Building mental control
Hi, welcome to my thread. I made one of these before but I gave up playing after failing to move up to NL100. http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/174/po...
I know the biggest leak I have is not having good emotional control, just all across the board. So I purchased MGOP and MGOP2. I'm going to actively practice methods from those books to see if I can get better because I believe that is the main thing holding me back in poker. Right now I'm working on MGOP1 because my C-game is horrendous and needs improvement. Short of moving up 5 limits and putting my whole roll on the table, I have every tilt problem imaginable, which causes me to quit and not get in the volume necessary to succeed in poker. I've done some of the practices advocated in the book like writing out a tilt profile, injecting logic phrases, and playing out my fear.
With that said, I've created some goals. I will be focusing on my short-term goals for the most part one at a time and re-evaluating after a week.
Long-term goals:
-Be in control of emotions
-Be fearless
-Not feel anxiety while playing or during big pots
-Build endurance
-Work for a little bit everyday
Short-term Goal:
-Lower anxiety/adrenaline while playing, especially during big pots (currently at conscious incompetence)
I believe this is the most important thing to start working on because I've always been a very risk averse person, so I can't handle it well. I realize poker will have a bad effect on my health if I'm constantly stressed out while playing. So...
How I'm going to work on my goal:
-push myself to take on more risk by setting aside an amount of money to take risks with
This is basically pushing myself to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Now, I don't want to do this by developing a gambling addiction, so I"m going to set aside $1k to play $1/$2 live poker with for the next three days and just have it already written it off in my mind and understanding that this money is being used to help me grow as a person. I currently play NL10-NL25 online so this is much higher stakes than I'm used to. I played a little bit live yesterday and feel like this is a profitable risk. This is not money I need, fortunately, and because I did get my Full Tilt money a week ago I'm essentially free-rolling anyway.
I am creating this thread to receive feedback in what I'm doing to see how I can do it better. If you are a Mental Game of Poker student I would love to hear your thoughts on what I'm doing. I will try to update this thread frequently.
Key logic injections:
"doing what is less fun now, means you can have much more fun in the future." -MOTIVATION
"work harder when it's hard, and eventually it'll become easy for real." -MOTIVATION
"What's one thing you can do right now to make this dream a reality?" -MOTIVATION
"These pots don't really have much significance in the long run." -BIG POT TILT/HEART RACING
4 Replies
On a sick heater lately after a lengthy break…it’s still a little weird winning sometimes in one hour what I make in one paycheck from my job…multiple times…consecutively(!).
I’m playing high enough now (still NL200) that it’s now DEFINITELY uncomfortable to bring the topic of poker up to anyone I know irl which kinda sucks, because now I only have this forum, which already thinks I’m village idiot candidate worthy, to express stuff about it to.
However, being on a massive heater makes it all worth it…haters.
Here’s some HH if you made it this far. (still trying to stay anon so these are from long ago)
NL100
Mp r 2.5x, co calls, I 3b KQs to 15, both call.
Flop T87tt (no flush draw for me)
I bet 15 into 45 both call.
Turn Ax (bingo!!!)
I shove $100 into $90 both fold.
And my other favorite hand.
Last orbit of the session at NL100 (ive already clicked sitout next bb)
$200 deep, whale raises to 3.5. I’m in BB with JJ and 3b to 13. Call
Flop: AK6r
I cbet $9 into $27. Call.
Turn: Qx
I feel sick because I’m about to…i bet $40 into $45. Call.
River: 4(?)
I jam $130 into $125. Whale tank calls with KQ and I snap leave and think…what a shitty outcome from following a gameplan to the letter of the law can end sometimes…but that is why I’m prospering.
You talk funny about poker that is good.
Poker can be good teacher if listen.
Listen to where the tilt comes from.
The space from which your primal fight or flight springs from hides your peace.
Care so much you don't care anymore.
Poker for the process.
Cash is for suckers.
Spend that ****.
Buy land.
Sit.
Be.
Go you.
Discipline = Freedom
Ty sir
Bankroll hit $15k not too long ago. Will be taking shots at NL500 if I win a couple more thousand or so. I could probably take a shot now, but I'm going with having 35 buy-ins for that stake before I take a shot because it's absurd how big the pots are at NL500 so I'm just being more cautious because I know **** could happen...I mean, I did just climb out of a 6-month long breakeven stretch 😊. I'll be taking 2-3 buy-in shots.
In the midst of my last month, something weird happened. The mental game stuff that has always been a point of focus for me fixed itself overnight. One morning, I just woke up and started a session, and all those problems were gone. Just gone. I've been playing with no anxiety ever since, and alot of the mental game stuff I was struggling with had seemingly disappeared. Crazy.
I guess if you focus on something hard enough eventually it becomes your default state subconsciously. Just takes a whole lot of forceful effort to move it there...
