Psychological approach to poker...

Hey guys,

I know that a specific psychological approach is needed to be successful in poker. I was wondering if anyone has any input or articles they can share on the psychological approach to the game? And i dont mean how to beat opponents , i`m talking about what do you need to do for yourself to play your best game? How does one gain confidence in his decision making, how does one not play money scared and stuff like that. I`m a very conservative type of person and i have trouble playing when it comes to bigger money. I start to play scared money and dont make the same decisions and tighten up a lot more then if i was playing the game i usually play everyday on PS. Example i went to casino last week and i played so tight and dumb i did not expect myself to do so bad... And its not like the players outplayed me.. I just wasnt myself. But i question what if ill never be good enough to play poker on a higher level where all the money is being made? Problem is i`m also a bit of a shy person so in live games this also cripples my game.. Instead of focusing on the game my shyness kills my decision making.. Does everyone go through this stage?meaning you have to play in your buy in range for a while to be confident and successful? I know when i started to play with my friends home games first 10 games i did really bad after that i've been in the money(heads up) or winner EVERYTIME, (they are actually getting annoyed at me.. lol) It would be great to hear your opinion. Thanks!

This book did it for me:

http://stickspoker.blogspot.com/2008...an-taylor.html

Some folks have called parts of this book "repetitive", but I took those parts as just some reinforcement. All I know is that I went from being $1500 in the hole at the time I read this book to being a winning player 8 months later and I believe this book was THE #1 REASON for it.

Thanks a lot! i came across this book on Amazon but after reading mixed reviews especially the ones that say this book is repeatable i figured i`ll pass on it.. I`ll get it today , and i`ll let you know once i`m done how and if this book influenced me in some way.

The book is repeitive but it repeats stuff that is worth repeting IMO.
Great book and if your looking to work on the psychollogical part u cant go wrong with it imo.

MrSticker... I got the book yesterday and started reading it.. I`m up to page 70.. What i`m wondering is this.. Since the author keeps repeating how not to make decisions based on the emotions i wonder why do all the professional players like to call sometimes because of their instinct not because they are making a correct call based on +EV.. That's what i`m confused about.. The author insists on making +EV decisions , how does that work when you have a feeling that someone is bluffing you but let say you dont have enough odds to call.. I`m a bit confused .. maybe it will come when i read the whole book.. but maybe it wont..

Well, "instinct" is different than a good read. Good players must consider what they sense in their decisions just as much as the odds that they figure out. So if a player has the wrong odds to play their hand (a draw, an underpair, etc.) but they have spotted a tell or a pattern in their opponent that says they are bluffing, then that information actually improves their odds in the form of what is called "implied odds". A good player would be pretty dumb to ignore what they've learned from watching their opponents that could influence decisions.

When I read the word "instinct", I think of a "hunch" or "gut feeling" and I don't believe in those much in poker. Rather, I believe a good read is based on what a player sees & hears and could turn a -EV situation into a +EV one.

Thanks for explaining... so far i`m enjoying the book...

You should check out Caro's Book of Poker Tells, too, it's a good one.
Amazon.com: Caro's Book of Poker Tells: Mike Caro: Books