HomeLast we talked about how it was important not to fill your head with too many complications until you are ready to do so. By keeping your mind clear enough to focus on doing what you can do well you can still progress and improve as a poker player – you just need to understand that there is no hurry to get too advanced. This week, we look at how you can use the power of your mind to continue on the path to success.
Think for Yourself
There is a wealth of available information about improving as a poker player, the concepts you can learn and the strategies you can use. Some of this is very useful, and it can certainly do you no harm to try and learn more about poker strategy. Just remember what we said last week about not trying to run before you can walk. It is also important, though, to recognize that the idea that there is some kind of optimal poker strategy for every situation is somewhat flawed. If you try to rely on some kind of pre-planned approach to playing poker based on what some books you have read have to say then you will end being something of a one dimensional player.
Your mind is a powerful tool so you should make sure you use it as best you can. A lot of poker players play the game like robots – or at least try to – and make every decision in a uniform manner. You can gain an advantage over these players if you simply think for yourself. It is not that you should ignore everything that you learn from poker books, poker forums or strategy websites, but you should take that information on board and use it to make informed judgments about the situations you find yourself in at the poker table. If you can develop the skills that help you to make the right decisions based on all the information you have to hand at the time, then you will be well on your way to mastering the basics of poker psychology.
If you found this short article useful, then please check back next week for the next in the series.
