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Experts, pros, books, magazines and any other possible avenue of poker information will always lead to one unified goal and that is to "play your A-game at all times".
To achieve perfection in your game requires a focused mind state which you bring before and during your stay at the table.
Poker is revered and loathed for its limitless variability and uncertainty.
Committing ones focus to making the correct decision in every circumstance can be a players only salvation.
That being said, playing perfect poker does not guarantee the perfect outcome.
This leads to the second definition of poker perfection; the perfect outcome - winning the tournament.
No matter how vehemently you commit yourself to playing perfectly, one cannot predict the outcome of cards from a fair deck.
This is why Texas Holdem poker has become so popular in recent years.
Television has emphasized the fact that anyone can win regardless of skill level or experience.
In the long run the sharks will squeeze all the money from the fish but in tournament poker, if the stars align at the right time, the amateur can walk home with the title - ask Chris Moneymaker.
It is this second definition, the one that lets the rookie take home the cheese, that marinates the flavour of poker with both intrigue and contention.
Poker purists will argue that playing with proper strategy and calculation is more respectable than winning with luck or sucking out.
It is not unusual for tempers to flare when one player wins a big hand despite making the incorrect decision.
While the sore loser is expressing his displeasure, the winner, whose play was imperfect, is too busy stacking his chips to care.
He'll take perfect serendipity over perfect decision making any day, so long as the chips end up where he is sitting.
Professional poker players like Mike "the mouth" Matusow and Phil Helmuth, who are renown for openly airing their displeasure after incidences of this sort occur, could submit a lengthy highlight reel of complaining and bickering that could put a spoiled preschooler to shame.
After all is said and done, depending on your outlook, one definition of poker perfection is inherently qualitative superior to the other; which one you choose will speak volumes about the type of player you are.
In the long run it will always pay to play smart poker and make proper decisions due to statistical variance alone but in No Limit poker tournaments you may not be granted a "long run" and that is why it is probably best to have the second definition of 'perfect' on your side.
Perhaps a sufficient rule to follow would be a happy medium between the two: live by definition one, pray for definition two! There are free poker tournaments starting every second so there is no time like to present to practice playing perfect poker!
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