Here’s a list of eight principal reasons for playing poker.  We’ll address the first four in part 1 of this two- part series;  we’ll deal with the last four in the second part.

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2.  To pass time.

3.  To satisfy the ego.

4.  For combat.

5.  For thrill.

6.  To win.

7.  Not to lose.

8.  To lose.

Let’s look at each in some detail so you can apply these motivating factors to your game.

1.  Play to Have Fun

This was the chief reason I played poker when I was in high school  --  and it’s why I organize relatively low stakes home games.  It’s the pleasure of the company,  the camaraderie and the trappings of the game:  the drink,  cursing,  eating and hanging out that occurs that prompts me to do it.  The money isn’t all that important;  neither is the eventual result.

This is the prime motivation for many people who play poker,  no matter what the stakes.  I play in very big game where players often lose or win over a thousand dollars a session.  One of the guys who comes does so because he just loves to play.  He doesn’t care about winning or losing.  The fact that the rest of us are there to take money from him doesn’t faze him.  This is his social outlet and he has a great time,  win or lose.

You want to play against players who play for this reason.  And you too must be enjoying yourself to keep the game fun for them.  If you are hard-nosed,  serious,  somber,  ultra-competitive in your affect,  and not particularly amusing or pleasant,  you will drive these players away.

Players who are playing chiefly to have fun are less likely to be holding superior cards when they enter a pot.  They’re there to play,  after all,  not fold.  Even so,  in your exuberance to take advantage of their looseness,  don’t fall into the trap of assuming that you will always have the best hand.  Having fun doesn’t mean never getting cards;  nor does it mean that you can’t catch a good hand.  In fact,  players who are having fun are more likely to catch great cards with poor starting hands  --  because they’re playing more of those types of hands.

2.  Playing to pass time.

A lot of seniors seem to be doing this,  especially in the smaller games in retirement areas like Las Vegas,  New Mexico,  Arizona,  and Florida.  They have few social or professional demands on their time.  Maybe their spouses play slots or bingo while they’re in the poker room.  But they played poker with their friends at home and when they were in the service,  so when they come down to the neighborhood casino,  they play poker.  For hours and hours on end.  If you were to ask them why they play they’d say that it’s because it’s something to do.

Don’t get me wrong;  they want to win.  But they’re not necessarily very serious about getting better.  Their play tends to be mechanical,  habitual,  passive,  and obvious.  They tend to be tight.  They rarely if ever get out of line.

These are the regulars.  So they know many of their opponents,  the staff,  the lingo,  and so on.  You don’t mind these folks in your game because they’re generally predictable,  exert little pressure on you,  and can often be manipulated.  You want to avoid becoming like this yourself.  Take breaks,  reflect on your play and your opponents’ play,  and maintain some self-awareness.  These are the antidotes to playing in their fashion.

3.  Playing for ego.

You’ve seen these guys in your card room,  if you’ve been even a little observant.  They care,  a lot, about how they are perceived by others.  Having a cool or tough image is important to them.  They gratuitously offer lessons at the table,  berating others for getting lucky.  They have a lot invested in being THOUGHT the best player at the table.

I had an experience a few years back with one such player at Mohegan Sun Casino in beautiful rural Uncasville that is instructive.

Here’s what happened.  I was playing $15/$30 Stud.

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On Fourth Street I was dealt a third Ace.  I was high and I bet.  The player with the King,  who caught an apparent blank,  raised me.  The third player folded.  I re-raised.  The first player capped the betting and I called.  I caught a Jack,  pairing my door card and giving me a seemingly invincible Aces Full.  I bet.  My opponent raised,  going all in.  I called.  The dealer dealt the last two cards.  We turned over our hands.  He had a pair of Kings.  I had Aces Full.

As the dealer was pushing me this rather large pot,  my opponent smiled.  “You may have won,”  he said proudly,  “but you’ll never back ME down!”

He was right of course.  I never would back him down.  Nor would I want to when I had Aces Full and he had a pair of Kings.  But he wasn’t playing to win  --  not chiefly.  And he’s not alone.  Many players  (though not nearly enough to suit me)  carry very much more about looking and acting tough than about winning the most money at the table.

There’s a strong temptation to try and show these loudmouths up  --  to put them in their place  --  to rub their nose in their obnoxious behavior.  Let me strongly urge you not to do that.  There’s no reason to.  Poker isn’t about looking the meanest or being the baddest.  It’s about winning.  So let them act as they wish.  Don’t try to smarten them up.  Just use their undue aggression and arrogance against them by playing into it when you have the cards to back it up.  Bring out the worst in them and then use it to your advantage.

4.  Playing for combat.

Some people use poker as a metaphor for other competition.  Maybe they are or were athletes or wannabe athletes who love to mix it up.  Every hand is a challenge  --  a chance to compete and win.

These guys lose sight of the big picture in their efforts to turn every hand they enter into a victory.  Like the great coaches they listened to in high school or college,  they believe in the saying  “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”

You can exploit these fighters by letting their aggression and competitiveness get the better of them.  Check- raise them;  get into raising wars;  goad them when you’re in the lead.  Expect them not to fold.  Let them knock you out of a hand when you have little  --  encouraging their eagerness to be aggressive in the future.  Don’t worry about trickery or subtlety with them.  They do not need to be fooled.

These players often stay in a hand even when their hand goes south.  They feel it is their duty to see a hand out to its conclusion even if they are far,  far behind.  Bet your semi-strong hands on the River against them,  even if they were drawing to a powerhouse.  They may well call you down even when they miss  --  obliged as they are to their motto never to quit.

END OF PART I