How Important is Confidence in Poker?

All serious poker players run out of form sometime in their careers; it’s something which is inevitable and constantly happening in all sports.

The true professionals believe that the poker player is tested not when the going is good but how they play when luck runs out. Fairly decent players play well when they are feeling lucky but sometimes start losing after some weeks.

This is a very bad situation where players can go into a downward spiral and start losing money. This after some time attacks their confidence forcing them to make even bigger errors resulting in heavier loses. 

A consistent winning player is full of confidence in their playing abilities. Self-confidence is one common trait all great poker players have. Loss of confidence is one sure shot way of turning a consistent player into a less than ordinary player.

It is interesting to note how player confidence is crushed by a bad run. It’s not uncommon to see players who have been winning for years suddenly start losing and then begin to doubt their own abilities and they even go on to attribute their winning ways to good luck. The fact is that poker is a game of considerable uncertainties. In a career spanning years, all good poker players go through a bad patch when they lose a lot of money and sometimes go broke, self doubt grips them and their confidence sinks to the lowest point. 

Such players are called WPLC or winning player lacking confidence. Players in this situation start making poor and unwarranted adjustments in their game or often become increasingly aggressive with disastrous consequences. Players down on confidence generally get called down by weak hands, get played back, will play passively and will miss slim value bets. Some times they even fail to raise moderately strong hands, allowing opponents to draw cheaply and beat them. 

It is extremely important to restore one’s confidence after a bad run and there is no magic potion to accomplish this. Some poker players believe in staying away from the game for a short while to give their ‘poker scars ‘time to heal.

There are other players however who continue to play hoping to play through their bad run. For such players it is advisable they lock as many wins as possible even if they seem to be small wins, nothing boosts confidence as much as a few good wins.  

Remember that the best poker players in the world go through periods when their luck deserts them and form drops. Stop thinking that the world is conspiring against you and keeping you away from spectacular wins.

When confidence is at its lowest level, it is advisable to take a break and get away from the poker table. If this does not excite you, then try and lock a few wins no matter how small they are. 

The best thing to do is to stop letting bad luck determine how you play your hand. Bank on your vast experience and sound logic that helped you to become a winner in the first place - after all cards have no memory.

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