World Poker Tour Finals 2005 |
Bas Rutten and Bruce Buffer
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The Mental Principals of Poker & Fighting
By
BRUCE BUFFER
2/21/06
In the UFC there are the “Warriors of the Octagon” and in poker there are the “Warriors of the Cards” on the green felt battlefield. I have had the honor of announcing the combatants participating in the championship main events for the UFC and also the two “final table” players in the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) who went head to head to see who would be champion and take home over seven million dollars and the WSOP title.
Physically there is an obvious difference between the competitors who fight and the players who play poker but mentally there are similarities in the preparation, training and “decision making” process needed to walk away a winner and hopefully someday, a champion. I have trained in various martial arts since the age of sixteen and have faced off against opponents in the ring as an amateur kick-boxer and also against top professional poker players at the final table of the “World Poker Tour” (WPT) and other poker tournaments.
When fighting… the decision to throw a jab/cross combination or to shoot a double-leg takedown takes a percentage of a second to decide. When playing Poker, one can take more time to decide whether to check, raise or go all in on their opponent. The mental discipline behind the strategy and decision making process of both respective moves are similar. Is my opponent making a move on me to knock me out or submit me… or to put me all in for all my poker chips? Should I go for the knock-out and throw hard punches till their down on the canvas or should I put them all in and knock them out of the tournament? There is a lot one needs to learn and practice before they can fulfill the outcome of these split second decisions successfully.
Ultimately one puts their opponent to a decision and this is where the strong survive and the weak fold. To expect to survive there is, what I term, the “BSC” theory, which means for one to win, one must possess a combination of “balls, skill and confidence”. “BSC” combined with the percentage of luck and timing needed, is a powerful combination to take into the ring or when sitting down at the poker table.
I respect anyone who possesses the “BSC” needed to step into a fighting arena and go head to head in the greatest one on one sport known to mankind, because they are truly alone in their quest for victory. I also have respect for poker players who risk finances to compete with top pros from around the world. Tournament entry fees currently go as high as $25,000 on the professional circuit and you can be knocked out minutes after you start or play for days to get into a money winning position at the “Final Table” and potentially earn millions of dollars, but in either case one mental mistake can cost you dearly.
In December 2005 I paid $15,000 to enter the WPT Five Diamond tournament in Las Vegas. Each hand I choose to play could have been my last, just like each round a fighter fights could be his or hers. Over three days of playing for up to twelve hours a day, I rarely was dealt a quality hand and had to bluff my way to winning 95% of the hands I won. Luckily, my play paid off and I placed 75th out of a field of 555 players and won $24,150. In fighting this is similar to one being knocked down and with the fight going against them, getting off the canvas to pull out all stops to gain a victory. An historical boxing fight that reminds me of this was when, with all judges’ cards against him, George Foreman came back in his fight against Michael Moore to knock him out in the tenth round to regain the heavy-weight championship crown at the age of forty-five. In the UFC I have seen Randy Couture apply the theory of “BSC” to more than one fight in his amazing career in the Octagon.
To be on the highest level of mental awareness and to perform at the top of your game in fighting or when competing in poker one needs to train smart, train consistently and train to win. There is a phrase when learning poker that also applies to fighting, which is… “It takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master”.
• Training:
Train and spar consistently every week because the heavy bag does not hit back. Read poker books and watch poker on TV as much as possible. Books and videos teach knowledge, but they do not teach application and one must play against worthy players in a real game and/or on the internet as often as possible or I assure you a good player will take all of your chips all of the time and not always with the better hands.
• Offense:
Knowing when to use your jab or kick to set up your next move in fighting is like placing a “feeler bet” in poker to see the reaction of your opponent before putting them “All In”.
• Defense:
Avoiding a punch or sprawling in defense of a takedown is like calling a raise to see the next card, knowing your opponent has a better hand.
• Winning:
After a win, a fighter with true “Warrior Spirit” goes back into the gym and trains for the next one like it’s his first. A champion knows that to win the next fight they have to again apply all the principals of consistent training to get that win against an entirely different opponent. The same applies to poker because one cannot survive by living in the glory of the past, they will only go broke. You are only as good as your last fight or your last tournament. Be humble in greatness and don’t be cocky or you will eventually go down hard and when you least expect it.
• Dealing with a loss:
To be a winner, one must know what it is like to fail. Treat a loss like a learning experience and mature from it. A winner gets off the canvas or the green felt from a loss and becomes better because of it. Be honest with yourself and do not make excuses for your loss. Otherwise you better pick up your chips and find another game to play.
• Knowledge:
There is nothing more valuable than knowledge. Try to view film of your opponent when preparing for a fight. Thanks to TV, a poker player on the pro circuit can watch film of their upcoming opponents most every week. I viewed hours of TV before I entered my first WPT and as a result I felt very comfortable and not intimidated by any world class pro who sat across from me. Whether in fighting or poker, an opponent breaths the same air and is made of the same flesh and blood as you are. It is all about who trains the smartest, not the hardest.
• Read Your Opponent and Think Ahead to Your Next Move:
Take the needed time to size up your opponent for a round or two in the fighting arena or a turn or two of the poker table. Did they drop their hands when they punched or kicked and can you come over the top with a counter punch or shoot in for a take down? In poker look for “tells” such as do they flinch or throw in their chips slowly when they have the best hand or quickly when they try to “bluff”, so you know whether to call, raise or put them all in.
• Intimidation:
Mentally intimidate your opponent whenever possible. This doesn’t mean being low class by cursing or yelling like a kid in a schoolyard… one can be silent and use a facial expression or be “James Bond” and be cool while under fire. Randy Couture is one of the coolest and most intimidating fighters in the Octagon as is the top poker pro Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who knocked me out at the final table of the WPT last year. Both have achieved championship status, fame, respect and wealth from their respective careers.
• Always Put Your Opponent to a Decision:
By putting your opponent to a decision you are the intimidating factor at that moment and they can lose control of the fight or the poker hand. At the right moment go in for the knockout and/or submission or put all your chips in for the win. Unlike fighting, that can be done in poker with the worst hand on the table if you read your opponent correctly.
Be honest with yourself while possessing “Warrior Spirit” and practicing the theory of “BSC”. For me this applies to fighting, poker, business, love, friendship and life in general. Avoid intimidation, believe in yourself and your abilities and you will be a winner and achieve your goals, because at one or more times in the future, all of us will be put to the test and then “It Will Be Time… To Go All In!”
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