Poker Winner Blog

Expect Difficulties

You will succumb to all of your flaws as a poker player during the period you are struggling, growing, and reaching for a higher level of skill. Just because you’ve read all the books by all the experts, don’t deceive yourself into believing that you’re going to play as well as they do. Every top-notch player struggled to reach the level of success they’ve achieved. You’re going to have to do the same. Golf videos won’t turn you into Tiger Woods, chess monographs won’t turn you into Gary Kasparov, and Poker For Dummies will not turn you into Doyle Brunson. The best poker books will teach you how to talk the talk. You’ll have to walk the walk on your own!

Build on Small Accomplishments

If you’re not a winning player today but you study hard, put into practice what you read, and integrate these strategies into your own style of play, you’ll find yourself improving. You may not be able to make your living from the game, but at least you’ll no longer be a contributor. Keep doing what works for you, and you’ll find that success builds upon itself.

Don’t let small setbacks put you on tilt. You’ve already taught yourself to expect difficulties. If you play poorly, correct it next time. However, if you find yourself saying, “Just this once won’t hurt me,” you’re wrong. It can hurt you, and it will. You’ve got to focus on what produces accomplishments. Playing a weak hand or taking the worst of it on a hunch — or just for the fun of it — is nothing more than premeditated backsliding. Do it, and you have only yourself to blame.

Persist

You must sustain. The saying, “Ninety percent of success is just showing up” has a lot of truth to it. You need to keep playing, keep practicing, and keep building on small successes. Each time you reach one of your goals, savor the moment. Then quickly set another goal.

Try visualizing. Golfers visualize their putts dropping; baseball players visualize the bat connecting with the ball; basketball players visualize the hoop growing and the ball dropping through, hitting nothing but net. In your mind, watch yourself make the right plays at the poker table. When you’re able to visualize strategies in action, you’ll see your winnings accrue in the process. Keep showing up, play your best game, and keep moving forward. Remember that some of your opponents will be improving too. If you do not consistently move forward with your own game, you are probably moving backwards in relation to your opponents.

Have Fun

Enjoy yourself while you are playing. Time spent playing poker is discretionary. No one has a gun at your head. If poker is not enjoyable, don’t play. While there are lots of bitter pills we all have to swallow in life, we ought to enjoy what we choose to do. If you cannot enjoy yourself when you play, perhaps you should find another outlet for your time and money.

Some players are constantly griping when they play. Some of them have done this for years. It seems they are never happy. Why do they bother to play when they get no enjoyment from it? Questions like that can take a lifetime to answer. But unhappy players generally represent profit to you. So have fun when you play, or find something more enjoyable to do. You won’t succeed as a poker player if you have to fight yourself as well as your opponents.

The information is simple stuff, and it’s as true in life as in poker. Look inward, look outward, set goals, deal with the inevitable setbacks, show up, have fun, and succeed. Sometimes it’s that easy.

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