Is Today Going to be a Good Day of Poker?

If you’re like me, there are definitely days when you play better than others, and unfortunately there is usually no way of knowing if you’re going to end up playing in the zone, or if you’re going to be playing a subpar poker game. So what types of steps can you take to put you in the best mindset to play poker?

1)      Make sure your personal life is in order

When you’re playing poker your mind has to be on poker. If you’re sitting there thinking about marital problems, job issues, or making bill payments your poker game will suffer. Daniel Negreanu once said something along the lines of, “when I’m happy in my personal life I play my best poker.” The opposite is also true, when your personal life is in shambles you’ll tilt quicker; be more distracted; and simply be off your game.

Obviously, your personal life will often have some bumps in the road, so the above is more in regards to when you have a serious issue going on, and frankly you should just skip your poker session until you get your ducks in a row.

2)      Make sure you’ve eaten, slept, and are sober

One surefire way to ensure you have a really bad session is to show up drunk, tired, or hungry. Believe me, you’ll never hear a serious poker player say, “man do I play well when I can barely keep my eyes open.” Or, “I have my best sessions when I’m starving.” Although some players swear they play better drunk or high, but their opponent’s would probably be a better source on this fact.

3)      Start out in a lower stakes game

Instead of jumping directly into your normal game a better option would be to begin your session in a lower stakes game. By doing this you can see how you’re playing today; you won’t be forced into a high-pressure atmosphere right off the bat; and sometimes if the game is good enough you won’t even bother with moving up to your normal stakes.

This option is even better utilized in Online Poker, where you can quickly jump up to a higher stakes game anytime you want. The game will always be going, so unless there is an especially fishy player, don’t think you have to jump into the first available seat.

Making sure you are abiding by these three rules won’t insure that you’re going to have a winning session, but not following these steps is a good way to make certain that you have a really bad session! Winning poker isn’t just about strategies and psychology; often times its your frame of mind that can be the deciding factor on whether you win or lose.