Are you a shark or a fish?(credit: Betfair Poker)
Poker players need to know what place they belong or they could wind up broke.
Unless you’re a poker superstar who has amassed a ton of accolades, won multiple titles and more, you’re probably a weak player. It’s not meant as an insult. Weak players have things that other players can exploit, i.e., weaknesses in their game.
To become a profitable player, you must know two things
1) where you stand as a player
2) what level of players are below you so you can exploit their weaknesses
Players who play above their skill level are worse than those who play above their means because they will lose their bankroll in the blink of an eye. Players who don’t know that they’re above their skill level are the absolute worst. This delusion can cause them to lose more money than they should, sometimes leaving them at dangerously low bankroll levels and perhaps impacting their financial lives.
As Marcus Bateman, Betfair Poker player, puts it, “Understanding that you can currently beat game a), might be able to beat higher stake game b) with some experience and hard work at your game, but that you have no chance at very high stake game c) at the moment, is crucial for maintaining your bankroll over the long term.”
The point is not to despair even if you’re at the lowest levels. Stay there and continue to learn and grow and improve your game until you can move up. Persistence will get you very far in this game; delusion will sink even the tightest poker ship.
Summary: Know what limits you should be playing at in order to be profitable so that you can be profitable.