Quitting Smoking And
Bad Habits At The Poker Table

I've been smoking cigarettes since I was twelve. My high school started in the 7th grade and that's when I started smoking. I'm not going to lie - one of the main reasons I started smoking was because my friends all smoked. I started smoking socially - before and after school. Then I started smoking when I went out with my friends at night. Pretty soon this social smoking turned in to a horrible habit. I smoked when I was stressed, when I went shopping, after a meal. As soon as I got a car, lighting up a cigarette became part of my routine when I pulled out of the driveway.

I'd half heartedly tried to quit a couple times, but once I came to college, smoking once again became a huge social thing - what better way to talk to a guy than to go out and have a cigarette with him on the porch? In a way, cigarettes were my crutch - something constant to fall back on.

With the persistence of some friends and my own realistic desire to quit smoking - I've been smoke free for 3 months now. 3 months out of 7 years may not seem like a long time, but when you're finishing off a pack every 2 days, it's a huge accomplishment.

You're probably wondering how I can possibly relate quitting smoking to poker. It's simple, really. Think about all the bad habits you have when you play poker. I don't mean the drinking, swearing and smoking that go on at the table - I mean calling the blind for every hand, just to see the flop, or reraising just to show that you control the table. Some people have habits that are less harmful on their wallets for the short term but in the long term can really hurt their poker game, such as checking whenever they have the option rather than betting.

These habits at the poker table can be kicked just the way I kicked my cigarette addiction - but it's not always easy. Like smoking, poker habits are easy to fall back on because they're so familiar and you've been doing them for so long.

When I quit smoking, I quit cold turkey. I had the determination, incentive and commitment to quit. Some of you just need to recognize your bad poker habits and you'll be able to stop them right away. Some of you, however, might struggle to quit your poker habits and need the equivalent of a poker nicotine patch or gum.

When I tried to quit smoking a while ago I was told to do two things. One was to substitute a coffee every time I wanted a cigarette. This substitute was a little too expensive so I tried my other option - waiting 5 minutes before giving in to my craving. I was told that cravings last something like 5 minutes and if I could wait that time out, then the craving would go away. If you want to quit your bad poker habits I'd suggest the latter option of waiting "the craving" out.

If you're a compulsive blind-caller (calling just to see the flop), then I suggest doing the following. As soon as your hand flies to your chip stack to call the blind, stop for a minute - there's no hurry. Count to 5, or to 10, or to 100 for all I care - the rest of the players can wait. While you count (or after, I've heard that men are horrible multitaskers) think about the cards you've been dealt again and if they're really worth staying in for. Are they really worth the 50 cents or 50 dollars you're about to buy them for, because in essence that's what you're about to do. The answer is usually no - the majority of the time you're better off folding (you can check the poker forum's odds calculator to get the exact statistics).

One of the hardest parts of quitting was being with other people when they lit up a cigarette. Some quitters can stand to be around other smokers, but I couldn't and still can't. I opt to go inside rather than risk my status as a now non-smoker.

For compulsive re-raisers this is often the case. Re-raisers like to be in control of the table. But when you re-raise habitually, out of habit or desperation, you are more likely to lose control of the table because your habit will become known and obvious, revealing your weakness. While you can't leave the table physically like I do when I have the urge to smoke because others are smoking, you can leave mentally for a few moments.

Give yourself time to reevaluate your hand. One of the advantages to poker is that it's not a timed game. By taking your time you're actually showing more control over the table than you would if you hastily re-raised. Just because your hand was worth your initial bet, does not mean its worth any more than that. Usually when someone raises, they're holding a pretty good hand, so don't just re-raise out of compulsion. Think about your hands worth first. After considering your options, it's up to you - my only advice is to take your time and gain control of your emotions and habits before making any hasty decisions.

People that check whenever they are given the option and never consider starting the betting are very similar to people that consider themselves non smokers, and only smoke when offered a cigarette. These people bother me the most (but are my favorite to play poker against) because they don't seem capable of any decision making. You might as well not play poker at all if you're not going to risk putting money on the line. Other players can pick out these weak "go-with-the-flow" players and they are often the easiest to manipulate.

This might be one of the hardest habits to quit because just like "non-smokers" that smoke, they aren't addicted enough to need nicotine patch. It probably seems harmless to check, just like it seems harmless to have a cigarette only every once in a while. I'd have to say that the first step to quitting this habit is to recognize it. Realize that you're checking habitually. Then stop doing so. Learn to ask yourself a question before you act. Ask yourself if your hand is valuable enough to bet. And learn about the value of poker hands. If you have a good hand, then bet like you have a good hand. This will lead you to be more of an aggressive poker player in general.

So I'm trying to lead by example here. I've been smoke free for 3 months, and if I can quit smoking, then anything is possible. My simple advice to players addicted to bad habits at the poker table, or anyone addicted to anything is to realize that you're addicted to it and take a step back from it. Don't cave in to your initial habitual response. Give yourself time to see that there are other and usually better ways to respond than you were initially going to. And then learn to have the courage to take what you know is the better course of action.

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