If you’re looking for ways to improve your poker game, you are definitely not the only one. Many people find that they really do need to make chances to the way they play poker, because they’re losing a lot of money. This is generally new players, but veterans can find themselves on a losing streak as well.
Now, your first thought might be that you just need to practice more. This is also a safe bet. Most people don’t really practice enough to become professional poker players that can handle their own. Do you really think that Doyle Brunson didn’t play a lot of poker before really becoming great? That’s just not the case at all.
So the real issue here is making everything connect together. You can definitely do that if it’s something you truly wish to do, but are you mentally ready for it?
The Case for Mental Preparedness in Poker
Poker is honestly what you make of it. If you just assume that poker is going to be some mean game that you’re never going to win, your brain will never let you become a winning poker player. Everything starts within the mind, all of the time. So if you feel that there’s no point in even studying the legendary poker matches or anything of the sort, you might want to think again. It’s so easy to feel like there’s no point at all in getting involved with poker on such an intimate scale. After all, there are players that are better at the game than you are.
Back up and ask yourself this — are you smarter than them? Are you going to be doing something that is impossible, since no other human has done it? Not at all — it’s just a matter of conquering your mind.
What you’ll ultimately find about fear is that it’ll make things sound worse than it might be in reality. You’re probably a good poker player, but you’re letting yourself get caught up in the losses. You need to focus on the wins. What did you do in order to get those wins? Where you looking at pot odds and planning around stupid moves? Or were you the bully of the table, using power poker techniques to really show everyone what you’re made out of?
Give yourself the power to play poker well, and you will start playing better poker. Yes, it will take practice. Yes, you will have to avoid getting bullied by other players. Don’t back down. Know when to go all in with good cards and when to pull back and let someone else lose all of their chips. You will always have another day to play poker, so don’t take it seriously. At the end of the day, it’s all just entertainment!