Why Do Most of the Poker Players Have Ego?

“I think one of the interesting things about poker is that once you let your ego in, you’re done for.”- Al Alvarez

Ego is the term used for a person’s sense of self-importance or self-esteem. It is something that we deal with a lot in our day to day life. It sometimes also affects our relationship and is often known to be a treat to our professional success.

At a poker table bringing the ego out of a player is a cruel way of swiping their bankroll. Ego can end the career of a decent poker player. It has been observed that in most of the case the main reason for ego is tilt. Ego is very common in daily life but things may take an evil turn when it comes to a poker table.

We often see many players bringing ego to a table in the form of loads of free advice about how one should play better cards. This kind of egoistic behavior is easily spottable. They always act very confidently and make sure that other players buy their advice.

A player must never bring his emotional baggage to a poker table. A person with emotions like ego inevitably opens himself to gaping holes. Hands with little value look playable and your ego makes you do that. It makes you rely on your superior skills even if you have weak cards. These types of players always consider themselves to be smarter than their inferior opponents. This is the misconception that makes them lose the hand and their bankroll at the same time.

Why do you think such a situation takes place?

Let’s consider an example, suppose a player with average poker skills ends up winning one or two games. That is a huge success for him as a beginner. This will make him think of himself as a great player. This will end up building a sense of ego deep inside.
In some cases an opponent bluffs so much about his past wins and in such a case a player starts thinking that making his opponent lose is the sole aim of his life.
It also happens that sometimes a person with comparatively better skills ends up losing and this results in ego.

Ego tricks a player’s mind into thinking that they should be able to win a game very easily but when it does not happen, it hurts their ego even more. In such a situation a person takes the risk of damaging their bankrolls while being on tilt.

Now, the question arises, how to overcome such a situation-

Realise that a part of the game depends on chance. So, there is a possibility that you may lose the game. The sooner you realize, the sooner you will be able to demolish the ego inside you. A person must also consider their opponent’s stronger. Everyone who intends to play poker has some skills inside them. Never consider every opponent dumb, it may happen that in the end, you end up losing the game.
It happens that sometimes we fail to control our emotions. In such a situation you must never try to throw all your chips on a single game. Try to be humble and play smart. Make sure that you observe the opponent’s skill and understand their style and game plan.

Fold and live to fold again!!