As Scott recently mentioned, one of the most difficult things for people in poker is not letting their egos get in the way. Yes, you must be confident to win. Insecurity only begets fear, which eventually leads to decisions based on this fear and not on the situations themselves. However, playing with too much ego can often lead to similiar (albeit contrasting) irrationale.
In his blog, the Poker Grump* makes a great observation,
"It's just not possible to win every hand in poker. It's not even possible to win every hand that you contest all the way. All that matters is that, over the long run, you win more money than you lose. That might mean giving up a lot of small pots in exchange for winning a few big ones, or, if you're a "small ball" kind of player, winning a bunch of little pots but reducing your chances of winning a huge one. Nobody keeps track of the number of pots won, because it simply doesn't matter.
So why do people take it as some sort of dent to the ego when they lose or have to lay one down? That fact is not a comment on one's worth as a human being, or skill as a poker player. It's just part of the game."
http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2007/...eat.html#links
I couldn't have said it better myself!
*For those of you who haven't been to his page before, the Poker Grump keeps a blog about his "grumps" while playing. His site has less to do with actual hand plays, and more to do with observations of the poker world. Also, he has made it a personal mission to play in (and review) every casino in NV. So if you decide to make it out that way and want to veer from the strip, you may want to check out his reviews!
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