Mental Concentration
One of the popular things about Texas Hold'em is that it takes minimal time to teach the game, which makes it great for casual players. They are able to come in and play a few hands before more experienced players run them out. For some, Texas Hold'em is much like the slots with friends. They will forever believe that poker is based off luck. God bless 'em.
Whether you're playing on line or offline, the first step to taking your game seriously is getting mentally prepared. Does that mean you should cram your head with statistics, hand odds and scenarios?
Quite contrary in fact.
Keepin constantly your head clear is the way to go, like prepping for a pop quiz instead of the final. Overloading the mind with facts, figures and reminders only distracts you from your game. Try to stay relaxed and calm as you pick your seat at the dining table and try to be aware of only the players and the table.
How about the other distractions? Science suggests that being well rested after a light meal is the best time a human body can concentrate. While it's obvious that being tired or starving doesn't help your concentration, a heavy meal is no help either. Dense dinners cause your blood flow to center around the stomach and away from your extremities, together with your head.
The next trick is to keep up your concentration throughout a tournament or a long nights gaple online poker. When you get yourself a chance, take a break; walk around to clear your mind especially if you've had a bad beat early in the game.
A whole lot of poker experts will tell you that a string of bad luck is mentally devastating, completely distracting them from solid play. So by refusing to let a bad beat haunt the rest of your play, you're already prior to the game in comparison to many of your fellow players.
Realistically, you have to be prepared for that bad beat that will strike anytime. If you truly accept that it will eventually happen, you'll lessen the psychological impact whenever a bad beat rolls you over. You are able to take a page from the Far East strategist, Miyamoto Musashi, in terms of overcoming adversity. He said, "... just how of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death. " Here in the West, Shakespeare said it most readily useful, "Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once. "
