Want more money? Learn how to control your mental state in poker
A poker player is more than an athlete. Each poker pro must take care of his body, constantly improving his strategy and his mental setup. It is not an easy thing to concentrate on all of these aspects, but it is necessary if you want to improve the quality of your game.
Poker requires constant concentration, rational thinking, and patience, that is why today we will give you a few tips and tricks about how to control your mental state when playing poker.
Mastering this aspect can be really complicated if you find yourself on a downswing or if you don’t have enough experience as a poker player. Year after year, the game itself will teach you many things about anger management, self-discipline, self-confidence, setting boundaries when it is necessary, and at the same time about quitting procrastination.
Today we will talk about:
1. Focus on decision making
First of all, you must take care of not basing your decisions on your short-term result. They are not relevant and they can ruin your success as an online poker player. For example, some really nice results can grow your ego too much, while some bad results can make you lose your self-confidence.
Another point of view is the one when we are talking about your opponent’s mental state. A strong poker player will notice when someone is tilting or overly emotional and take full advantage of it. Of course, such a mindset will help you to maximize your profits while concentrating a lot on the decision-making part of the process.
At the same time, for having a good focus, you should take care of your sleep. If you were having a bad night or if you don’t feel in shape, maybe it’s better to stop playing, find your balance and come back to the tables with a sharp focus.
2. Stick to your schedule
We know that for an online poker player, routine is an awful thing, but sometimes being organized is mandatory. That is why you should create a real learning and playing schedule and stick it on your wall. Try to follow this kind of schedule each week and you will be able to teach your own brain “how to think”.
Creating a poker schedule allows you to establish a stable environment in which you know how to control your emotions and concentrate only on making the right decisions and at the same time in will help you reduce stress and anxiety during the playing hours. You’ll brain will get used to a high level of focus and this way you can also avoid tilt and other unpleasant feelings.
3. Detach yourself after each grinding session
You should definitely learn to take breaks while playing and more than this, to switch to some different stuff after playing.
The best way to detach after a long poker session and reset your mind is to be engaged in an activity that involves more physical than mental activity. You can go to the gym, play basketball, go for a walk in the park, or another activity that involves interacting with people or with nature itself. This thing is crucial for an online poker player who spends tons of hours in front of his computer.
What we advise you to do after poker is to keep yourself away from activities that involve a high level of concentration. Just relax and take a deep breath!
Once again, don’t forget to stay true to your priorities and take care of your mental state!
