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Mental Preparation
Being mentally prepared is vital to
having success at any sport or competition, none more-so than poker. This
article will discuss several methods to improve your mental preparedness
before and during your poker game.
1. Clear your mind.
Don't play if you are upset, worried, on tilt, or just coming out of an emotional
situation. Don't sit down if you feel you have to win. Poker is a
game of skill, sure, but it is also gambling to a certain degree. Don't play
with money you can't afford to lose, also known as scared money.
2. Be Patient
As anyone who has watched poker tournaments or games on tv knows, even the
best players have incredible runs of bad cards or bad luck at the poker
table. How they deal with those inevitable downturns will have more effect
on their ultimate success or failure than how they play their 'rushes' or
streaks of good luck. Don't sit down at the poker table expecting only good
cards. Don't think the cards owe you something because of how they
treated you the last time you played. Tighten up your play during bad
streaks. Observe other players after folding your cards. Losing patience is
a major cause of players going on tilt.
3. Have Confidence
Part of being patient is also having confidence in yourself and your game. A
lot of this only comes with experience and knowing strategies and ways to
play in different situations. Consider playing at a lower limit table to
gain back confidence (or money) that you have lost. Think about bad poker
experiences you have had in the past and the positive or negative lessons
you learned in dealing with them. All good players have bad days, but they
know that over the long-haul, their discipline and skill will make them a
winner.
4. Be Tough
Don't let bad beats affect your poker style or skills. If another player
plays badly and pulls out a win on the river, compliment him on his hand.
Don't whine or belly-ache after every loss. Behavior like this makes you
appear weak and
vulnerable to other players and believe me, poker sharks can smell blood.
5. Be Optimistic
A good poker player must have complete assurance that bad cards will eventually
turn good. Optimism is a part of it. Knowledge of the inevitable swing of
good and bad is also part. If an opponent is playing bad and beating you, be
confident and optimistic that his bad play will eventually give you an
opportunity to turn the tables. It is not always easy to keep believing, but
believe we must.
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