Emotional Control - The Missing Link to Win Poker

They are numerous eBooks, training sites, forums, and articles that address the basic skills that you must attain to play a certain poker hand with the highest chances to win. However, very few people understand the most important aspect of this enjoyable game: emotional control. Although many of you will say that winning this game is based on luck, to the contrary, the prerequisites of getting your victory are your know-how of the game, skills and more so your ability to control yourself emotionally.

Why Emotions are So Important

It is therefore crucial to be careful on how you express yourself verbally and how you move sitting at the table. Keep your emotions of either excitement or disappointment concealed from your opponent. You can have all the tips on your fingertips and better still have the best playing cards right with you but if you cannot control your emotions, losing is inevitable.

Keeping your feelings closed is the key to get success in the game. It is also about being focused. Play each game that you have never played again with all optimism and enthusiasm of a first timer. Give it your whole attention and always remember that your opponents will always be waiting for you to tilt. Just as in law where the parties optimize on each other’s loopholes, the opponent in poker is always on the lookout for you to lose your emotional control.

No one will teach you how to take charge of your emotions. It is amazing to know that even the greatest players of the world lose their emotions. Have you encountered someone you know do something outrageous on account of being provoked? Emotions are created after an occurrence of a trigger event. This can be anything either terrible or an exciting encounter. Depending on how you interpret the trigger event, it automatically affects how you feel.

How to Apply Emotional Control to Your Game?

Emotional control in the game of poker is a necessity. If you have to win you must take control of all your positive as well as negative feelings. The feelings may be from the last hands you played or even for your present game. Of course, your opponent must be properly nailing you down after a series of victories. You might think of quitting, after all, you do not have chance but why don’t you take guard of your disappointment.

Being capable of controlling your emotions will also encourage you to play more games and win more. You will also take more risks. The riskier you act the more profits you can get. It is all about your attitude - you can view defeat from any dimension. Some would opt to sulk all day and never return to the game. Others will see it as an opportunity to learn more tricks. The latter will be the best poker players in future, unlike the former who will remain losers. This is because their minds are made up that they are incapable of playing poker.