Ego

Ego is a Latin word meaning "I", cognate with the Greek "Εγώ (Ego)" meaning "I".



Sometimes our "Ego" causes us to make less than +EV decisions at the poker tables. We may over estimate our edge that we believe we have on our opponents, we may make plays that have no sound strategy to them other than bravado or tilt/frustration toward an opponent we think is a bad player. We may do many things that are not fundamentally sound and not even be aware because of "Ego".

I have been working on this area of my game lately as well as many areas but this one is close to my heart. How do we balance confidence and belief in ourselves with that ever present and lurking "Ego" that can turn confidence into arrogance ?

Well for me it is the same as anything else in my life that I wish to improve. First I pray on it and ask God to help me and give me wisdom and strength to overcome it. Next I do what I believe is our calling in life, I go to work on it. And I will keep working on this area until I have victory.

This past Sunday I was blessed to final table and finish 3rd for $8300 in the mass field $26 $58k GTD on Full Tilt. When we were 3 handed me and another opponent wanted to look at chop numbers that would have insured all of us at least $13k but one opponent did not want to chop. the stacks were shallow and I felt it was best to chop but he did not.

I remember getting very very frustrated in that I thought his "Ego" got in the way of a smart decision. And even though I still believe that chopping was optimal perhaps it was my own "Ego" that was bruised ?

Just because someone does not do what I believe is right does not make it wrong. Perhaps it is not that he thought he had a great skill edge but perhaps he may have had different reasons for his decision. A bit later he went on to beat my 99< to his ATos all in preflop and shipped 1st for $18k. In my opinion his less than optimal decision turned into profit for him and I bid him congrats.

This happens a lot in poker. Bad/poor/less than optimal play and decision making can lead to more profits in the short term. It can skew our thinking and perception of what is right and wrong. In the long term of a lifetime of playing the players who make more optimal decisions than their opponents will have a better chance to succeed.

My goal is to become the best player I can and removing "Ego" from my decision making process is going to help me greatly. I felt like this player made a poor choice and was rewarded + $10k more for doing so. As well as making better decisions and removing "ego" is accepting that things are not always perfectly fair in life or poker.

I wish you all the best in your own personal struggles on and off the felt and have a great week :-)