Andrew ‘LuckyChewy’ Lichtenberger is considered one of the best high-stakes MTT pros in the game, with career earnings of more than $20,000,000. In an ongoing series for PokerOrg, he outlines his approach to some of the strategic and mental aspects of poker.
In previous articles we've looked at everything from tournament tactics to emotional control. Here marks our entry into 'Jedi wizard' territory...
If poker is part of life, then life is part of poker. When we sit down to compete, we all want to win. Does this philosophy have any use case or practical application? Certainly, in my opinion, it does.
I think who you are, on the most fundamental level, has everything to do with how likely you are to succeed in poker. Intellectual technique and sophisticated strategies invariably boost your EV, but you further magnify your edge by understanding yourself on a deeper level. Poker, to me, is one of the best vehicles for self-improvement.
The degree to which our mistakes are reflected back to us, oftentimes in quick succession, is what we need to learn more about ourselves.
'What kinds of thoughts and intentions did I have when I made that bet?'
'Did a fear of loss reflect in my body language when I shoved all-in?'
'Was I doing everything I could to be present with the game?'
The shortcomings we all have as individuals, whether in poker or life, have a lot of parallels and they tend to show up and remind us of this at the least opportune times! I think this is why our biggest mistakes, in anything we do, often present the greatest opportunities for growth.
What is poker, actually?
Poker is a game of incomplete information. Much like life, we do the best we can with what we have. It’s up to us to be able to discern where we want to put our time and energy based on what we see value in.
In poker our ability to ‘see the truth at the table’ is similarly going to incentivize us to play certain hands over others and compel us to make some choices as opposed to others.
The more ‘broken links’ you can find in your thought process, the greater your chances for success. Many newer players miss the mark on cleanly identifying the reasons why they choose to take certain actions and what those reasons imply about the other factors up for consideration.
Once you’re able to justify the reasons for why you are taking the actions you’re taking and continue refining them, you are able to begin what I like to think of as a dance on the felt. We should strive to make every decision feel natural, whether it’s a normal run-of-the-mill check, a giant hero call, or a massive bluff. What contributes to this state of ease? What else than our internal energy and the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are born of it.
Preparing for the task at hand
We all know that preparation is key. In fact, the Roman philosopher Seneca left us with the most classic definition of luck, described in its ‘good’ form as what happens ‘When preparation meets opportunity.’
Reminding us that we create our own luck is always a useful tactic. Even if we feel out of control at times, we should seek to hold ourselves accountable for as much as we can justify doing so in our lives. The benefit here is that we prevent ourselves from espousing a victim mindset towards our circumstances and empower us to live our lives with more agency over our decisions.
Preparation, in my eyes, is the ‘stacking of small wins’ over a long period of time. It’s what we do when no one is watching. It’s how we decide to show up for ourselves in our personal lives and how well we treat ourselves. And it’s most certainly a big part of what breeds success in people.
Opportunity is, to me, more what’s written in the stars. Sometimes it’s our day, and sometimes it’s not. The more we are prepared to meet life’s uncertainties by putting our best foot forward, the more we are able to win some days that might have slipped through our fingertips had we been less disciplined and prepared.
It’s all energy
With the minutia out of the way, let’s now get to the heart of the matter.
‘Vibration Precedes Manifestation’
I put this on my trophy stand alongside my accolades as a reminder of the simple truth that in order to become a winner, you have to first feel it in your bones in the most authentic sense possible. Contrary to popular belief, seeing is not believing. The inverse, however, is much more accurate.
The energy we bring to the table or in our personal lives is largely deterministic of who we become, the experiences we have, and the lives we lead. The choice is always ours, so long as we believe it to be.
In poker tournaments we are always being asked to navigate through this endless minefield filled with all kinds of obstacles. I love to consider poker, in this sense, as a sort of ‘symphony’ where, if we consider each of our actions at the table to be a ‘note’ that one plays on a musical instrument, our goal is always to find the most harmonious next note.
I firmly believe that aspiring to some kind of ideal, even if unrealistic, greatly increases one's chances of success. If nothing else, it’s worked for me.
Andrew Lichtenberger co-founded the poker community and training site Octopi Poker with Nick Schulman and Victoria Livschitz. Octopi Poker uses GTO tools, drills, coaching, and streamed hand histories for an all-in-one integrated platform for collaborative poker study. Follow Andrew on Twitter/X.
Additional images courtesy of Joe Giron/WPT/Михаил Секацкий/Unsplash
