Okay. You've found my blog somehow. How did you find it again?

You're playing against me in lower limit buy in tournaments, and SnGs, and you're like, he's............terrible.

Thanks a lot.

Anyhow, I've FT'd another HORSE tournament. My ROI for 2007 is still positive. I dropped off there for a few months, and that drop in volume also saw a drop in ROI. But, it's late in the year, and basically, I'm going to have my first positive year. Finally.

I started in 2005. Played recreationally. Read books that were terrible, and played too tight. In 2006, I played worse because I opened things up a little, yet I didn't control my emotions.

In early 2007 I got a subscription to PXF, and you know what that helped me the most with? No, not my poker knowledge. My emotion.

I didn't continue my PXF subscription after about March, and although I started winning more, and was doing well, eventually it caught up to me. I didn't even play in September.

I recently rejoined, and I know that it's a great decision. There's something to be said about just watching very good players play their hands. You quickly realize that the most important aspect of poker is this:

You must have patience, discipline, emotional control, and laser focus.

Patience.
You have to have the patience to fold hands and not push situations because you've become bored. It's hard at times because you haven't played a hand in like 15 hands, and it seems like 45. But, sometimes the situation dictates that you have to chill a little, and you have to do it.

Discipline.
You have to be disciplined enough to get off hands when you know you're supposed to. You have to pull the trigger when you know you're supposed to. Otherwise, you have to do the things that you know you're supposed to do, and not make, for example, crying calls that you hope are right.

Emotional Control.
You can't get too high, or too low. You must keep your emotions in check. The way a player plays is NOT personal. If they're raising your blinds, it's NOT personal. (Side note, I heard a live player tell someone once that he takes it personally when people raise his blinds, and I can't say that I've never taken it personally in the past.) Everyone is playing to win. The way they play, is the way they play. If they're raising every pot, and somehow winning, or getting folds, then that's just the way it is. You can't let things like that affect your emotions. You can't let anything affect your emotions.

This is the most important part of the four to me (although the others are very important). Because, you can be the best player in the world, but if you can't control your emotions, it won't matter how good you are because you'll spew chips because your upset, or mad.

Lastly, players will not play the way you want them to play. Recognize that immediately. If they do something you don't like, ask yourself, "Why would that upset me? I can't make them play the way I want them to!"

Laser Focus.
Every single hand, your opponents are giving off information. Every street. Pay attention. Think through everything you do. You ever play chess? If you did, and you got good at it, you know what I'm talking about with regard to having to think ahead, and think about how your opponents might react to your moves, and so on.

And, focus is not just in the beginning of a tournament. You should be as focused at the final table as you were in the first ten minutes (actually more focused if you can get there). It's tough, and not everyone can do it, but you have to if you want to win.