"Nitty" & Other Dirty Words
Shame clouds thinking. In poker, part of the magic is that we have a wand that disperses the mists of shame: profit. Here are some shame-based words I am banishing from my vocabulary.
“Nitty”—too tight. Compared to what? Our reaction to being “nitty” is to play a wider range. Are the marginal hands in that range profitable?
“Disaster”—as in “it’s a disaster if we don’t bet here”. Disaster? Really? How is our life going to change based on this one decision? Not at all. It’s not a “disaster”, it’s merely unprofitable.
“Shoved it in my face”—way too personal. Say someone check-raises all in on the river. It’s not personal. The villain thinks shoving is profitable (however they reckon profit). It’s our job to make it not profitable in monetary turns. What action makes their decision unprofitable?
“Weak”—as in “folding here is way too weak”. We aren’t arm wrestling. Folding is only “weak” if we fold profitable hands. As long as we are thinking in terms of profit, let’s just think in terms of profit.
“Disrespect”—I caught myself saying “disrespect” the other night. Kid caught a backdoor flush with 73s & I paid. “How disrespectful of him to call so wide pre-flop. He must think I’m…” Stop right there. He thinks that hand is profitable. It’s my job to make sure it isn’t. How do I do that?
“Too good to fold”—again, compared to what? First question—is villain bluffing enough? Too much? That informs my calling range. Second question—what are the pot odds versus the player odds? We profit by exploiting the difference between the two.
Profit is not an excuse for unethical play. It is a tool for letting go of unhelpful emotion, especially shame. “What’s the most profitable thing to do with this hand?” Fold, call, or raise? Where lies profit?