Stress and Poker

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Madness_does

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Well I think its safe to say that I can confirm that stress and poker go hand in hand and not in a good way, case in point, I am handling a probate case right now, and the stress that it has caused me is without a doubt really have screwed up my poker game, even in free rolls I am not placing, what I am going to focus on now is what calls I am making that is making me lose every single game I play, if anyone has ever played under duress and stress, would be interested in hearing how you clear you mind to compete better in poker, or should I just take a break until the pain is gone. thanks for your input. Madness Does.
 
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DisRuptive1

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If you're mind isn't completely focused on the game, you'll play at a diminished capacity. And that's a best case scenario. You'll probably end up blowing a lot of money if you're stressed out. Making no money at all is more profitable than losing money. I'd recommend you get away from poker until you're mentally prepared to play again.
 
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hawtshawt420

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True, and I know some people will disagree with this. But sometimes I'll play a funstep or freeroll etc something free as a stress relief. It gets my mind off the drama of the day and lets me unwind but the stress I'm trying to escape/fix/contain whatever will make me play worse than expected. That's why the free stuff. GL with your case and stress relief.
 
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hawtshawt420

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If you're mind isn't completely focused on the game, you'll play at a diminished capacity. And that's a best case scenario. You'll probably end up blowing a lot of money if you're stressed out. Making no money at all is more profitable than losing money. I'd recommend you get away from poker until you're mentally prepared to play again.

this is the type of comment I expected. I agree with it but at the same time its clear who plays this game for fun, who looks at it as a job, and who's in the middle. This is why I said play the freerolls (unless you playing worse even there would create more stress).
 
TrueOC

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Trust me when I say Ive had more stress due to poker than almost anyone, It happens to everyone...Its part of the game, It why I think so many people love it...Its the rush to win and the pain of losing. When our stressed/Tilted, Ive advised to just take a breather no matter what shut down the computer and leave the room go eat or take a shower and kill time and guarentee within 30-40 mins you will feel alot better :)
 
TrueOC

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Hope that helps, good luck! Even if your down and want to kep playing so you can recooperate the loses from your session, still shut downa nd sit back at the table in like 30 mins, otherwise you will keep losing it will only get worse if you play stressed out! good luck and be happy!
 
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Madness_does

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Excellent advice, thanks for the heads up.
 
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Ranny

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Work kills my poker to an extent.

Good day at work, I play well, bad day i'm best chilling in front of TV.

Couple of years ago decided to only play when i was in correct mood and it has worked.
 
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BlueNowhere

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I don't agree stress IRL diminishes poker ability. I find poker is a step away from life. If I have loads of exams and revision to do poker helps me switch off from thinking about it and chill out, until I runbad that is.
 
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doomasiggy

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Well I think its safe to say that I can confirm that stress and poker go hand in hand and not in a good way, case in point, I am handling a probate case right now, and the stress that it has caused me is without a doubt really have screwed up my poker game, even in free rolls I am not placing, what I am going to focus on now is what calls I am making that is making me lose every single game I play, if anyone has ever played under duress and stress, would be interested in hearing how you clear you mind to compete better in poker, or should I just take a break until the pain is gone. thanks for your input. Madness Does.

I think poker is a stressful game in general. There's only so many times you can get your JJ cracked by A5 before you start feeling angry. My advice: don't play if you're on life tilt as well, because the compounding of stress will make you so angry that you'll do something really angrily and regret it.

(totally had a point before the end of that sentence btw).
 
witchywitchy

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I play poker to unwind from the day.... I suppose since I don't play poker for a living the game stress is different. More relaxing than taxing :)
 
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pokerweed

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I stress over all poker

Well not exactly sure what it's doing to my health andI am not quitting but I stress over any game where I can possibly win some funds,maybe that's cause I'm a poor old mofo and if i keep it up I will probably be a dead one to.Can't be helped maybe I need a beer that's a good possibility can't hurt,maybe I need a rich lady to take care of me and shelter me with love and lots and :girl: :canabis: =happiness lots of money.Please any rich women do it for a great cause,<<<my heart and thanks in advance.
 
jaymfc

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Well I think its safe to say that I can confirm that stress and poker go hand in hand and not in a good way, case in point, I am handling a probate case right now, and the stress that it has caused me is without a doubt really have screwed up my poker game, even in free rolls I am not placing, what I am going to focus on now is what calls I am making that is making me lose every single game I play, if anyone has ever played under duress and stress, would be interested in hearing how you clear you mind to compete better in poker, or should I just take a break until the pain is gone. thanks for your input. Madness Does.

Couple of years ago decided to only play when i was in correct mood and it has worked.

I've read that you shouldn't play stressed , bad mood , distracted , sick etc . and do believe it can change your decisions , but basically I am like blue and witchy and let the poker stress cancel out TRL stress while playing :)

I don't agree stress IRL diminishes poker ability. I find poker is a step away from life. If I have loads of exams and revision to do poker helps me switch off from thinking about it and chill out, until I runbad that is.

I play poker to unwind from the day.... I suppose since I don't play poker for a living the game stress is different. More relaxing than taxing :)

as part of our effort to play better poker we learn to handle poker stress better then RL stress too :)

Well not exactly sure what it's doing to my health andI am not quitting but I stress over any game where I can possibly win some funds,maybe that's cause I'm a poor old mofo and if i keep it up I will probably be a dead one to.Can't be helped maybe I need a beer that's a good possibility can't hurt,maybe I need a rich lady to take care of me and shelter me with love and lots and :girl: :canabis: =happiness lots of money.Please any rich women do it for a great cause,<<<my heart and thanks in advance.

if the head change is not relieving your stress then you need to save that money and you will be rich :) but we all need a good lady so good luck
 
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I totally agree with you. When I'm stressed, I try to only play freerolls because I can make stupid plays without many consequences. But, I try to not play nothing at all, just watch some TV or read some book.
 
Arjonius

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It's a personal thing and also situational, so the relationship between poker and stress differs from person to person, and probably for many people, also differs for the same person under different circumstances.

As a generalization, most people have a pretty low threshold for stress, meaning that it doesn't take much to start to affect them negatively. But some people actually perform better under certain types / levels of stress, such as those athletes who consistently perform better in important games than they do in less important ones.
 
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it just go togeather, poker and stress...Sometime i got stresed in free rolls, double ups etc...But I can only imagine the stress level when it comes to very, very large numbers.
 
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Well I can say this, I did win the probate case thank god, so my stress level is a bit down now, but LOL my game still sucks, but like the other poster said, he plays a game to relieve stress, that is what used to work for me, but this probate case was cause my mom passed away and 4 non family con artists were trying to rip off her estate, thank god I had a excellent attorney, if there is anything I learned from poker, is call, bluff, fold or hell with it go all in, I put these A--holes all in for a trial and they backed down, but I did learn something that the stress it caused was so great that even on my best day I could not win a game, I think they say time heals wounds, so I am healing and hopefully my poker game will come back as I heal, hopefully I can come back more stronger and powerful in my poker game than before all this S--t hit the fan, hope to see you all on the tables soon, cheers from madness.
 
jaxpaboo

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Great post.

Got stress? Just had a big fight with the wife? Feeling sick? Tired or drunk? Stay away from the tables until you are fresh, alert, focused, and sober.
 
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The stress can create a very bad game in the poker, I ah happened several times, and it is consented to clear my head totally to be able to play the poker, since when I am thus I lose very often that when game calm and without stres
 
Alex Sentsov

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Poker is a great game. Enjoy it. But don't forget that in addition to poker there are a lot of other things.
 
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I was stretched at my first tournaments.Now I have no stress at all after getting some experience at the game.But if you are not a rookie well this could be a problem.i think a good idea is to have a break and solve all the problems you Amy have with yourself!
 
skavenger

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No doubt these two words, stress and poker, can not be together at the same time, while playing poker ... at the highest limits, that's what makes the complete difference between sharks and fish.
 
Zokac71

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We can say that I am upset when we're playing poker, or in the subconscious stress is always present ... and it very much ... As much as we are relaxed, stress is here
 
media

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There are many ways to relieve stress. What better each decide himself.
I read a book that helped me a lot. This book is called The Mental of poker.

My 2 favorite poker books:

Sit'n Go Strategy (Collin Moshman)
The Mental of poker ( Jared Tendler )
 
Syltan

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Stress in Lubos isn't going to help, so it's best to wait and calm down.
 
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