As you may have noticed, poker requires not only technical preparation but also certain character traits and psychological readiness. It is very important to understand the importance of psychological preparation in poker. Use this as an opportunity to improve yourself and understand that this is the weakest point for most opponents.
9 Habits of a Winning Poker Player
Patience
- Waiting for a good, playable hand, waiting for a good situation to take advantage of.
- Waiting for a win. Remember, poker is a long-term game, so it may take time for wins to appear, especially for MTT players. However, some players start making mistakes when they don't win for a longer period, start “downgrading” their game, lose motivation, so you need to remain patient.
- Patience in moving up the limits, don't push yourself, just follow good and acceptable bankroll management.
Discipline
- Successful play is closely related to discipline and the subtleties of money management (bankroll management) and constant learning and improvement.
- Discipline is also very useful when you need to control your emotions during the game to keep a clear mind.
- Extremely successful results often distort the perception of reality, a player on such a wave may decide that they no longer need to improve or that there are no unbeatable players or levels left.
Cool-headedness
- You must learn to accept downswings, bad beats, and losses as a normal and inevitable part of poker.
- You must learn to get rid of anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction.
- You must be calm and able to return to a calm state as quickly as possible.
- You must not pity others, a common mistake in live games is feeling sorry for the girl or acquaintance playing against you, and deciding not to make a value bet with the best hand, and similar examples. This is especially relevant for men playing against women, often women subtly use this. What happens at the poker table should not affect friendships; if you want to express sympathy to a girl, invite her on a date, but don't go easy on her at the poker table.
Diligence, Thoroughness
- Nothing stands still; while you are on vacation, other players are improving, analyzing their game, reading new poker articles and poker books. You must be diligent if you want to move forward successfully.
- In poker, it's not enough to be better than half (due to the high rake of large poker rooms); all the biggest wins are at the very top, and to reach them, you simply have to work harder than others.
Objectivity
- You must be self-critical, do not tolerate your mistakes and weaknesses.
- Analyze yourself, don't be afraid and decisively correct your mistakes.
- You must be ambitious, understand that you must improve, and you must do it constantly.
- Don't overestimate yourself – you are not a PRO yet.
Courage
- Remember, poker is a battle between winners and losers. You must bluff, steal, and re-steal, you must learn to call without having the nuts. As the saying goes, “you must have balls.”
Attention Management
- Sometimes you have to make very complex decisions in a very limited time, so you must be focused on the game, even if you have folded your hand, you still need to be in the game, watching the table and opponents.
- If you feel that you can't stay focused, it means it's time to take a break.
Constant Desire to Improve
- In poker, everything is constantly changing; what was effective a year ago is no longer effective now.
- Your opponents in poker are getting stronger and stronger, learning more and more, so you must not fall behind.
- In poker, it's not enough to be average; you must strive to be the best.
Humility
- Most PROs have gained humility due to their significant downswings; they know that it is inevitable and that one should not succumb to fame, as one must be wary of the upcoming downswing.
