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Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary hero, Sherlock Holmes, said that nothing is more important than small things. This statement is relevant in various fields of activity, and poker is no exception. Today we will talk about such near-poker details, from which a professional approach to poker is formed.
1. Control your emotions
In fact, the less emotion you experience during the game, the better. After all, it is much easier for an emotional person to get into Tilt and lose money due to impulsive decisions. The vast majority of professional players are much calmer than it may seem. If we recall the high-profile scandals at the poker table, it is safe to say that many poker media personalities specifically react violently to the action in the game, as they understand that they are participating in a kind of show, and try to make this content more attractive to viewers.
2. Be prepared for dispersion waves
Based on my coaching experience, I have to point out that most players don't realize how high the variance can be in tournament poker. A lot of rash actions and mistakes are born out of this misunderstanding. Let's talk about it a little bit more.
- Here is just one simple example of the basic probability in poker:
AA vs JJ = 82% / 18%
Pocket Aces is the best preflop hand in poker, and it has only 82% equity against underpairs (and 85% against a random hand). However... Now I propose to fantasize a little and bring this concept into everyday life. Suppose you were offered a free vacation, a cruise or just an interesting trip with just one caveat: there is a 20 percent chance that you will get into a catastrophe on the way. For example, the plane on which you will have to fly will crash. I'm sure no one would want to take such risks! In general, we tend to take a very low percentage of risk, especially if our lives depend on it. However, in poker... When you lose with two aces, the same 18% (or even less) are triggered, but almost everyone has an iron “understanding”:
It happens to me too often, it doesn't have to be that way!
Well, then quite well-known conclusions follow. The player sincerely begins to believe that the RNG is twisted in one or another room. Someone believes that the problem with too frequent (as it seems to him) "moves" is solved by changing the account. However, then such people inevitably face problems in withdrawing money, since the security service of the rooms does not sleep. In fact, just study the dispersion a little deeper. How do you do that? First, make it clear that poker doesn't owe you anything. If you understand this game well enough, you will be able to play plus and make a profit in the long run, however, it is still possible to play minus for a considerable time (from several months to a year or more). It is also necessary to understand that any recession ends sooner or later, but the less you play, the longer it may last.
3. Play in multiple rooms
Experienced players are well aware that multirooming is the most promising strategy in tournament poker.
Many underestimate this fact or ignore it altogether (this applies primarily to amateurs). When a player closes on one room, he quickly gets used to the tournaments of this room, the interface, etc. It is not easy to master a new room at the beginning, you have to make a lot of adjustments, from the interface to the solution in similar game situations, which have to be interpreted sometimes in completely different ways, adapting to the features of the field. But it's worth it! Playing simultaneously in several rooms, you will be able to make the most profitable tournament grid, including the most profitable tournaments of your limits. Playing in one room, you will often be forced to play far from the most attractive tournaments, but simply those that take place at a given time and fit your ISA.
4. Look for new ideas
A good poker player is constantly in search of new techniques and lines of play, just like a good chess player is looking for new ideas for himself in positions that are already familiar to him!
Since poker refers to areas of activity in which serious changes occur from time to time, over a fairly long period of time (about several years or more), these changes become global. Poker is changing, and this is one of the most compelling reasons I treat poker like a creative activity. Always look for something new that can give freshness to your game, make it more non-standard and less readable for opponents. We must also carefully collect information and notice in time how the field integrates techniques and lines into the game, which no one heard about just a couple of years ago. As an example, we can cite an interesting move with a donk of turn, which is gaining rapid popularity among reg players.
5. Lead an active lifestyle
Intense sessions, work on the game, discussion of hands with colleagues - all this time we have to spend at the monitor, so the possibility of active recreation and the presence of sports in the life of a poker player becomes doubly important. Many believe that the best option would be to visit the gym, but in fact there are many alternatives. If pumping iron is not for you, you can run, go to the pool (this is a particularly useful type of physical activity to strengthen and prevent diseases of the spine, which carries large static loads during sedentary work), engage in martial arts, and so on. The list goes on and on. In addition to maintaining the overall tone of the body and increasing endurance during sports, your psyche receives an excellent emotional discharge, and you will recover faster between sessions.
6. Consider your meals during the sessions
The tournament session takes an average of 8-9 hours, so snacks are necessary.
Here are some life hacks you should know:
- Avoid foods that are too fatty or high in calories. Such food is more likely to induce sleep than provide energy.
- At the beginning of the session, it will be a good decision to focus on foods containing complex carbohydrates, such as various cereals or spaghetti. Their use will maintain your high mental activity for several hours.
- Do not take energy drinks! Systematic intake of such drinks will cause big harm to your health, in particular your heart. If the session is prolonged and you need to cheer up, a cup of good freshly brewed coffee during the break will perfectly cope with this task.
7. Don't forget to give yourself a weekend
It is noteworthy that many poker players completely ignore weekends, playing many tournaments for several weeks in a row. If you strive to make poker a profession, then poker is your job. And in any work there should be a weekend, and on a regular basis! Having been playing poker professionally since 2019, I tried to arrange at least one day off after 2-3 days of game sessions. I disrupted this routine only during large series, when the game became especially profitable. Playing 4-5 days without rest at another time was completely unacceptable for me, since by the method of probe and errors I came to the conclusion that on the fourth day the quality of my game deteriorates, which in turn leads to a partial loss of profit.
8. Play on a schedule
This is a great recommendation! Ideally, your weekly schedule should include:
- Game session days
- Days to work on the game
- Weekend
Please note that it will be a mistake to work on the game on the weekend. For maximum recovery, you need to switch in time and take a break from the game for a while. This will have a positive effect on absolutely all aspects of your poker form.
9. If your goal is professional poker, hire a coach
Sounds trite, but! Many beginners try to master the game on their own, but only a few come to success this way. Yes, any training costs money, however, paying for classes with a good coach, you first of all invest in your development. Investing in yourself is the most profitable investment! In any case, during independent experiments, you are big likely to lose many times more money in tournaments than you spend on training. A competent mentor will help minimize losses at the start of your career, when the blows to both the bankroll and the beginner's psyche are much more destructive!
10. Find a companion
The poker community is interesting and multifaceted. If at a certain stage of your development you have a colleague on the shop floor, you will be able to regularly work on the game together, discuss various strategies and disassemble the hands. This is a very productive method of work. I hope this article has been helpful to you. I wish you a speedy conquest of the poker Olympus!
