lepaux said:
I find that the worst mistakes I make is when I let my ego get in the way and worry more about winning than what's actually on the table.. any experiences with this?
Absolutely! :laugh:
If my ego is granted audience it reliably informs me that as a sleeping goat, an Ungar incarnate, every pot from every position with every holding is an entitlement. Every opponent should fold whenever faced with my open or raise and anything else but mucking is an insubordinate affront. When I win, it's skill. When they win, they got lucky.
Now, let's consider if any aspects of this perspective might harm our expectations or be detrimental with regards to our decision-making process... :icon_scra
Gut feeling tells me we
might be able to find something unhelpful there... :laugh:
To me, playing without ego means acknowledging that we have no
right to win, regardless of our history or how we play, that in the eyes of probability- we are all equal. Also that there is mutual respect, we are considerate of our opponents, play with integrity and we win & lose as graciously as possible.
As someone who grew up idolising The Brat before ever becoming aware of the aforementioned, growing out of referring to opponents along the lines of 'European idiots who can't even spell poker hunny' (or colourful alternatives) and relearning how to think about the game has been paramount!
I've said it before and I'll say it again- check your ego in at the door before you sit down to play, you can pick it up again on your way out! :biggrin:
