Last week I was really struggling to focus on poker. Due to my writing I get plenty of free time, which sounds great but I tend to find ways to fill it then suddenly realise my diary is filled to bursting point and long for a break! My favourite poker room bwin poker was waiting for me and I sat down to play but my mind was elsewhere. A series of poor play and bad results taught me the lesson to focus quickly and I realised the importance of doing so. Here are some great ways to focus before you play poker.
Think of Losing
Many times in my early poker playing days I used to play my poker hands whilst talking to my family and friends on Skype. It is certainly easy to do this, but not recommended. You need a high level of focus on your opponent’s tendencies and the way they play to be able to beat them. You cannot focus and talk on Skype!
Before you sit down to play think about how you would feel if you lost your entire bankroll. That should wake you up to focusing hard and stop your mind wandering. Use the fear of losing to help you win.
Realise that Nothing Else Matters
Other things do matter, poker is just part of life not all of life after all. But when you play poker you need to be able to put everything else on hold and play your best game. If there are factors preventing you from applying such intense levels of focus then perhaps it is not the right time to play. Get the other things sorted out and return to the game ready to give it your all.
Sometimes it is frustrating that a load of washing, tidying your room, paying some bills or talking to your partner (!) need to be done before playing poker but remember that once these things are finished you can get back to doing what you love, playing poker! This should help you get your ‘to do list’ completed in double quick time.
Relish the Potential Winnings
Hopefully you have felt the joy of winning many times. If not we have a more serious problem! It feels great when you win money. It is tough to earn money and it feels fantastic to see money in your account. You need to be ruthless about taking it from others and that in itself is a life-skill poker can teach you. Before you begin a session, think how great it will feel to finish the session a big winner. You know that in order to achieve this it will take hard work so to get from where you are to the big win you should be able to completely focus on the job in hand.
Prepare for your Sessions
We have discussed in other articles things like having a comfortable chair, a good monitor and healthy food and drink available for when you play so you have optimal playing conditions. This process of preparing for poker will mean you begin to focus, like an athlete preparing for a race. Being fully prepared will lessen the effect of a bad beat and have you completely focused on winning and bouncing back from adverse moments.
Focus helps you to win. Do whatever it takes to maintain a high level of focus and try out some of the above methods to generate a high level of focus before the first cards are dealt of your next poker session.
By Malcolm Clarke
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