We all know that poker is a mind game. It also happens to be more of a mind game than many other “sports”. Poker players are faced with a never-ending stream of decisions. With NL Holdem, it only takes one bad decision to destroy all the good work from hours, and sometimes days, of playing perfect poker. I doubt if any other sport requires such focus and for such long periods. And yet, some of these other sports have proven how frail the human mind can sometimes become.

Take Golf, Snooker and Darts for example. There have been instances when top players developed what become know as the “Yips”. They struggled to either stroke a put, release their cue arm or even let go of a little dart. I wonder how these guys would handle the demands of poker?

From 2001, I traveled the world and played poker. This meant that I crossed paths with a wide variety of players. Having always been a bit of a people watcher, I had always been fascinated by the different characters that one comes across. As for the poker players, I always paid close attention to their demeanor on the table and how each one handled the different situations that would arise during play. I was basically trying to get into their minds and work out what made them tick. I wasn’t just looking for a way to beat them, I was also looking to learn from them.

I recall my first real poker lesson. It must have been at least 20 years ago when tournament poker began to take off in the UK. It was during a major event in Wolverhampton, England. Down to the last fifteen, I called a small raise when holding 5-5 on the big blind. The raiser was Ben Roberts. Ben may not be one of the biggest names on the tournament scene, but he is one of the biggest and best in high stakes cash games. He also happens to be one of the real gents of the game.

Anyhow, Ben had raised with A-A and tried to trap me by checking the flop after me. I double up after another 5 hit the turn. I was slightly surprised that he had decided to slow play his Aces. However, the manner in which he took defeat, came as an even bigger shock. He just flashed a smile and said nice hand. This made a big impression on me. It not only showed me how I should act on the poker table, it highlighted the strength of mind that the game required. This lesson from Ben was to pay many dividends in the future. I learnt to smile with every beat (well, almost every beat). Over the years, my mind became my strength on the table.

But poker is a mind game in more ways than one. Daniel Negreanu once wrote a series of articles about a certain lady in his life that almost ruined his poker career. I think the whole point of Daniel’s story, was the importance of how a clear mind goes a long way into becoming a winner. Why? Because the biggest challenge that players will face, will always be with themselves and with what is happening in their private lives!

Like most players who have been around a while - I have faced a few challenges. When I first began on this journey as a pro in 2001, I was not in the best frame of minds. Having just gone through very dramatic changes in my life - I even doubted my desire or the commitment to play. But with little option but to turn to poker, and a lot of encouragement from my new partner at the time - I tried to use what I had learnt over the years. My one saving grace amongst all was that when I did play, I was somehow able to block everything else from my mind.

This was a very welcome strength. It drove me to a whole set of results that even I could not have hoped for. Between 2001 and 2003, I played poker with a focus that was undreamt even in the philosophy of Zen. I may have been beatable on the table or through cards - but not in the mind.

But the good things in life can’t possibly continue - it just doesn’t work that way for the vast majority. Sooner or later, circumstances will change and the tests will come again. Without going into too much detail here - I had reached a point in early 2003 when I struggled to overcome problems not associated with poker. As in the case of Daniel, I too was going through relationship problems. To make matters worse, I also began to struggle with health issues.

Having just won the Aussie Millions in Jan 2003 , I had a short, but very profitable trip to Tunica before going on to the Commerce in LA. Having just focused on tournaments for those two months, the Commerce offered the chance for some great cash games. My main focus was to be Stud. Playing 150-300 and 200-400, the first eight sessions yielded a profit of over $65K. I even sat down and played triple draw A-5 and 2-7, for the first time in my life. Having watched John Juanda, Doc, Allen Cunningham and a couple of other big names playing 400-800, I just couldn’t resist what looked like a chilled-out game to play. Another $18K added to the bankroll. I was on top of the world.

But as I said, the good things in life rarely last. After agonizing for over eight months - I finally made the decision to leave the one person who had initially inspired me. It was a very painful period that was bound to have an affect. Worse still, at the same time I began to suffer with my health. This was going to be a recipe for disaster. And so it proved. I never had another winning session at the Commerce after that.

The next five months continued in the same vein. The World Series of Poker came and went and the health issues were still very much at the fore. Then it finally changed! The circumstances that had distracted me from my job - were finally laid to rest on the morning of July 12th 2003. After spending the previous week in bed, I began to feel better. But the icing on the cake came from a 30 minute conversation in which absolution finally came from my ex.

With absolution, came peace and desire to play poker again. I barely made it in time to play the first event at the Orleans Casino that day. But I knew the outcome. My mind was so clear that all I could see was victory. I didn’t beat 1165 other players that day - my mind did!

But the mind cannot be the answer to everything - not when luck plays a part. And as we all know, the luck factor in poker can be overwhelming at times. One doesn’t need to look at his own luck - look around you. I have seen one player (a very good and solid player) suffer beats that simply defied the odds. But even worse, they lasted for over two years. The player in question, showed immense restraint and composure on each and every bad beat. That kind of response to what he was going through - convinced me that it would only be a matter of time before it changed for him. My wishes for this player have been answered as he has recently had two or three great results. There is justice after all!.

But how does one cope during such a dry spell? In my case, since that win at the Orleans, I was tested like my friend above. The beats came thick and fast. In fact, I did a little research by looking at my results over the last 18 months or so. Considering that I had restricted my tournament play during this time - the number of near misses really brought it home.

So, in no particular order:

$291 Buy-in Commerce Casino, Jan 26th 2005

Entries 799 - position 15th - return $2,092 - first place paid $83,718

$500 Buy-in 2004 Legends of poker August 20th 2004

Entries 233 - position 5th - return $5,240 - first place paid $43,680

$300 Buy-in 2004 Legends of poker July 31/2004

Entries 362 - position 18th - return $1,695 - first place paid $83,570

$2,500 Buy-in Commerce Casino June15th 2004

Entries 105 - position 4th - return $15,750 -first place paid $99,745

$1,500 Buy-in Commerce Casino June 14th /2004

Entries 147 - position 5th - return $6,800 - first place paid $64,600

$2,000 Buy-in World Series of Poker Binnions April 24th 2004

Entries 834 position 32nd - return $5380 - first place paid $400,000

$1,500 Buy-in Bellagio December 5th 2003

Entries 210 position 8th - return $6,111 - first place paid $122,217

$10,000 Buy-in WPT Foxwoods November 17th 2003

Entries 313 position 26th - return $23,475 - first place paid $1,089,200

$25,000 Buy-in Bellagio April18th 2003

Entries 111 position 26th - return $15,999 - first place paid $1,011,886

And just recently - all the all events that I have played in last couple of months.

Professional Poker Tour Freeroll- Commerce Casino

Entries 180 - position 25th return $0 - first place paid $225,000

Professional Poker Tour Freeroll - San Jose

Entries 169 - position 7th - return $0 - first place paid $225,000

Professional Poker Tour Freeroll - Bellagio

Entries 230 - position 33rd -return $0 - first place paid $225,000

Reno Hilton $1,000 buy-in - return $0 - first place paid $76,000

Entries 203 - position 44th

Reno Hilton $1,500 buy-in - return $0 - first place paid $89,000

Entries 149 - position 32nd

Reno Hilton WPT $5,000 buy-in - return $0 - first place paid $660,000

Entries 381 - position 42nd

At the Bellagio Five Diamonds just recently - apart from the first two events, I came close to the money in every other event. I even bubbled in the last two - including the Super satellite! Coming to the $25,000 buy-in WPT Championship, I obviously hoped for something better. But even here, having played my best game for 5 days - I could only manage 39th.

Obviously, I didn’t have a great chance to win all the above events - but I did in many! And as tends to be the case in poker, it all came down to one crucial hand. The upshot is that you can play a hell of a lot of poker (and even great poker) without any returns. It really is a very fine line between success and failure in this game!

I don’t want to go on about bad beats here, but the truth is - they do play a major role. But it’s how we handle them that counts. I could look at the above near misses and wonder what the hell is going on. I could allow myself to drop my head and look at things in a negative manner. But I choose otherwise. I look at them and know that I am probably playing the best poker of my life - and that it will change.

So how do we survive when faced with such a run? This is tricky in the sense that we are all different, with different needs, lifestyles and commitments. But irrespective of what these are or the amounts involved - we all need to look at alternatives to tournaments. In my case, I decided to play less tournaments and focus more on the steady stream of funds through side games. For example, at the Commerce Casino in February - I only played 5 events. But the side action there is irresistible. In all, I played 23 sessions. From Stud, Limit Holdem and NL, I managed a win in all but three. Why can‘t tournaments be like that? .

And then we have the Internet. This has definitely been a blessing for me in the last couple of years. It has been a case of - have laptop, will travel. And though I have cut down on my playing time recently - it still a good source of income.

In summary - I would say that that being selective with your play is the key. Poker players can burn out very quickly. When that happens, you just cannot possibly play at your best. So it’s more important to play well when you do - than looking at putting countless hours in. Also, the sooner a player learns to take the beats - the sooner the results will come.

Until next time - play well, get lucky and enjoy life!

Peter “The Poet” Costa