I Got Lucky

Recently, I won the $1,000 buy-in limit hold'em event at the Four Queens Poker Classic. Many lucky things happened throughout the day and evening that converged to enable me to win. Here are some examples:

• Lucky cards – I had more than my fair share of good starters and made more than my fair share of hands.

• Lucky table – I moved to one table where a player had accumulated lots of chips and he kept trying to give them away. Throughout the evening, at times, I was the recipient of his largess.

• Lucky preparation – I was well-rested and came to play. I was focused all day, which generally enabled me to play my best game.

I noticed things that I sometimes might miss when I am just going through the motions. On a $4,000 pot that was split, the dealer accidentally shorted me $50. At that point in the tournament, the $50 was quite inconsequential, but it felt good that I was so tuned in at the time.

Winning poker players tend to make fewer mistakes than others. This can be done by working on your game to get better and working on your frame of mind to play your best game.

However, to win an individual tournament, you have to get lucky, too.

OK, this is all old news, but it's accurate, nevertheless – and important.

However, there were lessons to be learned about my play that evening that might not be apparent to those players who are relatively new to the game. Here are some examples:

• Just because I played lots of hands didn't mean I never had anything. I had many more premium starting hands than usual; it just happens sometimes.

• The wrong players matched up with me at the wrong time. Because I was both running well and playing well, I was playing many hands. When one person dominates a table, the others naturally have problems. Well, it seemed like the weakest players tried coming after me with the weakest hands. Why do that when I am in a zone? It enabled me to pick off many pots when all I had was a read on their weak hands.

Poker is all about picking on the weak. It may be weak hands, weak players, or just weak play. Today's lesson is this: Do not pick on the player who has all of the chips and is running well and playing his best game. There must be better spots.