Short Stacked

People ask me all the time what I think the most important part of being a good poker player is. Turns out that's a pretty tough question to answer. Beyond just knowing the basics of the game, there are all manner of things that a person has to understand and be able to apply whenever they touch cards, in order to be a "good" player. I think lots of people would tell you that being able to 'read' your opponent (the ability to discern what type of hand your opponent has just by watching them) is the most valuable skill a poker player can have. If not 'reading' then other people might tell you that being able to 'change gears', meaning to change the style of your play, based on the way people at your table are playing, or the number of chips you have in front of you, is something no great poker player can do without. Still others might tell you that having an aggressive nature is crucial to success...and while all three of these are certainly important parts of having a good poker game none of them are, in my opinion, THE most important. As far as I'm concerned the one trait or skill that separates the average player from the exceptional player is simple: patience. Yep, that's right patience...more specifically though, to be a good poker player you must have the patience to be able to play from a 'short stack' (having the fewest chips at the table at a given moment). This is a situation that your average player is not mentally equipped to deal with, because for 90% of the people who play poker, the goal is to have the MOST chips ALL the time. Unfortunately this will almost never be the case....especially when you're playing tournaments that last for days, and even weeks before they end. Eventually a person must become comfortable with the idea that they will NOT always have the most chips, and sometimes they'll have so few chips that the situation looks completely hopeless. For an undisciplined player, this is the point where they begin making stupid decisions and even less intelligent plays, and quickly 'bust out' (to lose all ones chips or money).

The patient player, by contrast, will recognize ANY number of chips as exactly what they are: an opportunity. Chris "Jesus" Ferguson coined the term "A chip and a chair" when referring to what a player needs in order to win any given game. One single chip, and a place to sit, can be all the opportunity a person needs to be successful. The problems arise when we don't think we have as much as much 'opportunity' as the other people at our table. We scramble around, taking unnecessary risks, and making poor decisions, in hopes of getting more 'opportunity' in front of us, rather then being patient and waiting for the right place to play our 'short stack'. Waiting for that right place to play, rather then trying to force the issue, will often allow you to put all your chips on the table and 'double up' (literally doubling what you have). And while doubling up from a short stack will never give you the chip lead, it will often put you in a place where you can play, gain chips, and maybe even double up again at a later time. Do this enough times, and you'll quickly find yourself at the top of whatever game or tournament you're playing in.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I think there is probably a pretty close analogy here to life in general. In order to be successful, you have to have the patience to play well, even when it feels like you're short stacked on a daily basis. You can't go around worrying about how many chips the other guy has...instead you have to be able to make the most out of the opportunity you have in front of you. If you can do that, odds are that eventually you'll be presented with an opportunity to double up, rather then bust out. Of course there is always risk, that's part of the game and this is not to say that short stacks always win, or that sometimes you don't make exactly the right play and STILL lose, but in poker as in life, all you can really do is play the cards you're dealt and hope for the best.




*Thought of the day: Poker skills and life skills are very similar...you have to recognize when a risk is worthwhile, when it's not, and how many chips you're willing to lose if you're wrong.