Being a good poker player isn’t just about knowing when to bluff, how to read your opponents, mastering basic poker strategy, understanding pot odds, and knowing when to fold. It’s also about mental well-being and keeping a clear head.
This page will explore the various simple and effective techniques that top poker players use to keep their heads clear while playing their favourite card game to ensure they remain focused on the hand, composed, and emotionally stable.
Top tips for keeping your head clear when playing poker
Maintaining a positive mindset when playing poker and keeping your emotions in check is essential for anyone who is looking to up their game and become a true master. Here are a few simple tips that you might like to try when you next play.
Practical tips:
- When playing online poker, remember to take frequent session breaks. You don’t have to be involved in every hand, but you should also choose wisely when it’s the right time to take a break based on your position at the table
- To maintain focus and keep yourself motivated, try to find enjoyment in the task at hand and take advantage of the social aspect of this game by engaging with others
- Don’t blame other people for your mistakes. Instead, take responsibility and try to learn from your decisions and remember that outside/unforeseen factors that are out of your control can cost you hands, no matter how good your decisions were
- Even when you have folded a hand, you don’t have to sit idle. Use this time to observe what’s happening in the hand and learn from others
Managing your ego and emotions:
- Pros always say that checking your anxiety levels during poker is good practice and keeping your emotions and ego in check. For example, try to avoid letting anger or frustration cloud your judgment because it leads to riskier play, and you could end up making costly and avoidable errors, especially in tense situations
- Accept that bad beats are just part of the game, and no matter what you do, you might not always win, so don’t let bad beats or bad luck knock your confidence or concentration, which could put you off your game
- Avoid chasing any huge losses that you may incur by over-betting on medium-value hands in the hopes of quickly recovering those losses, because it may result in losing even more money
Mental focus and composure:
- To prevent tilting (losing control because frustration has got the better of you), try to focus on your emotional state and become more self-aware. Finding out what triggers you to tilt or lose focus can help you quickly snap out of that mindset in the future
- Simple breathing exercises can help you think more rationally and with a clearer mind. Some suggest using the 4-7-8 breathing technique to reduce stress and bring your heart rate down to calm your mind and body
- Another thing that can promote a healthier mindset is to try various progressive muscle relaxation techniques, which can alleviate physical tension by tensing and releasing various muscle groups
- To ensure you remain grounded and focused on the current hand, try to centre yourself and engage in mindfulness methods
Decision-making and gameplay strategies:
- An important trait that all top poker players exhibit is knowing when to fold hands. Getting good at strategic folding can help you maintain a clear head, reduce the number of hands you lose, and help you hold onto your bankroll for longer periods
- Try not to make decisions based on your emotions. Instead, remain focused on using proven poker gameplay and betting strategies with each hand that you play instead of making impulsive decisions that weren’t part of your initial strategy
- If you can get good at calculating pot odds, which means assessing the likelihood of actually winning the hand based on the cards that are in play and the size of the pot, it can help you make better decisions
- To avoid burning through your chips too early on, don’t overplay the hands. In other words, when playing games like No Limit Texas Hold’em, carefully select which hands to play, and only play those that you think might have a chance of winning. As mentioned above, remember that you don’t have to be involved in every single hand
- When playing poker with others, either online via a mobile app or in person at a land-based venue, consciously make an effort to ‘read’ (analyse) your opponents. In other words, see if they have any consistent betting patterns or keep making similar calls in certain situations, or if they display any ‘tells’ (subtle clues) that can give you a much better insight into the strength of their hand
Finally, if you need to bluff, do so intelligently, and don’t bluff all the time because other players will quickly figure you out and will literally call your bluff every time. Be aggressive in your gameplay and betting decisions, defend your blinds, always play within your means, and understand early on how important your table position is.
Final thoughts
Remaining focused at the poker table and not letting your emotions rule you is much easier said than done.
However, now that you are aware of some of the proven tricks that you can try to keep your emotions in check, it should help you become a much better poker player, and you should start to find that you lose fewer hands and start winning more of the hands that you do get involved in.
These tips won’t guarantee that you will win more, but practising them will make you a more confident and emotionally stable poker player that others will find hard to get a read on.
