All too often poker players think of poker psychology as the study of one's opposition. More precisely, most assume it involves watching other players for physical tells or predictable betting patterns. In reality, perhaps the most imperative pieces of poker psychology involve controlling your own thoughts and emotions in a way that allows you to continually improve and to play at your very best.
It is easy to play well when the cards are treating you right. Winning is the ultimate psychological booster, providing a surge of energy that will attract the hot player back to the table like a magnet. Nevertheless, all poker veterans have had to survive the bitter trials that are part and parcel of poker. We can all retell times when our pocket aces were cracked by 7-2 off suit in a critical moment. We can all talk about times when the cards ran so cold for so long that our bankrolls shrunk and our confidence wilted. It is in these dark days that our wills and energy are worn thin, and we are apt to play desperate poker.
When we hit upon a bad run of cards and a bunch of bad beats, we start to question ourselves and our ability. We no longer trust that our usual play is sufficient, so we start pressing to find a way to manufacture success. Out of our element, we make ill-advised decisions in order to win a few pots to get that fleeting rush of positivism to return. The chips and the money that have been lost are not really the motivating factor. Instead, the mind pushes us to alter our play simply to replace the feeling of despair and hopelessness with that quick adrenalin push that comes with winning.
Even the most savvy poker players cannot help but get a bit disgruntled when their luck turns bad. We are not robots, so even those who've played over two hundred thousand hands of poker still have some of their emotions tied into this game and its outcome. We feel emotionally worn down or overwhelmed when the game beats us down for an extended period of time.
It is imperative that you not play emotionally as you fight to work through a patch of poker's dark days. Your emotions may push you to overbet a bluff into a small pot simply to get the psychological feedback associated with winning even a small amount.
Desperate for the win, you might feel compelled to call too often so you can feel like a hero by catching a bluff. Your frayed emotions may push you to limp into pots with a wide variety of hands, hoping to catch a miracle flop to sway your luck into a better direction.
Allowing emotional needs to dictate your play is sure to damn your efforts to dig yourself out of the hole. In a dangerous spiral, your desperate efforts to quickly win your way out of the dark times will likely only set you up for more failures. Stay the course, play your game, and believe that the cards and luck will swing back your way. They will.
John Carlisle is a National Certified Counselor with a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from West Virginia University. Contact John at pokercounselor@yahoo.com
