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Poker: Focus on Decisions Not Results

• 30.06.2025 11:48 am
• headhunter
• 0 Comments

I totally believe in the point of view of the title of this article.

I once pointed it out to an average player seated to my left. He looked at me like I had dropped out of a spaceship and he made sure to express his reservations. “What the f**k are you on about? He retorted. Poker is simply results based, it's about money. And that's all there is to it.”

Why Good Decisions Matter More in Poker?

This is a common misconception among players today.  That's why you can hear comments such as; " I have not played much poker with her but she always seems to be seated behind some chips".

Or, “Yes, I knew that it was a big mistake but I at least I won.”

Or, “You seem to not like my style of play, but I have more chips compared to you.”

There may be some truth to all this, and even from the guys seated to my left but they are both right and wrong. This is because the remark is somewhat right in an uninteresting way but at the same time profoundly wrong.

You can never become a solid pro if you don't identify this marked distinction.

Here's a short explanation of money vs good poker decision.

Focusing On Money Misses The Point

Each hand compels you to make a good poker decision; whether to fold, raise or call; some so risky that they put the whole of your stack at risk.

The decisions you make are what will determine the outcome of the game.

Yes, we all play to win and the final record logged area sign of how we are performing. Moreover, winners are generally richer than they would be if they weren't playing.

Nevertheless, this raw focus on results misses the whole point.

Seek Out the Inherent Reason

We can take an analogy from science

Scientists seek to find what causes the effect or the reason for an occurrence as opposed to focusing on the result.

Sometimes, scientist get sidetracked and stop searching once they think they have finally cracked the code and figured out the supposed cause.

Say you start having a ceaseless headache. Then discover that when you take aspirin the headaches stop. Then you go ahead and make the conclusion that aspirin cures headaches. You may not be wrong per say but you won't be right either as you wouldn't know why aspirin does this which is the most important question.

On closer examination, you would discover the anti-inflammatory effects of this drug and hence make the conclusion that anti-inflammatory drugs cure headaches. This being the case you would not be lost if for any reason you were unable to access or take aspirin.

I'm sure the point is clear now.

Same case in poker, focusing on the immediate results i.e. money lost or won, is the same thing.

New Tactics for New Environments

How does this happen? It's quite easy.

Two very aggressive players come over and sit at your table and the game takes a whole new shape.

You get to visit a different cardroom and find that the playing style is totally different.

When you move down or up the stakes, you come face to face with games that have a different tempo and structure.

In each scenario the outcome will vary since your decision making is not at its optimum level. It is as if the side effects of the aspirin were finally getting to you. If, however, you embrace the idea of the anti-inflammatory effect, you'll simply switch to another "drug".

In that case you should make different decisions in the different games.

Short-Term Focus in Poker Yields Long-Term Pain

Below is a few bit of wisdom;

Don't put too much emphasis on short-term goals.

Don't worry too much about the money you've previously lost. In the same breath don't over indulge in your victories.

Your sole focus should be on the good poker decisions you make.

Results will sort themselves out if you focus on making better decisions than and fewer mistakes your opponents. If you're more into tournaments then this advice is vital

Tournaments generally depend more on luck than skill compared to cash games. The blinds usually go up, forcing players to play hands they would normally pass on.

The issue of the “short-stack” usually compels players to make an all-in move with a poor hand. Not forgetting that most of the game turns on coin-flip conditions that make sure you're gone if you lose.

As a result even the most seasoned tournament players can go for ages without posting good results. You might think they've lost their edge in the game if you looked at their bottom line after a year. For a tournament, a year is quite short.

Overall Approach, Not How Much You’re Up or Down

Finding a balance is not easy. Remember the grain of truth from the gentleman on my left? Money does count at the end of the day. It's the final determinant of how good you are. After all you can't claim to be a poker great if you've never won any money. However, focusing on the right decisions will guarantee some level of success.

Make sure to go over any decisions that you make. Replay any difficult hands you've held in your head and scrutinize them. Go over the situations where you may have played different. Analyzing every decision you made will do you much better than basking in the glory of your win.