Fearlessness and Poker

A couple of days ago I happened to be sitting down in my local casino in a tournament. This one was not particularly large and had only 70 players or so. Nothing out of the ordinary took place the first hour or two but I did notice a player sitting to my right that seemed to be playing not to lose. He actually made himself into quite a target but he had doubled up early on and still had a few chips. Basically this player was playing his cards and absolutely nothing else.

During the break for some reason he decided to confide in me of all people. He told me he was new to the game and he really wasn't sure of what his opponents had or were trying to do to him. My first thought was "I actually feel sorry for this guy because he is being honest" Immediately I could tell this guy was not lying because of the way he had been playing and giving up on so many pots. Of course I could not offer him any counsel while we were in the heat of battle and told him if he busted out I would sit down with him and discuss some of his play.

Ultimately, it was his fear of losing that controlled him to the point of freezing him in his tracks. After I explained that concept to him and how he needed to develop a fearlessness along with smart fundamental play I could see the lights go on. I have not seen that player again but every now and then you can tell when someone gets it. We all need a little help whether we are new to the game or have been playing for years. If you don't have a sense of fearlessness you are going to struggle with playing poker of any kind and will not be successful in the long run.

No fear!