The best professional
poker players on the other hand, don't view
chips as anything beyond tools to place bets with
until they actually convert them to cash at the
cage. Reportedly, the largest stakes game ever played
was a $100,000 / $200,000 limit Texas holdem game
between Andy Beal, a Texas banker, and Todd Brunson,
Doyle Brunson's son. Now I can't accurately judge
how much money you make, but it takes me a couple
years to make enough for the small bet, and a lifetime
to make enough to actually play at that level. Rumor
has it that Brunson won a little over 1 million
in that game, which means they were pretty evenly
matched, as that is only a little over five big
bets. Obviously the amount didn't have any effect
on either player.
If you want to become a professional player, you
must learn what amounts are in your comfort level
and try to expand them. Perhaps more importantly,
you have to be honest with yourself. If you ignore
the facts instead of working through them, you will
only be hurting yourself. This process takes time.
I used to be uncomfortable at anything above 1/2
and now can play 10/20 without being bothered. The
mechanics of the game don't change and the chips
are just bets. By looking at them as just parts
of a big bet instead of their actual value, you
won't worry about it. Top-level poker is such a
mental game that anything that interferes with your
mental state will hurt your game. In the game mentioned
above between Beal and Brunson, obviously they both
had the proper mindset. I am smart enough to realize
that I will never be able to play for those stakes
without it bothering me, but I would like to be
able to play 50/100 or 100/200 someday without it
mentally changing my game.
Evaluate your personal feelings about the
limits you play and set a goal to expand them.
There is no shame to be concerned about the stakes.
The shame is not learning from the experience and
improving you game and mental abilities. Until next
week, good luck at the tables!
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