Discipline in every sport is an important factor to success on a regular basis. This holds true of poker as well. Even though most considerate it to be a game of chance, to be a money making pro at it, you must build on a foundation of the sportsmanlike attributes of learning, understanding and endless practice. This takes discipline. Natural ability is certainly a good part of it, but even the most blessed require a method, and a method is gotten by a serious and careful study of the game and how it is played by experts.

In fact, there is no such thing as spontaneous talent: music did not “just made sense” to Mozart – where would he be if he hadn’t spent his childhood practicing? One could say that talent is well-practiced potential. But don’t wait for a freaky father to hit you with a rod over your fingers every time you play the wrong card; impose your own discipline.

The amateur plays for the thrill of risk and the adrenaline rush that comes from fighting against blind chance. Poker is kept alive by this rush. The pros leave nothing to chance, the pro knows what his basic odds are and takes full advantage of his opponents’ errors, notes if there are familiar patterns, and calculates the risk. The serious professional player will not expect to enjoy himself at a friendly game of cards, this is his job. And his job is to take every cent he can from the other players gathered around the table having a casual game of poker to pass the time. The professional’s strategy is to match his wits against chance and his opponent’s methods and come out with a win.

There are many varieties of poker and it is vital to know which of the varieties is most suited to your intuition, skill and behavior patterns. If you do not have this habit of self-introspection, chances are you will keep playing a plodding game which never fully engages your faculties. Try other varieties of poker to see which one(s) excites you. You just might be surprised at what a skillful player you really are.

There is a big difference between limit and no-limit poker. A disciplined player will not yield to temptation and will prefer the game in which he feels in full, cucumber-cool control. In limit poker, disciplined players tend to play with caution, act cool, taking the time to covertly collect information about opponents, intending to milk them by small moves. They will play only the hands worth playing: the best ones play only about 20% of the hands dealt them.

A disciplined no-limit professional will evince the opposite of reserve, will be aggressive before the flop, and will play hands that to the limit expert would seem reckless stunts, always knowing, however, what precisely he is trying to achieve by every aggressive move.

Whether limit or no-limit, of at least the same importance as the right move, is to not get so carried away that you don’t refrain yourself from knowing when to fold. If the situation is hopeless, or you feel a lack of control, which is certainly not uncommon, as a disciplined player aware of your performance, you will not continue with a game bringing only frustration.

On better days, never trust chance to maintain your good fortune forever – learn to leave before you loose the edge. Good players learn to establish not only the limits of their losses, but also the limits of their gain during each session.

To read more poker articles like this one go to The Poker Source or Big Poker Blog

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