The Mental Aspect of The Game

[pirateglenn]

One of the main aspects of playing poker that i love to explore is the psychology of the game, what makes us perform well and what makes us tighten up and make poor decisions when put in difficult spots, at the bubble for example.

I believe that for many of us, if we take our natural game and apply the principles of what we learn here at Cardschat, our profit levels will improve on the real money tables, be that online or live.

So what are our biggest barriers?

The biggest barrier i believe is lack of patience and self discipline, often we try to force the play or enter into pots in real money games where we are chasing, a perfect example of this is when we hit part of a flop and its cheap to call, now in this instance - risk is minimal but as the pot progresses - at what point do you stop - often its the first call where the pot has been raised and we feel we have some equity in calling - its at this point where many players can get themselves into deep trouble and risk an early exit with a mid level pair when behind.

Checking - when you should be continuation betting or folding.

This can be a good tactic to elicit chips when on a mega aggressive table/with a manic but remember - with that comes risk, especially if the big stack has you covered - but the right play is to make them pay to play.

To Tilt or not to Tilt?

Our mental handling of our game can come to an abrupt halt if we do not use tools available to us after a bad beat - look at your pot control skills, take a break, make notes on those players, observe how often they enter pots and what bet sizes they make - there is a huge amount of information out there online to grab.
I endorse taking a break from poker if you struggle with that - coming back when you are fresh can make a huge difference.

Want to know more? I recommend the follow guide/book by Jared Tendler

https://jaredtendler.com/books/the-mental-game-of-poker/

 

[takinitSLEAZEE]

I agree, pglenn. Make them pay to play is most precise. That's how we're able to put them on the right hand and determine whether you're good, need to raise, how much, etc.
I believe the "patience" aspect really appears as wisdom due to experience. After playing a couple of million hands or so you actually will know when to just fold like it's second nature. Knowing you've gone through it all in your head and are able to fold instead of make the wrong raise/shove at the wrong time shows mental skill, especially near the bubble, as you described. The more hands we play the easier it gets. Am I right or am I right?

 

[pirateglenn]

Practice Practice and Performance

I agree, pglenn. Make them pay to play is most precise. That's how we're able to put them on the right hand and determine whether you're good, need to raise, how much, etc.
I believe the "patience" aspect really appears as wisdom due to experience. After playing a couple of million hands or so you actually will know when to just fold like it's second nature. Knowing you've gone through it all in your head and are able to fold instead of make the wrong raise/shove at the wrong time shows mental skill, especially near the bubble, as you described. The more hands we play the easier it gets. Am I right or am I right?

I totally agree - experience is crucial, hands in poker can replay themselves and situations will occur over and over, the good players learn from those and dont repeat the same mistakes.

 

[odonob]

You have to train your brain not to TILT. If not I find you carry over the anger until the next hand or game. This will ruin strategy. Easier said than done mind! Takes a while, especially if you are a newbie.

 

[alien666dj]

The mental aspect of the game will always be a stumbling block. It is very important to work on this.

 

[nuttea]

One of the main aspects of playing poker that i love to explore is the psychology of the game, what makes us perform well and what makes us tighten up and make poor decisions when put in difficult spots, at the bubble for example.

I believe that for many of us, if we take our natural game and apply the principles of what we learn here at Cardschat, our profit levels will improve on the real money tables, be that online or live.

So what are our biggest barriers?

The biggest barrier i believe is lack of patience and self discipline, often we try to force the play or enter into pots in real money games where we are chasing, a perfect example of this is when we hit part of a flop and its cheap to call, now in this instance - risk is minimal but as the pot progresses - at what point do you stop - often its the first call where the pot has been raised and we feel we have some equity in calling - its at this point where many players can get themselves into deep trouble and risk an early exit with a mid level pair when behind.

Checking - when you should be continuation betting or folding.

This can be a good tactic to elicit chips when on a mega aggressive table/with a manic but remember - with that comes risk, especially if the big stack has you covered - but the right play is to make them pay to play.

To Tilt or not to Tilt?

Our mental handling of our game can come to an abrupt halt if we do not use tools available to us after a bad beat - look at your pot control skills, take a break, make notes on those players, observe how often they enter pots and what bet sizes they make - there is a huge amount of information out there online to grab.
I endorse taking a break from poker if you struggle with that - coming back when you are fresh can make a huge difference.

Want to know more? I recommend the follow guide/book by Jared Tendler

https://jaredtendler.com/books/the-mental-game-of-poker/

Personally, I understand this as the process of using the rational part of your brain during stressful situations (such as bad beats), instead of emotional. As I said above, always be mindful of your odds and probabilities. There are many free equivalents for this. And if you use PT4, then it is already built into it. Just put the players' cards and the board into the program if you don't know how well or how bad you were in a particular situation. And the program will give you the exact equity of each player in the hand.If your opponent invested money in a bad situation against you (that is, with the worst equity), then in fact you won in this hand. This is because in the distance, this guy will still give you all his money. Be grateful to him for that.So a guy who played badly and shoved all his money into a pot with 27% equity will still take the pot sometimes. But from a logical point of view, you must understand that mathematics is on your side anyway, and in the end, you will be the winner at a distance.