It is true for every sport that discipline is a key factor in consistent success. Despite the common understanding that poker is a gambling game of chance, you have to realize that if one day you are to become a profitable pro, you will have to establish sportsmanlike discipline of learning, understanding, and incessant practice. “Talent” is certainly essential, but even the greatest talent needs a method, and method is acquired from careful study.

Mozart was certainly a child protg of great talent, but even Mozart practiced his music relentlessly even as a child. Mozart knew that talent is well-practiced potential. But don’t depend on anyone else to impose discipline. You must impose it on yourself.

Amateurs play for the fun and excitement of risk against blind Chance. That is what keeps the business alive. Professional players leave Chance no chance: the pro knows what his basic chances are and takes advantage of every opponent’s slip, remembers repetitive patterns, and calculates the current odds. The serious player does not expect to have simpleminded fun: rather, his takes pleasure in efficiently emptying pockets as a profession. Chance only enters the professional’s world as one of the elements against which he matches his intelligence and skill. The idea is not to gamble half-blindly, but to pitch oneself against the strategies of another, and 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.

Make no mistake, there is a vast difference between limit and no-limit poker. The disciplined player will keep temptation in check and will prefer the game at which he feels fully in control and can go about it calmly and cautiously, all the while gathering data on his opponents to use against them relentlessly in small moves. They will only play the hands that seem to be the best, disregarding about 80% of the hands that are dealt.

A no-limit professional player also has discipline. He will, however, not appear cool and collected but will play aggressively before the flop, and will play hands that the limit player would consider as one of those 80% he wouldn’t touch. The no-limit pro while seeming to be reckless, is acutely aware of exactly what he is attempting to accomplish by every aggressive move he makes.

No matter which type of poker the pro is playing, he knows when to fold up his tent, quit the frustration, and move on to other things.

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.

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