Phil Galfond Profile picture
Dec 19, 2022 12 tweets 3 min read Read on X
It's not how much you win on your best days that makes you successful. It's how you perform on your worst.

Your ability to handle bad luck will make or break your career.

Here is my advice on setting yourself up to lose like a champ 🏆:
Accepting Your Limitations:

The most important thing to understand about yourself on losing days is that you won't be in your peak mental condition.

In a perfect world, you analyze all relevant factors in the moment and make decisions based on them, but we are imperfect. 1/11
So we can't fully trust ourselves to make important decisions like:

- Should I take a break?
- Should I quit this game?
- Should I adjust my strategy?

Similarly, it's hard to decide if:

- we're capable of performing at our best
- we still have an edge
- etc.

2/11
Taking Advantage of a Clear Mind:

Fortunately, there are days and times (when we're not playing) when we are in a great state of mind.

We should leverage our clear-headed moments wherever possible, rather than leave big decisions up to the worst version of ourselves. 3/11
Guardrails:

We can do this by setting up guardrails.

If you're trying to eat better, but have trouble controlling yourself around ice cream, there are ways to improve your chances:

- No ice cream in your house
- Promise yourself that won't eat ice cream after 5pm
- etc. 4/11
Using that same logic, we can arm ourselves to better handle adversity. I can't tell you what would work best for you - you know your own strengths and weaknesses, but I can give you some examples of guardrails that I think might be helpful for most people... 5/11
1) Always quit when down (10)* buy-ins

*Choose the right numbers for you

There are times when quitting down 10 BI is a bad decision - maybe you're in an incredible game & maybe your mindset is fine - but for every "bad quit" this rule leads to, there will be 10 good ones. 6/11
2) Every (3) buy-ins lost, take a 10 min break

This will help you recover mentally before resuming play, and will give you a chance to clear your head and make some of those tough decisions mentioned above. Are you playing well? Is this game good anymore? Should you quit? 7/11
3) Create a List of Questions for Yourself

Essentially, make a survey. It can have questions like:

- How good is this game?
- How well can I play?
- Am I unhappy?
- Do I miss out on EV if I play later instead?

Set alarms to do this every (3)hrs, or do it every break. 8/11
3b) Include a List of Reminders, like:

- Short walks make you feel better
- Don't get too splashy preflop
- Make sure you're targeting the right players
- etc.

These should be very personalized to you and your leaks & tendencies! 9/11
These are just a few ways that your present-day, clear-minded self can give your future, struggling self a hand.

These don't only come in handy on losing days, but on days when you're stressed or sad due to external factors. You know what your warning signs are. 10/11
Hope you found that helpful!

I recently started the #102040challenge, where I'm creating more content & trying to reach more people.

So, I’m going to ask you to:

1. Follow me @PhilGalfond for more
2. RT the tweet below if you think it would help your followers

Thank you!

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Phil Galfond

Phil Galfond Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @PhilGalfond

Sep 17, 2023
Story time:

In 2011, months after poker's Black Friday, I relocated to Vancouver to play online poker.

I lived with a fellow poker pro, and we played in the same room, our setups mirroring each other on opposite ends of a long table.

Then something interesting happened...

⬇️
One day, my friend complained about a bad beat. Then he did it again.

Up until this point, I had never really reacted to losses at the poker table.

But before long, I found myself developing the same habit. Every time either of us lost, we would complain about our luck.
All of a sudden, I was a complainer.

The effect was far from cathartic. Every time I suffered a bad beat, I’d lose focus, and my performance would deteriorate.

It was a vicious cycle: a bad beat led to worse play, which led to more losses and, in turn, even worse play.
Read 7 tweets
Jul 20, 2023
Making reads at the poker table is easy...

If you want to do it poorly.

Great players are like detectives:

• Form Theories
• Gather Evidence
• Remove Bias
• Deepen Understanding

Here's how to improve the reads you make 👇
By the way, I broke this down even further in a recent strategy post.

It's available at the end of the thread (for free) if you'd like more.

Now, let's get into this!
Let’s say you think someone doesn’t c-bet bluff turns often enough.

Each time you see a showdown where they bet the turn with a value hand, that’s evidence in support of your theory.
Read 11 tweets
Apr 25, 2023
Are you trying to memorize a killer flop c-bet strategy?

Here’s my advice — don’t!

Solvers are powerful tools & a great way to improve your poker game.

But you need to understand the reasoning behind the plays it suggests.

Here’s why it's so important and how to work on it ⬇️
Solvers use complicated strategies that are impossible for humans to memorize and implement perfectly.

If you try to execute a complicated solver strategy, it’s likely that you’ll end up with leaks in your game that lead to making big mistakes.
Even if you could implement a “perfect” solver flop strategy, it won’t get you very far.

Example:

Solvers often c-bet hands that have low equity, but make for good bluffs on certain runouts. These c-bets will be losing money if you miss those bluffs on later streets.
Read 7 tweets
Apr 14, 2023
I was trying to calculate how much money I’ve bluffed over my poker career.

The number came to be more than $1 billion.

Here are some tips that I’ve collected over all these years of bluffing ⬇️ Image
1. Attack flops that miss their range
2. Be careful when draws miss
3. Know what you are representing
4. When to focus on their hand
5. When to focus on your range
6. Know your opponent
7. Understand the stakes for them
8. Use leverage

Let’s dive into each point in more detail…
1. Attack boards that miss their range

If your opponent’s range is high card heavy, they won't love the 6♠️ 4♠️ 3❤️ flop.

If stacks are deep enough that they can’t just rip it in with KK, consider lots of small semi-bluff raises with gutshots, flush draws & even pairs.
Read 11 tweets
Apr 7, 2023
I have 5 Post-It notes stuck to my monitor during every poker session.

They read:

1. It’s SO Simple
2. Discipline, Power
3. HAND READ
4. Game Plan. NO Protection
5. Patience, Some Pots Aren’t Mine

You should do this with your own notes. Here’s what each of mine mean ⬇️ Image
1. It’s SO Simple.

This is simply a reminder to stick to the plan!

Especially in cases where I’ve prepared for a specific opponent, it's so important to trust my preparation and not tell myself (emotion-driven) stories based on how the most recent hands have played out.
2. Discipline, Power.

“Discipline” means focusing on every decision — however small they might be. Don't casually flick in a bad call.

“Power” means intensity and relentless execution throughout the session. No shying away from profitable spots, no matter how scary!
Read 7 tweets
Mar 28, 2023
Deciding if it’s time to bluff?

Here are the top 5 signs you shouldn’t:

1. Lots of draws have missed

If straight and flush draws have whiffed, players expect you to turn those hands into bluffs.

People often call too much because of this, so be careful on brick rivers! ⬇️
2. Your opponent likes to call

Some people love to call way too much.

You can often tell who these players are by clues such as the speed at which they call rivers & the hands they show down.

Against these players, you’re going to lose money bluffing. Just don’t do it.
3. You have a “bluffy” image

Pay attention to the hands that your opponents have seen you show down!

If they’ve seen you bluff a few times already, players will often call down wider against you.

In these situations, it might be best to give up on more bluffs than usual.
Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(