Gambling Psychology
Gambling psychology for most people conjures up images of stony
faced poker players and their habits and actions (tells) that
suggest the value of the cards they are holding.
I contend that there is much more to gambling psychology. When
we look at successful gamblers, they all have a sound money
management strategy, a sound game strategy, a high level of game
skills, distinctive presentation and when appropriate, the
ability to psyche their opponents.
You may contend that that some of these aspects of gambling do
not involve psychology. I disagree.
The sound money management strategy allows the successful
gambler to recover from a number of consecutive loosing gambling
sessions. Especially in poker, opponents notice these things and
the ability to bounce back has a subtle psychological effect on
opponents. This also allows you to approach the next session in
a better frame of mind than what you would otherwise be in
because you know that if you should loose again, you still have
adequate reserves to try again multiple times.
Without a sound game strategy you will be taken to the cleaners
regardless of the game you play or where you play it. A sound
strategy simply requires you to play the game to take advantage
of all the favorable bets and to avoid those bets where the
house has an unreasonable advantage.
This allows you to play with confidence because once your
strategy has been tested and proven, you know that when you win,
your winnings will be reasonable to quite good and on those
occasions when you loose, your losses will be relatively modest.
Your game skills give you the confidence to adhere to your
strategies when under pressure so that you maximize your
winnings and minimize your losses. If your game stresses you
unduly, either find a game with lower limits or a different game
that you find less stressful. If that is not possible, then it
is time to find another past time.
Your distinctive presentation sends a message to your opponents.
That message is dependant on where and with whom you play. Many
years ago, I worked as a ringer (cowboy) and long wearing
western shirts, jeans and polished riding boots have been both
my preferred work and casual wear ever since. In the city, that
gives me the image of a hay seed (hillbilly). At the poker
tables, that's great because most of those who do not know me
personally will tend to assess me as an inexperienced and poor
player.
To me these are the unnoticed aspects of gambling psychology
that all combine to build your personal confidence and allow you
to exude confidence during your gambling session.
Virtually everyone has heard about poker "tells" even if they do
not really know what they are. Tells are the subtle signs that
others pick up on that give them a good idea as to the strength
of our poker hand. Hiding these tells from your opponents,
requires a great deal of acting skills and practice especially
when you suddenly find yourself sitting on a good full house or
a royal flush.
I recall playing against this stony faced guy who hardly moved
or spoke for hours when suddenly the artery on the side of his
neck started jumping like he had just run a marathon. He
obviously had a hand that he found very exciting. Whilst he
could control his voluntary actions, he could not control his
involuntary actions. All those who could see that side of his
neck folded in turn. If he had come dressed as 'dandy' complete
with a cravat, no one may have noticed his obvious excitement
and his pot would have been much bigger.
This incident vividly illustrates the visible aspects of
gambling psychology.
Lastly, I thought I should do some research to see what the
experts have to say about gambling psychology. After a few
hours, of reading those papers, the overwhelming thrust was that
we were all exhibiting the early signs of abnormal behavioral
patterns and if caught early, the problem could respond to
treatment. Unfortunately, there are some in our midst where
gambling has become a problem.
I make a point of never gambling when cash is short because it
has been my sad experience that whenever I have gambled in those
situations, I have almost always lost and such losses are doubly
painful. I have always won most whenever I could well and truly
have afforded the loss. Being cashed up removes the stress and
reduces the mistakes one makes when playing overly cautiously.
To the intelligent gamblers in our midst who have sound
strategies in place and who never bet more than they can afford
to loose, I say work on the psychological aspects of your game
to improbe your edge and Good Luck at the Tables!