Control the Ego Instead of Letting it Control You

Imagine you are playing a game, and the lowest card opens for $5, and the next four players fold. You raise without a good hand because you are trying to take the money of this player. The other player knows you are ante stealing and he doesn’t like it in the least. His ego perks up and decides not to let you get away with it. He then raises you even though his hand is absolutely terrible. But your ego then shoots into the game a little more, and you raise him back despite the fact that your hand is a shining example of a pathetic poker hand. Next, your opponent finally decides to call you. Unfortunately, the winner is now decided entirely by luck. The winner will congratulate themselves for a well-played hand regardless of the fact that it was nothing of the sort. This was a hand dominated by the ego, and much worse scenarios can be imagined as well.

This is not to say that you should let people steal the ante, but only that you should not base your decisions on anything but the facts. You have no idea what your opponent has, and if your hand is terrible, you should not raise based on a desire to see your opponent fail.

Another important poker tip regarding the ego: if you don’t like someone, you may tend to overestimate or underestimate their hand’s value. You should be acutely aware of this possibility and evaluate a player’s hand based on their abilities, past actions and by looking at the information you know. Evaluate the facts, not the character of the other players.

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