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Stress Management: An Invaluable Skill for the Hopeful Poker Professional
With the explosion of online casinos, more players than ever before are trying to go pro. Thanks to twenty-four-hour access to games, no matter where players live, they can play every day, whether they have day jobs or not. But poker enthusiasts and hopeful professionals shouldn’t be fooled by this cyber-land of opportunity. Yes, the opportunity to gain practice and experience playing poker is greater than ever before, but so is the competition.
To actually reach your goal of a career in poker, your dedication must surpass that of millions of other players who play online poker around the clock. The most successful poker players get better after every hand, because each hand is studied like a scientist’s data.
To be an exceptional player capable of living off your game, you obviously must be proficient in techniques such as bluffing, slow play, calculating probabilities, and varying your playing style, but stress management is one technique that players often overlook. If you are serious about becoming a poker pro, you must concentrate on your health just as much as you concentrate on the game. This profession’s sedentary nature, coupled with the increased heart rate that most players experience on a regular basis, has been correlated with heart disease.
However, if you exercise, eat healthy foods, and practice stress-management techniques, you will significantly lower your risk of heart disease. Effective stress management is mandatory for the professional poker player, especially for the player who prefers an online casino to a bricks and mortar casino. In an online casino, it’s easier to let yourself get worked up because your opponents can’t see your reactions. And as many of us have learned from personal experience, the distraction of a bad temper after a lost hand can cost a player the next hand. If you find yourself feeling anxious or irritable during a game, practice some of these stress-reduction techniques recommended by the University of Buffalos counseling services:
1. Realize your personal reactions to stress. For example, if you smoke cigarettes occasionally but find yourself chain-smoking during a heated game, it might be time to practice a deep-breathing exercise, take a break, or eat a healthy snack.
2. When feeling threatened, repeat positive self-affirmations mentally or aloud. These may include statements like “I can do this,” “I am intelligent,” and/or “I am a terrific poker player.”
3. Know your limits. It’s impossible to win every time or to play for hours and hours with no rest or nourishment. If you lose big while playing, take at least a moment to relax and reflect on how and why you lost, and plan how to avoid carelessness in the future.
4. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly.
5. Never underestimate the power of breathing techniques. It’s physically impossible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time, so if you breathe in and out slowly (in for ten seconds, out for ten seconds) for several minutes, your body will relax and your stress-level will decrease.
By improving your physical and mental wellness, you are sure to improve your poker game. These techniques combined with diligent study of poker reference books, online resources, and tons of practice will send you on your way to becoming a poker professional. If you would like more information on stress and stress management, please refer to this page of online resources recommended by Oklahoma State University.
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