and socializing. Well you could exploit this perception by putting this player to the test early in the tournament. If you feel like he hasn’t had his “fix” yet, maybe there is a better than average chance he will fold his AK or QQ to your 3 bet all in early in the tournament.
You can also use motivational information to make deals. Let’s say you get heads up with a player that is better than you. You know that you are motivated by the trophy sitting on the table and you are quite sure she has little interest in it and cares much more about the money up top. You can craft a deal that benefits both of you of course. However, you can make an even better deal (for you) if you know her motivations but she does not know yours.
Keeping Score
For the last 3 years, I have been logging all of my poker play. It includes my buyin amounts, a description of the tournament or cash game, the place I finished, and the prize I (hopefully) won. Keeping this ledger helps me track my progress as to how much money I make which helps me set a budget / bankroll (of which a future essay will be written in this beginner series) However, notice that I also put what place I finished. This is a hint to myself (and you) that my desire to compete and win matters to me at least as much as the money does.
I urge you to do the same. But keep track of what extent your motives are fulfilled. If you are in it for the social aspect, let yourself know if you enjoyed your time, heard a new joke, got to see an old friend, or, perhaps that you would like to try a new venue to seek out new faces.
The point is try to find out what you want and actively seek it out. If what you are seeking is to get better at poker, I hope you stick around and read this beginner series as we delve into more relevant subject matter.1
It has been pointed out to me that not all aspects of this series are “beginner” level and I appreciate that feedback. While I understand that take, I wouldn’t know how to go through the subject matter on a more basic level with the tools that currently exist. It may not be the way we learned, but I believe it is the way beginners learn in the 2020’s.
It is also very hard to know the line to “stop” and label a concept “not beginner”. Bear with me but please keep the feedback coming.