Don't lie to me.. overcalling to protect my ego
Posted by 82off
Posted by
82off
posted in
Mental Game
Don't lie to me.. overcalling to protect my ego
I'm posting this because I just had a big realization that I wanted to try and air out. I will often act super fast and against my better judgment in big bet/big pot situations (think river bet raises & river check raises), basically overcalling. My realization is that I have a much bigger fear of being wrong about being bluffed (lying to me) than I do being wrong about the other person betting for value (telling me the truth). Either that or the opposite, I have too much ego and want to punish somebody for trying to bluff me.
My best guess is that it's a combination of both, and I'm hoping that airing this out will take this conversation out of my head during these spots and allow me to focus on the spot itself, on ranges, textures, opponent tendencies, and so on.
I think what I do is this: I'll just cut off my thought process and say to myself, "stop thinking and just call or you won't get any sleep tonight. If you don't call you'll never know for sure if you are right or wrong." I'm sure I'm not the only one who's doing this but I feel like the general population overfolds in these spots. I'd love to hear feedback from either camp and hopefully we can find a way to all play more optimal poker (but at different tables of course).
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Great post !
You could for example have a mini checklist with a single question before you act.
Did I go through a thorough enough thought process and if not, what can I do?
I think you captured it very well already !
Great Job identifying this
Now do the work, maybe create some tags, so you can find those hands easily and rehearse them away from the table. This is only one part of the equation though, since this is in fact something that is rooted in the mental game, but you can overcome it by doing that work and on top of it, having this tiny question before acting.
This question will also serve as a rating system for you.
Another thing is, if you go through Session Reviews, you can rehearse for yourself,to always acknowledge, THIS IS A BIG POT; I need to be extra thorough.
LMK how it goes.
Find satisfaction from making the best ev decision or the most exploitative instead of trying to find it from punishing someone. You want to feel good with yourself, no matter the action you are going to take it in that exact moment.
You are acting on emotion, that's a big problem. I read this advice from Alexander Fitzgerald, and it's great, maybe it might help you. Before making any move, but SPECIALLY on big decisions, for example facing a big bet, force yourself to name out loud the combos in his range that you think are bluffing you, AND the combos that you could be behind. Really try to get specific. Hit the time bank button, it's legal! ;) DO NOT insta-call, ever. Practice this even if your call is "obvious". Really commit yourself to the moment. To taking your time, to dissecting his range AND how he uses it. In general, this will lead you to discount BLUFFS, not VALUE. People usually like to bet big with nutted hands, after all. If you payed attention to villain, you'll find yourself folding correctly way more often than not. Not against his hand. Against his range. This is the only thing you can exploit: his range. You cannot exploit his cards, except in rare cases where his hand is face up, although even there you're still exploiting his range, which you narrowed to a specific combo.
And when let's say you call and villain shows up with a combination you don't expect, note it down. Now you have more information on his range and how he plays it. I know this all sounds theoretical, but it prints. Let go of the fear of being bluffed, embrace the "fear of acting on emotion" :) Cheers!
Great response !
When emotions are involved, what is important is, to actually get reps in and practice first identifying them and what they do and then replace that behavior with the one you desire. I think fedea1982 wrote it well. What I would add is, do this also in reviews, but those reviews are not so much for you solving the hand, but for correcting the behavior.
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