The Game of Variance

Poker is the most inconsistent game on earth. I was up about 800-900 in the morning today but of course, I did not expect to keep that up. As expected, I lost it back in the afternoon. I am not mad that I lost. I have no desire to make it back by playing my hands super fast. When you play super fast and try to outplay everyone, you increase your variance and can lead to bigger wins and bigger losses. Although big wins can be fun while playing super agressive, big losses are not. And some big losses can lead to being broke. Since I have started playing poker, I see my friends making a lot of money and losing it all back and being broke. I learn from their mistakes. I know poker is a game of variance and swings and how one can handle those. If I know I am playing well and losing, I know I will make back the money eventually. Poker is not always about making money. It is about managing your money so that you can win in a long run. It is an investment. Just like in an investment, you dont want to invest everything on one item. You don't want to bring your whole bankroll to a table for sure. If I have to, I will go down stakes and grind it back up so i can have enough money to handle the swings. Going down stakes is not fun. Pots seem so much smaller and you don't win as much money but the swings are less harsh. I don't ever want to go broke. I dont want to make poker a game of gamble. I want to control poker, not poker controlling me. So be smart, check your ego and manage your money so that you can be a winning player.

--Omniheart