I'm no different than a lot of players out there who like the ‘action' of a poker game.  They want to be involved in a lot of hands and find themselves chasing and calling a lot hoping for the miracle flop or card to hit.

The fact is that to be a good poker player you have to fold way more hands than you play and many players just cannot grasp that concept.  I've seen many times online where players are playing 40 to 50% of the hands.  That's way to high.

I think if I play 20% or less of the hands that are dealt I'm doing ok.  Sure you will have variations but we are looking at average hands played over many tournaments, not just one.  My average is around 17-18%.  Tony might say that is a little to high as he likes to play around 12-15% of the hands dealt.  He has had some success with that formula so it is hard to argue his point.  Either way your folding way more than you are playing.

There is another article in this section about removing distractions.  It's also very important because it relates directly to this topic.  When you eliminate unwanted distractions and can fully concentrate on the task at hand you can make better decisions and are less likely to force the action.

Forcing the action means making plays you wouldn't normally make or shouldn't normally make.  Betting when you shouldn't bet, playing medium hands out of position, calling a raise with a mediocre hand in the late stages of a game.  Get the picture !  Its all of these and more.

Tony once mentioned in a January blog of his that you just have to relax and play the cards you are dealt.  He had just gone through a bad December and I think, was forcing the action somewhat and that was leading to bad decisions.  I think a lot of us have fallen in this same trap and can learn from it.

My game has been pretty good lately and when I think about my wins it always goes back to staying patient and waiting for the right hand or situation to come.  When I've done that, good results usually followed.  In most of those situations my opponent have needed the ‘luck' to win the hand and that's exactly where you want to be.

Forcing the action is a dangerous game to play.  Sure you may luck out once and a while but is that really what you want your game to be about ?