Playing Consistently: The Goal in PokerGoal setting is an
effective way to make a good profit playing Hold'em, but most people
set goals profit-wise instead of focusing on how they play. With the
erratic swings involved in any Hold'em game, there's no possible way
to set realistic goals based on profit when it's out of your
control. Before you know it, you're in the hole and trying to make
your losses back too quickly. You should instead make
consistent playing, day in day out, your main goal. How you play is
the only thing you can control in the game of poker. The outcome is
totally out of your control, so stop spinning your wheels worrying
about luck and how much money you want to win. Focus instead on
playing consistently and you'll net more profit in the long run.
Consistency is the major difference between a winning and losing
player. Anyone can play good cards, but the problem for most people
comes when they're getting cold cards or going through a string of
bad luck. You have to focus on playing your best poker every hand to
make it through those times and come out a winner on the other side.
There are many amateur players out there who play like pros but lack
consistency. They'll make great sums of money when the cards fall
their way, but when they catch a cold run they tilt their bankroll
away. It's very easy to do this, especially when playing online,
because cyber chips are so easy to blow. You never have to
physically commit your chips to the pot which makes it easier to go
all-in on anything. To become a consistent player you must
treat poker like a business. Good business sense dictates that you
use the money you have wisely to reap the best profit in the end. In
poker that means always having enough in your bankroll for the game
you're in. You won't have to worry about the day-to-day fluctuations
and the bad beats won't bother you as much, so you'll be calm and
play consistently. Although poker is a gamble, the
fluctuations can be weighed in your favor by consistently playing
better than your opponents. | 
