A professional poker game consists of many skills, most of which are not directly related to the level of play at the table. Managing money, psychology, inner life are just as important as understanding the principles of GTO/exploitative play, correct and sustained floor play and so on. Of these skills, mental game is one of the most commonly discussed but still not fully understood aspects of the game.
The mental game in poker has been written about and discussed many times. "Mental Game of Poker" by J. Tendler has become a classic, and there are many poker psychology coaches and other useful resources. Unfortunately, what is less often discussed is what constitutes a mental game without psychological preparation, tricks or meditation exercises. In fact, pure psychology is only a late part of good mental game preparation.
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The mental game of poker consists of many more elements than simple mental preparation, the "run" at the time or the skills available. The mental game can be influenced by the financial situation, personal life, extracurricular (or primary) activities and the purpose of poker.
Poker objectives
The objective of poker is perhaps the simplest aspect of a mental game, although it is not always clear. Some players tend to set huge, often unattainable goals (e.g. going from NL10 to NL500 in a year or so). Such jumps in limits in a short period of time are possible for people who are known as "poker prodigy", and while we all wish we were, there are only a few of them in the world. It is true that a poker goal does not have to be so high that it negatively affects the mental game if it is not achieved. Sometimes the drive to quickly move up to the next limit can be held back by uncontrollable factors such as a month (or a few days) off, the desire to apply high level knowledge to lower limits, or the myriad of different challenges of daily life.
The goal of poker should always be not only conservative but also personal. A player who is stable or has a wide circle of colleagues will often hear newcomers suddenly rise to high limits. The reasons for this can be varied, but often the player's thinking can veer into self-doubt ("if he can go up so fast, what's wrong with me?"). As Poker School Coach RoundMidnight says, every poker professional's path will be different, so the challenges and difficulties will appear at different times. The jump from NL25 to NL100 may be quick, but the same player may be stuck in NL100 for years.
Physical and mental game bankroll
Anyone who has any serious interest in a career as a professional in the game knows that you have to distinguish between money spent on the game and money spent on living expenses. Unfortunately, many players look at the money spent on the game purely from a financial point of view ("how many buy-ins will I need to have to have a near-zero chance of losing?"), but good money management also requires a psychological aspect.
Players who have been playing for longer know the feeling of having a small amount of buy-ins left in their poker bankroll and all sorts of thoughts start to come to mind. Doubts about whether to beat the limits, whether to fold, whether to start looking for a job, etc. Such thinking arises, to quote Phil Galfondfrom the subconscious thought that "I may never be able to make money from poker again". Such thoughts are quite natural, but will soon have a profound effect on the game without the player noticing. For these reasons, the poker bankroll must be managed according to psychological principles.
Often players think they can maintain their A-level game by downswinging. Unfortunately, few top-level players have such a strong mental game. It is much more realistic to expect that the level of play will not drop significantly during a downswing. It is optimal to manage the bankroll by leaving a "buffer zone" where the number of buy-ins for the limits is sufficient, but a self-assessment is carried out before playing further. Once this zone is reached, many changes can be made that will make the game easier in other respects (e.g. choosing a different playing time or selecting only high quality tables, reducing the volume for a short time, etc.). This strategy has several advantages. First of all, all the facilitations will theoretically reduce the variance of the game, so that the losses will at least theoretically be reduced. Secondly, the slower loss of money will make it harder to tilt and allow the situation to be assessed more objectively. Finally, after a long period of negative variation, any reversal may bring hope again.
A bankroll for living expenses should also not be just an abstract amount that "can survive for X months". A common mistake when planning for several months is to exclude unexpected expenses and the possibility that, for one reason or another, it may be necessary to reduce the volume of poker play. Bankrolls should also be planned for situations where everyday life problems (illnesses of yourself or loved ones, problems with your spouse, etc.) may adversely affect the game. Ideally, the lifetime bankroll should be able to cover the reduced volume of play until these problems are resolved.
Secondary activities
Poker will always be a core activity for someone who sees it as a career. Playing the game professionally requires a significant investment of time and energy, often leaving little time for other aspects of life. One of the most common mistakes in the poker world, and one that is particularly common for newer regs, is to concentrate entirely on poker. This is thought to be the way to achieve the optimum and best game.
Such motivation and development is very good at the very beginning of a professional game or when you have a good run. Problems become more pronounced after downswings and without secondary activities. The game of poker becomes the centre of the world, which does not hold up well. Apocalyptic thoughts start to creep into the mind in such cases, which easily spill over into everyday life.
Secondary activities, especially productive ones, allow you to avoid feeling like a total loser and to work off negative emotions when you step away from the poker tables. These activities do not have to be just for recovery from poker. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to get rid of negative emotions from the stress of the game. The ability to properly deal with negative emotions and feelings caused by poker will lead to perseverance, improvement and longevity in this area.
There are plenty of activities to help you recover from poker, and it's easy to choose. Active sports, coding, art are just some of the options. Of course, it is always best to choose an activity that is engaging (martial arts or any contact game would be a good option for sports) and financially sound.
All of these tips are intended for poker players of all levels. Playing at low, medium limits or with a staked mental game base will be less of a challenge, as mental game leaks can be offset by the potential edge of the game. As limits rise and the theoretical EV or BB/100 will inevitably fall when playing against better players, the psychological management of the bankroll, the objectives of the game and the secondary activities will become increasingly important. The biggest edge difference between good players will be in the mental game and in the readiness of this aspect of the poker game.
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