This is something I have been wondering.

How much effect does your playing style have on your psychological health in poker. i.e. potential to accept bad beats, not going on tilt etc.

I have a very tight cautious approach to poker (as it has been posted before by others that I see monsters around every corner).

However I do use this image to my advantage at times and it is working for me in giving me a high percentage of places and wins in the 5, 10 and 20 man tournaments. My bank roll is building, it has less of a swing downwards but I am probabling sacrificing some of the swing upwards.

One effect it has had though is that I rarely suffer bad beats or go on tilt.

I have tried a looser more aggressive style but I just found it too stressful and unenjoyable without the same return. I also found that my mood swings were greater with the greater amount of beats and wins that playing more hands was offering.

I'd like to hear about others playing styles and how it affects them psychologically.

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http://gthejester.blogspot.com

A closed mind is like a closed book ... its just a piece of wood.

I just learned that if I get outdrawn, it's usually because I outplayed the dumb MF'r, and he outdrew me.. Next time, he wont...

My last two $20 and $25 SnG's I bubbled, both on river cards and yeah, it F'ing pissed me off, but like I said, I got someone to get ALL of their chips in the middle as a DOG, ie, I outplayed them and just got outdrawn. Remember, in NLHE this is EXACTLY what you want!!! When that finally clicked, poker took on a whole new lifeblood..

Just for example, you can see in RR which hands people lost and are screaming "bad beat" but THEY are the ones who made the mistake, then you see the ones that are LEGIT "bad beats" where the loser was a dominant favorite and lost. BIG difference..

That's why I gave up playing limit cash games for awhile, no matter how you play it it's going to be tough to win alot long term on average because nobody will lay anything down, THAT pshcolocgically speaking is FAR worse to me after enduring an hour of that than a day playing SnG's.. It totally FUCKED my mentality. But, if your tourney game is on you can win far more by playing even LL SnG's, rebuy tournies than small stakes LHE... IMHO of course, but that's just because it works for me, it may not work so good for other people...

But, to directly answer your question, my playing style in tournies is TOTALLY different than in cash games SLAA in tournies, SLPA in cash it works for me in tournies, it doesn't in cash, I stick to tournies and my poker mental health is better than ever because I am VERY comfortable playing in tournies how I play, and I am getting much, much better at it than I was, therefore I am much more comfortable, relaxed, and beats don't bother me near as much..

Just for example, I lost one $40 pot playing $1/$2 LHE a couple weeks ago to a river card that sent me over the edge when some monkey raping prick caught his one outer. I mean it fucking FLIPPED me on end. The one hand I got rivered on the other day cost me $200 in payout, yeah I was pissed for a minute, and went right back at it. I lost 5 times the $$$, and had 100 times less worry.... Had 3 more solid cashes right after than and cashed out $500... Fuck it, no big deal...

Everyone goes on tilt at some point. Obviously, some are more prone to it thatn others. There's a deifference between being disappointed, being angry, and steaming. Releasing the anger in your own way is a good way to prevent you from steaming. Weak-tight players turn into calling stations when they steam because they think everyone's bluffing them. I notice that weak-tight players have convinved themselves that they're you're awarded Aces and Kings when they get them for their supurb hand selection. Garbage.

This mindset also makes them believe at times that it's a 2 card game. When tey're reminded that it's a 7 card game, they get mad at everyone else. Thanks to this snobbery, I find that weak-tight players are the easiest to piss off and make it obvious when they are. They do everything but say loud that when they get 2 great cards, they're calling everything because "you guys are playing shit... why do play those cards?"

They tend to coach a lot, too. That gets to me a bit, but they're easy to pick on, so that's my release. I hate weak-tight players in most cases as human beings, but I love them as poker players.

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I think it's difficult to win big if you play very cautiously, especially when you move up limits. But i'm no expert, by my game has improved since i've taken a more agressive stance.

G, you should go take a look at Doc Schoomakers (sp) Book "The psychology of Poker". It's got some concepts and ideas you may find interesting.

Yes, I think your style does lead to an emotional attachment. The more LAGy you are, the more you will tilt I believe.

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This book also gets my approval.

Cheers guys ... I'll check that book out.

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http://gthejester.blogspot.com

A closed mind is like a closed book ... its just a piece of wood.

if you play tight, you will go on tilt when someone sucks out on you. However if your losse, I dont think a few suckouts in a row will affect you.

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gotta agree with gder!

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I think that if you play enough hands of poker the way you play will have little impact on your emotions. You are who you are. If you are not disciplined and have a temper in other areas of life it will carrry over to poker.

I rarely go on tilt and I play tight for the most part. I just have played enough hands to know ups and downs happen and if I play my game I win over time.

I think a lot of my discipline comes from golf which I've been playing longer than some of you are alive. The game humbles me and teaches me every day I play...poker is similar, however you get rewarded more frequently in poker with bad play than golf. A stupid golf shot cannot flop a FH. It will flop in the bunker though. Anyone watch the US Open? Phil is living proof of always learning in golf. Best in the game and still succeptible to the choke and tilt.

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