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Truly fascinating insight.

Im not very smart but i can carry heavy things

I started August with $400 (yea I know it's low, I play a very low BR at times - I'm not recommending it to anyone else. It's a "don't try this at home, kids" thing that takes iron will and discipline.) By the 5th I had it up to 2490... here's the daily rundown:
5 - 2490
6 - 1370 (playing way too fast)
8 - 3000
9 - 4100
10 - 5250
11 - 5830
12 - 6300
13 - 7500 (and maxed out at $8539.... 85% of goal in less than 15 days)

- Umm, how did you do that? I want to do that too. Nice post as always.

Oh... member of the YEAR. Now I get it.

Originally Posted by LeFou

Oh... member of the YEAR. Now I get it.

And with no offence meant, it is a shame aokrongly does'nt write many more posts for us on this site. His thought process on the game is something we can all learn to emulate.

I'm brand spanking new -- I got ITM in a tourney I entered on a lark in Vegas and decided it would be an interesting hobby that I could make money doing. Been playing for about 4 days online, micro-limit and SnGs with dirt for a BR (playing with the "bare minimum" of $100, of which I'm down...about $14 at this point).

But I noticed you are a salesman -- I used to do telemarketing for 3 years (floor mgr/reloader) and made a bit of money at it.

I notice a lot of parallels between the "tao of sales", so to speak, and the "tao of poker" -- especially when it comes to mentality. I'm not sure what the ABC poker game is (I assume it's the tight->loose progression as you go through a tournament...but I'm not sure to the reference) -- but I find a lot of relation to the ABC of sales - always be closing.

Is it a safe mentality to compare the "numbers game" of sales to the game of poker? It seems (to me) like an excellent way to detach yourself from being results oriented, but wanted a little reaffirmation that this is a good approach before I burn myself thinking that it's just a matter of time before I make a sale.

I also find the learning process comparable. In my early days of sales, I did quite a few things that I *thought* would work and I *thought* sounded reasonable, until a manager beat it out of me. In order to learn sales, I had to come at things with a humble, "I know nothing" approach and accept instruction as a tabula rasa. That much I think is helpful as well.

Just some thoughts from a n00b.

In my early days of sales, I did quite a few things that I *thought* would work and I *thought* sounded reasonable, until a manager beat it out of me. In order to learn sales, I had to come at things with a humble, "I know nothing" approach and accept instruction as a tabula rasa. That much I think is helpful as well.

If you can emulate this in your poker game you will find that you will soon suceed.

Ollie,

I think sales and poker are very similar in the following ways:

1. You only make what you earn yourself, so the mentality is exactly the same.
2. Getting wound up in "results" can twist your brain into knots.
3. If you get a successfull "process" then it'll work and the odds will work for you if you work the process every time.

So, here's how I approach poker. It's all about following the Process. Follow the same steps (whatever they are for your limits, game, etc.) and measure what happens for each "sale" - each hand your involved in. Just because one hand goes bad doesn't mean the process is flawed. But if you end up missing more sales than you make then go and look at the process and see what you might want to change to get a better close rate. Then you try it out again.

The good thing with poker is that you can do it a hell of a lot faster than with sales. At 50 hands per hour on 2 tables you can crank through 1000 hands in 10 hours of play. And, although there are trends that take longer to form, 1000 hands is enough to evaluate and adjust some aspect of your play on just about any ring game. 2500 is better.

But yea, when you don't have a "feel" for the sale, the best thing to do is keep following the same winning process to the best of your ability. And your own sales process will naturally evolve out of that with experience and time. And then you'll have your game. Measuring everything is critical. Because the worst thing that can happen is that you turn into one of these guys that THINKS he has a winning poker game when he Doesn't. Those are the guys who pay your car payment for you once you start playing for real money.

Hope this helps! And just like sales, sometimes you have lulls that have nothing to do with anything. That's variance, you just play through it.

Originally Posted by LeFou

Oh... member of the YEAR. Now I get it.

No shit...now I don't feel so bad about not being nominated, eh?

I was considering playing your counter-strat method of poker (because I was scared to blow through my tiny bank roll) until I read this post and the "patch holes" post. I shouldn't be afraid of failing. I should look forward to winning and improving. I may still blow through my bank roll but I'll already be on the path to winning and improving. Thanks again.

I know that you're not supposed to look at yourself without a large enough sample size and relate that you're good at "reading" people or some such.

But I'm really thankful that I got used to being beat up while following the process until it worked. And since I do social work now, it really scratches an itch that's been missing in my life.

Haha, I was reading the post and thought; you must have read or listened to something of Anthony Robbins. I think a lot of people should because the things he talks about don't just help poker but helps everything in your life.

I think a lot of poker players should stop thinking how they are going to make a lot of money through poker and start thinking when. Like you said, you decide how much success you gain because it's only you who can change your life and the way you think. I think people only lose because they aren't being truthful with themselves. Anyone with enough discipline and patience can learn to play winning poker, but learning yourself can the hardest thing.