Right Mentality in Poker
From another Blogger - he published this great article entitled:
“The Importance of Right Mentality in Poker”
Being a successful poker player is all about having the right mentality. Nowhere was this lesson more evident than in my week of poker today. Starting on Sunday, I had a nice session where I went up $100 in about four hours, putting me at + $1150 for the month. Last Tuesday, however, I was totally devastated when somebody stole $300 out of my wallet.
Now normally, I would go out and play on either Tuesday or Wednesday night, as the games are pretty juicy during these times. I decided not to go, however, because I didn’t think I was mentally prepared to lose. If I had lost another $500 or so on top of the $300 I had stolen from me, I would have been totally crushed and my confidence would definitely be shaken, along with my bankroll. I decided to wait it out a few days until I could mentally right myself and be prepared to lose - albeit hope to win!
The effort paid off, as I went on Thursday night after fully mourning my $300 loss and proceeded to tear up the $6/12 game, walking away a $275 winner. It’s also important to note that I didn’t go with any goals of reaching +$300 and recouping my losses. I think this is generally a losing approach and will tempt you into making bad decisions in big pots. Rather, I made a deal with myself to play the best poker I could and when I found the game dying after a few hours, I left without worrying that I was still not at the +$300 mark yet.
Mentally preparing yourself for the possibility of losing is incredibly important when playing poker. You never want to put yourself in a desperate situation, where you feel you MUST win the next few hands. It will force you to play off your game and good things never come of that. Remember, you should never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose. If you follow this axiom, you’ll most often never even have to worry about it, as the fear of losing won’t be clouding your thoughts.
posted by The Awkward One
http://anonymousliar.blogspot.com/2005/11/importance-of-right-mentality-in-poker.html
