Everything You Need To Know About A Winning Poker Mindset


Posted September 26, 2019 by lioncitybet

Poker is a popular card game that is extremely strategy-focused. Read on to find out what are some basic poker strategies for beginners

 
Who are the ones that come to your mind when the word " Poker Legend" comes to your mind? Some say Phil Ivey, others say Daniel Negreanu, or maybe Tom Dwan? Each of them has their own unique style of playing, but one thing in common, they are all successful in their own poker career.

Regular poker players know it best, keeping a positive bankroll while poker playing is easier said than done. Most poker players think that poker is a game of luck, especially upon losing money. But professional poker players think otherwise, instead, poker is actually a game of the mind.

Players who are successful in the mental game of poker are no different from the regular poker players. What’s different is that they approach poker with a structured and methodological manner. Without relying on the Poker God, hoping that they do not go on tilt upon losing money.

The First Pillar: Developing Mental Toughness

The first pillar that I believe is really important when it comes to the mindset when playing poker is the way you deal with your own attention and energy towards the game. This is the fundamental ingredient when comes to developing mental toughness or a good mindset.

So what does mental toughness really mean? What many people underestimate is their ability to influence their attention when they are in a game of poker. Having a strong focus is really important as a poker player. Now, what is your attitude towards staying focus? Are you good at controlling when to be focus whenever you want? Or is it something that you think people are born with? Do you think the ability to focus is trainable? Or can it actually be developed?

The right mindset when comes to developing mental toughness is to know that you are entirely in control over your own ability to focus. There are a lot of things you can do to improve the ability to focus. This is an attitude you have to develop and take responsibility towards it. Many poker players seem to forget that they are competitors or if I may be so bold, athletes even. What this means is that you need to have a strategy in place in order to manage your energy well. Here, I’m referring to both physical and mental energy. If you play for long hours or want to grind a lot of volumes for the month, you will need a good attitude towards your energy.

This is where many players go wrong. They rarely take care of their own well being, which is the direct opposite of what professional poker players do. Professional poker players have a high sense of responsibility towards their own energy. They eat well, sleep well, exercise regularly, meditate, and the list goes on. Another good mindset they have towards energy is to think in terms of recovery. This way, they can play longer sessions. Staying sharp and focus for a sustained period of time at the table is greatly underrated. Professional poker players know that if they do not have good energy while on the table, they will not be able to play well in the long run.

The Second Pillar: Thinking Like A Pro

If you don’t think like a pro when playing poker, chances are you are not going to get very far. Unfortunately, this is a very common mistake among poker players, primarily lazy players. At the end of the day for them, poker is just a game. It is totally cool to perceive it that way, if you are just playing poker for fun. But if your goal is to capitalize, you better get serious.

Now, what does thinking like a pro actually mean? Firstly, be self-aware about your current poker skills and start taking steps to advance related skills. As you are probably aware, poker is getting tougher by the day. If you are not at least taking a few hours every week to advance your poker skills, don’t expect to go far.

You have to perceive poker like how athletes perceive their respective sports, in order to stay ahead of the game.

The Third Pillar: Dealing With Emotions

I believe this is a huge topic and something that very few people, in general, have mastered. Ask yourself: What is your attitude towards dealing with emotions in poker? We all know that tilt is prevalent in poker, but what you actually do at the table to deal with tilting is what counts.

Are emotions something to be avoided? Do you have any control over it? When you are in the heat of the battle, is there something you can do? These are some questions you got to ask yourself to develop a winning mindset.

Taking a step further. What does a player with a strong mental game do to handle their emotions? Anyone with a strong mental game will know that having emotions is inevitable while playing poker. Everyone tilts at some point or another in their career, some are more severe than the others. Professional poker players will know how to handle their emotions, one example is knowing when to quit a game when the tilting is too much for them to handle.

Accept that you are no longer playing optimally when you are emotionally tilted. Professional poker players know themselves well enough and can calibrate their own emotional state at any given moment in order for them to play optimally. These are all skills that need to be developed. The reason behind this is to take responsibility for one’s own emotions and knowing that you can do something about it.

Doing work away from the poker table and figuring out what kind of scenarios trigger you, are essential to becoming a good poker player. This is a process that can take a long time and a lot of self-reflection. Professional poker players know how important it is to keep their cool while playing, therefore they mastered their emotions enough in order to handle them properly when push comes to shove in a poker game.

The Fourth Pillar: Dealing With Variance

The last pillar for a winning poker mindset is understanding how to deal with variance. All of us know that variance exists in poker, but the way we think about variance can differ a lot as an individual. Some people believe that they run really bad in general and that is just the way it is. Good players on the other hand, usually have a very good grasp of what variance actually entails. Most players don’t actually realize how much impact variance can have on one’s game even if your poker skills are up to par.

A player with a winning poker mindset will educate themselves about the statistics behind variance. They will do everything in their power to make sure that their poker skills are up to par. Also consulting with other players to figure out if what they are going through right now is merely a statistical reality. Variance is something that happens to everyone, but professional players know that their game is good and they just have to tide it out. These people can take a step back because they are not overly attached to the result of the poker game nor money.

If you are overly attached to money, your entire identity will be at stake and this can pose a very real threat psychologically. Being too attached to money will result in bad plays. Good poker players know that and don’t let it define them. Having a winning poker mindset is knowing that it is not the result that defines them, but the process. They are focused on getting better and getting in the necessary volume in order to get better. Knowing what you can and can’t control, when it comes to variance will ultimately keep your mental game sane and allow you to tide through bad times.

With all that said, I hope these pillars give you an idea from a meta perspective of what it really means to have a winning poker mindset.

In the end, it really comes down to thinking things through in the game of poker and develop the right skillset that will actually help you to compete at the highest level. Build your foundation right, have an unshakable belief system and start seeing the progression in your bankroll.

To play poker and other games online, visit https://lioncitybet.com/
-- END ---
Share Facebook Twitter
Print Friendly and PDF DisclaimerReport Abuse
Contact Email [email protected]
Issued By Lion City Bet
Country Singapore
Categories Games
Tags lion city bet , online games , poker
Last Updated September 26, 2019