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YOUR #1 GAME KILLER IS
Based on your answers, your #1 problem right now
is Performance.
Thanks for taking the time to take the What’s Your #1 Game Killer Quiz. Your Quiz Results report should be hitting your email inbox in about 30 minutes from now.
In the meantime, let’s talk about your results!
Many players make mistakes because they’re acting before thinking clearly. Your A-game, your best game, requires thinking, and flow. You need to work at bringing structure to your thoughts. It’s a skill you can learn, a skill you can train.
Everything you do at the poker table has an effect in other areas of your life, as well as your overall quality of life. In turn, your satisfaction with life influences how you perform at the poker tables. Many poker players, even professionals, struggle with their performance. So there’s a lot of room for improvement and a lot of potential to create a significant edge over your competition.
The problem with the Performance Killer
Performance is the key to putting your poker knowledge into work effectively on a consistent basis. If you’re unfocused or lack clarity, it’s incredibly difficult to be productive in poker.
The execution of your strategy is determined by the quality of your thought process, which is regulated by the amount of emotional baggage you bring to the table. Your self-limiting beliefs and lack of emotional control can make winning at poker extremely difficult. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do. If you are feeling insecure, your game will be impacted by that. How is that going to affect your chances of playing your A-game?
"Your lack of emotional control can make winning at poker extremely difficult"
And it’s not only about focusing solely on improving your A-game. Your C-game performance can be so bad it will destroy all the progress you make on the front end. Your C-Game can be set off by decisions you make on and off the table, like having the wrong habits or routines, like not getting the proper hours of sleep or not dieting adequately. Losing focus equals losing money.
Lastly, if you’re not aware of your purpose in poker or your goals aren’t aligned with your personal values, it’ll be easy to spiral off course. You could very quickly start feeling miserably about your poker career by having the wrong mindset, feeling stressed when you play or think about the game or perceiving your opponents as real-life enemies.
Here's what you can do about it
Play when you are well prepared, when you know that your focus is at its finest and you’re ready to crush the games. Give yourself the highest edge possible, to get the best shot at winning.
Certain very basic things are a must to keep you performing optimally:
- Going to the bathroom before your session.
- Having enough drinks and snacks.
- Having a timer for breaks.
- Having a clean, disruption-free workplace.
Make sure you’re getting the right quantity and quality of sleep and a proper nutrition. Sometimes working on your sleep or changing an eating habit will have more worth than adding another table in your best moment playing poker.
Find time in your day where you are structuring your thoughts. Writing it down can help a lot. Additionally, you can go back and read your notes after some time and see how you have changed. You can just get into the dialog with yourself by grabbing a pen and paper and asking yourself questions like the following:
- How do I feel right now? Why?
- Is there something in my life I would like to change?
- Is there something that I am positive about?
Your ability to train your mind to focus on one specific task until its completion is also crucial. Focus on one thing at a time and work through your emotions, not around them. It’s important to remember that the process should be the most enjoyable thing, not the end result. With this mindset, even if a negative emotion arises, you’ll be able to overcome it. You will be changing something within you and continue moving forward.
So, welcome the challenges and do the things in your power that you can control so you’re ready for their arrival by being mentally strong and accepting it. By saying that whatever happens, you’re going to work on yourself and you’re going to grow through the experience. Think about what you want out of life, how to get there and what you’re doing or not doing that helps or hurts you. Find excitement in what you do and always seek new challenges.