What's your Reason for Playing Poker?
Different people have different reasons for playing poker. Knowing the reasons why people play poker is just as crucial as understanding your own motivations for playing the game. Knowing why others play poker in relation to your own reasons gives you a proper perspective that would help you get what you want out of the game.
Most people play simply for the love of the game. The appeal of poker lies in the joy of getting a winning combination and the challenge of making an undeserving hand win the pot through deception. The exciting prospect of being dealt the right cards; the challenge of reading your opponent's body language, known as "tells;" the nerve-wracking effort of bluffing a weak hand right through the pot—and the sweet satisfaction of succeeding; the pleasures in employing the fine art of raising or calling a bet or even in folding a hand all combine to make poker one of the most entertaining card games ever invented by man.
Risk is the main ingredient that lends thrill, excitement and challenge to the game of poker. It therefore goes without saying that playing poker with a bankroll is what all the excitement and enjoyment is all about. But if it makes you feel a lot miserable to lose your stakes, perhaps you need to realign your priorities and your budget and plan a bankroll that you can afford to lose. And if you perceive your opponent to be having a great fun time taking your money away from you, don't lose your cool and get on his nerves. Otherwise he just might think that the fun is over for him and walk away from the game--- and you lose the opportunity to win back your money.
Some people sit at a poker table for the prospect of enlarging their network of friends. If you belong to this group, the poker tables in a land based casino may suit you just fine, although online poker gives you the opportunity to chat with interesting players living halfway across the world. If you happen to bump across a social poker player in one of your games, cultivating his friendship may be financially rewarding especially if you perceive him to be not as skilled in the game as you are.
And, there are people who seem to be in the game for the money. If you think you are playing against one, play with care and with all the skill and knowledge that you could summon. Keep a watchful eye on his body language or his online "tells," if you are playing online. Be vigilant and stay focused because you know that he is after your bankroll. But if you belong to this type of players, be prepared to commit your time, effort, attention and money to developing your poker playing skills because it did not take the best poker professionals overnight to develop theirs. Then cross your fingers and hope that your wife will not throw you out of the house.