Patrick Gerritsen is a professional player and coach at Run It Once, where he specializes in cash game strategy under the nickname ‘Freenachos’. This week he explores how to keep your head - and hopefully your stack - when all about you are losing theirs…
Not too long ago, one of my students asked me, "When did you know for sure that you were a winning player?"
I paused for a second and replied, "I still don’t feel like a winning player. I think I’m just closer to accepting that I’ll never truly know."
To be fair, there are moments when I feel like a winning player, but there are just as many days when I’m convinced I’m not. At times like that, telling myself that I’m still a winning player, even when the results show the complete opposite, feels eerily close to going insane.
Poker is a game of complete chaos. Variance has such a massive impact on the results that even over samples of more than a million hands - more than many players play in their career - luck still plays a very significant role. I became painfully aware of this when I started NachosPoker and saw the swings individual players can go on. It’s truly nauseating at times.
Trusting the process
When I was moving up, I had a stack of flashcards on my desk with mindset reminders written on them. One of them read: ‘You don’t know if you’re going to be winning today, this week, this month, or even this year, but if you keep out-working your opponents, you’ll win eventually.’ I made that card when I was a losing 10NL regular, and I still keep it on my desk now that I’m playing high stakes.
In poker, we get very few certainties on a day-to-day or even month-to-month basis. The only way to truly stay grounded in the midst of all that chaos is by radically focusing on the process rather than the results. The process is what gives you confidence that your results are going to be good, not the other way around.
It’s here that the concept of equanimity comes into play: to remain calm and composed, even in the most trying of times.
Circle of control
One mental framework that has become second nature to me is the circle of control. This idea focuses on identifying what you can control and, just as importantly, what you cannot.
For example, not too long ago, we hired a contractor to help renovate our new home. Initially, everything went fine, but after we paid him his final payment early (which he insisted on), he started missing appointments and became harder to reach. Meanwhile, we had to move into our new house without heating, no running water downstairs, and everything still in disarray.
“I can’t wait to give this guy a one-star review,” my wife snapped after he missed yet another appointment.
“I’m not going to give him any review,” I replied. “I just want to learn from this experience and move on.”
To me, giving him a review felt like trying to control something I couldn’t. The reality is that when people run their business like that, it usually doesn’t last long. And anyway, the way this guy runs his business is beyond my control. What I can control is what I learn from the experience and how I handle similar situations in the future.
In poker, it’s the same: I may not know whether I’m going to win today, this week, this month, or even this year, but I do know if I’m putting in the necessary work to succeed. When I’m losing and feel stressed, it’s usually a sign that I haven’t been as consistent with my study routine as I should be.
By focusing on the aspects I can control - my effort, my strategy, and my preparation - I can manage my stress and maintain my composure, regardless of short-term results.
Mastering the chaos
In both poker and life, we often face chaos and uncertainty. By adopting a mindset of ‘radical equanimity’, we can navigate these challenges with greater composure and confidence. The key lies in focusing on what we can control while letting go of what we cannot.
You may not be surprised to learn that the concept of equanimity is a powerful one in Buddhism, as well as many other religious and philosophical models including that most philosophical of all: poker.
Remember, it’s not about whether you’re winning or losing in the short term. It’s about trusting the process and staying committed to continuous improvement. Whether you’re grinding out a session online or facing one of life’s many challenges, maintaining this perspective will help you stay grounded and resilient.
Stay dedicated, keep learning, and always focus on the process. With radical equanimity, you’ll find the strength to persevere, no matter what the game of life - or poker - throws at you.
Patrick Gerritsen is a successful online player and a coach at Run It Once, as well as the founder of the NachosPoker training site. He specializes in cash games, combining solid fundamentals with data analysis.
Images courtesy of Nicholas Hans/Yan Ming/Eran Menashri/Unsplash
