The spectrum of poker patience

Having played online poker for over four years, I've discovered that the spectrum of poker patience is very wide. For all practical purposes, it's as wide as the spectrum of poker skill. Last night, I played patiently, but just not patiently enough at a crucial time. Looking at the bar chart of my stack size over the course of the tournament, it's clear why I decided to call a big (given the size of my stack at the time) postflop raise - I'd been card dead for a while, and had finally been dealt a decentish hand. However, simply looking at the hand in question on its own merits, it's clear I shouldn't have called that raise. This pinpoints a vital poker skill - you need to be able to stare down your own imminent demise. If the odds tell you you're not going to win a hand, don't play it, even if your stack is minuscule. As long as you have a chip and a chair, you're still alive!

buy_in entry_fee num_players num_hands place winnings

 50000       800           6        24     4        0

delta: $-50,800
tournament balance: $1,572,290
balance: $6,703,021