The danger of crossing the Threshold of Misery

By Mike Caro

If you want to succeed as a professional level poker player, you've got to be good to your bankroll. To survive as a professional player, you must be good to your bankroll, but many players destroy any hope of success by simply playing poorly when things go bad. They expect to lose $2,000 in a night at the very worst, but then they get behind $3,000. And suddenly, it doesn't matter weather they lose another $200, because they don't feel it. They've crossed their threshold of misery; maxed out their misery, and now, it all feels the same.

But in the long run, all those extra losses, all those bad plays, all that bad judgement baggage you add on when you stop caring, that's what destroys your bankroll.

Next time you're down $2,630 dollars, try to win back $130. That's all. It won't feel like much at the time, but it's a lot better than collapsing strategically and losing $5,000 that night. Yes, losing $2,500 is a lot better than losing $5,000. Sometimes, it doesn't feel different, but when you lose $2,500 instead of $5,000, you have an extra $2,500 to spend. It's hard to think of it that way when you lose, but you have to start thinking that way.

Everything you don't lose is just as real, and just as spendable as what you win. From now on, make quality decisions about the next poker hand, and everything else will take care of itself.

Make quality decisions about your next poker hand. That's all I ask you to do.