The Importance Of Being Honest

This article is written by The Hendon Mob and originally appeared on www.thehendonmob.com

We are often asked what makes a good poker player or a winning poker player. There are many different things but the two that are always there at the top of the list are patience and discipline. When we gamble we develop habits; always backing favourites, chasing, never slow playing aces. Poker is very habit forming and it's important to get into good habits as bad habits can be very hard to break and very expensive as well.

We are going to ask you three questions…the first is do you win? Wait don't answer it just yet.

If you walk into any licensed betting office on the high street or go to the track and ask a total stranger the same question they will invariably answer, "I do ok, just about break even". Did you know that nearly everyone that gambles loses? Yes, nearly everyone. So ask 100 people at the track, in the card room or in the casino, ask 1,000. How come nearly everyone 'breaks even'? If you want to make it as a professional poker player you must be honest with yourself and believe it or not most people aren't.

So are you serious about poker, about winning? If you are then carry on reading.

Do you keep records of your poker sessions? Many players will tell you they do, it makes them look good, but in reality they are just like the guys at the track. They don't keep records at all. It can be very disheartening to record several losses; it just makes the pain last that little bit longer. But if you are serious and you want to improve your game then going through that additional pain is all part of the process, all part of the learning curve.

We are going to make things even easier for you. You won't have to carry a little notebook, palmtop or laptop with you. We have written The Hendon Mob's own 'My Poker Diary'. It is web-based so you can access it from any computer in the world and you can track your results. You can track your profits and your losses and use it to analyse your play. You can compare results by game or location. You can keep notes and use this tool to help you improve whether you are a losing player, a break even player or even a top professional

Record keeping is an important process if you want to take your poker playing seriously or even if you want to know how you really get on. Try and remember your last 10 sessions. Think! Exactly, hard isn't it? Imagine how good you will feel if in a month's time, six month's time or a year's time you can look back at all your sessions, compare them and see how you are progressing.

Come back then and answer the first question!

Click here to access My Poker Diary.

www.thehendonmob.com is the home of the original and industry leading poker player tournament results database. It also houses an archive of articles containing poker tips and strategy written by many well known professional players, a very lively poker forum, and, for those just starting out, the best beginners poker guide on the ‘net.

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