Play poker the right way: 5 psychological tips

Regardless of the game you are playing –whether it’s at the Bellagio, or online at Full Tilt Poker; whether you are playing No Limit Holdem or Badugi-there are certain things that you can do to insure you have placed yourself in the right position to make money at the poker tables.

• 1. Know when to say when -poker is a lot like drinking in that some people are really good at knowing when they are passing from a good buzz to utter drunkenness, while other people just can’t say no to “one more drink”. The same holds true at a poker table; some poker players quickly realize when they have been playing too long, or simply aren’t in the right frame of mind to play. On the other hand, most poker players tend to play too long or when they should have packed it up hours before. Make sure you are paying attention to how well you are playing.

• 2. Show up in the right frame of mind - Way too many people who have chose to take poker seriously feel they “HAVE” to play poker, whether to stay on top of their game or because they need to make money. Butm what’s the point of playing if you’re likely going to being playing poorly? If you’re venting about something from your personal life, or have some other distraction going on in your life it’s better to just skip playing until you are in the right frame of mind.

• 3. Stay in the right frame of mind - What I mean by staying in the right frame of mind is that you avoid tilt, but also avoid playing under adverse conditions. This means you need to avoid drinking -or at least limit the amount of alcohol you are imbibing-in addition to making sure you’re not hungry, tired, rushed, or distracted. Any of these things will quickly put you off your game.

• 4. Stay positive - Regardless of what happens at the poker tables -and if you play long enough you’ll see just about every possible scenario unfold-you need to stay positive. The minute you become pessimistic as a poker player is the minute you have become a losing poker player. When you expect your opponent to outdraw you they often do! Not because they actually made a flush, but because you are easier to bluff because you are seeing monsters under the bed and in your closet. The same holds true when someone plays back at you when you have a strong, but non-nut hand. Often times the pessimistic player will see another monster under their bed and simply call, therefore missing out on a possible bet or two. Pessimistic thinking leads to passive play.

• 5. Be friendly -if your goal in poker is to win money than you have to look at poker like a business, and this means that just like a bar or a restaurant you need to be well versed in creating a good atmosphere. A restaurant with a good atmosphere means more customers and higher prices on the menu; a bar with a good atmosphere means more customers, a higher cover charge, and more drinks sold. The point is, if the atmosphere is right people don’t mind paying more and they are more likely to stay longer; well the same holds true at a poker table! If you are inviting and friendly, it really doesn’t matter to your “customers” that you are relieving them of their money.