Top poker players don’t just rely on pure luck to win. Each has developed unique lifestyle habits that help them to achieve the most out of any game. If you want to step up your game, you want to need to do the same. Learn 5 lifestyle rules to alleviate your skills and keep you sharp and in control at the table.
- Stay Focused
Mental control and the ability to focus during extensive sessions are amongst the most valued skills a poker player can have. Poker isn’t just about playing cards: it’s also about keenly observing one’s opponent, reading the table, and responding in the nick of time. Just imagine: some poker tournaments extend beyond 12 hours of gameplay! Only those who can focus have the edge.
There are a few ways to train concentration. Several players, including Daniel Negreanu and Fedor Holz, have spoken about mindfulness and meditation in their routines. These mental exercises keep them composed, not stressed by details, focused, and ready. Negreanu, for instance, turns to deep breathing as one of the ways to reset his focus when he is feeling brain-dead after a long session.
- Manage Money Smartly
Success in poker isn’t just about winning hands. It’s also about how well you manage your money. The excellent players are very disciplined regarding their bankroll, as even a great player can go broke after only a few bad games if they don’t manage his bankroll correctly.
Better players have strict rules over how much they will risk during one session of betting, usually a small percentage of their bankroll. For example, a player may determine that they will never risk more than 5% of their bankroll during any one game. This would ensure that should there be a losing streak, they would never go broke and couldn’t bet anymore.
One amateur mistake that many people make is attempting to recover losses. Simply put, this involves trying to win back lost money by placing more and more bets. This is all but an invitation to disaster. Budgeting guards the bankroll of a professional player and ensures that they will never be short of entering more games. They’re playing the long game, not just looking for quick wins.
If you’re having a hard time managing your budget while playing real money games, try this exercise:
Set a budget for the session and take breaks between rounds switching to demo-mode games such as slots. For example, you can play danger high voltage slot game between poker rounds to keep yourself relaxed.
- Keep Learning and Improving
One of the most changing minute-by-minute games is poker, and superior players know that in order for them to be ahead in poker, learning should be constant. Whether it is reviewing their own hands, studying new strategies, or learning from other players, the best poker pros never stop improving.
Players like Doug Polk and Jonathan Little put their time into reviewing hand histories or watching videos of the high level of gameplay. They invest time in studying with coaches or discussing strategies with pro players. That is to say, most of them are trying to get polished and updated on all the newer trends happening concerning poker strategy. Want to improve seriously? Spend time studying each week. Even reviewing one of your own sessions can help identify mistakes or areas in which you could do better. Top players treat every hand as an opportunity to learn and continually adjust their game.
A great way to practice is to do it online. You can record live sessions and analyze them later on. Some casinos even allow you to watch live sessions played by other gamblers. Mind finding a quality casino platform that has all the necessary features to facilitate your practice. My ultimate choice is Casino Just – it has several poker variations, demo modes, gaming portfolio updates, and a valid license.
- Control Your Emotions
Poker is an emotional rollercoaster: one lousy hand can spiral your mood, leading to frustration and poor decision-making. In poker terminology, this is called “tilt.” Tilt has even sent the best of players into irrational decisions, such as chasing bad bets or overplaying your hand. Top poker players train themselves to keep their emotions in check. A lost hand isn’t the end of the world, a hand is just part of one big game. Other players, such as Phil Ivey, are emotionless in that respect and never really let a bad beat get in the way of how they’re playing.
Common ways of diffusing are journaling or reviewing hands played. Many players reflect on how they reacted during the game-not only by their strategic decisions but by their emotional ones, too. By being in a position to reflect on their emotional reactions, they can more easily control how they react in different situations during their games. This self-awareness helps them stay calm and focused to make decisions based on what just happened.
- Take Care of Your Health
It may seem obvious, but it has everything to do with physical health. While the game of poker is not physically demanding per se, all that mental stamina to stay focused and to make decisions in rapid succession does necessitate your body being in top shape. Add in the importance of sleep. A tired brain makes more mistakes, and poker is all about minimizing mistakes. Healthy players feel good and tend to play better in both the short and long run.
Many top professionals, including Jason Koon and Bryn Kenney, have regular workouts and a healthy diet. Exercise can be extremely beneficial in enhancing mental clarity, energy, and tranquility while lowering levels of stress. Bryn Kenney is one of the huge believers in the correlation between physical health and mental performance. He follows a strict diet and workout regime that allows him always to be in the best shape for those long games.
***
By following these guidelines, your improvement will not only be restricted to a better poker game but also to a better attitude towards challenges in general. With focus and discipline in learning, you will be closer to reaching your poker objectives and building yourself up as a better player.
