How do Poker Pros Declutter Their Minds in Order to Perform Better in Tournaments?

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Being successful in poker tournaments on a regular basis requires players to have high levels of resilience and endurance. They need to be able to carry out their strategy but also adapt to changing situations as the competition goes on. Tournaments can last a long time, with the World Series of Poker Main Event taking three full days. When taking part in these tests of patience and skill, players have to make sure that they are thinking clearly at all times. For this reason, they need to be able to declutter their minds and put all their focus on progressing in the game.

Why do Poker Players Need to Keep Their Minds Decluttered?

Quick cash games can be a good way for poker players to build up their bankroll, but playing lots of tournaments is the best option for amateurs who are looking to turn professional. In cash games, players can sit down and leave with their chips again whenever they want. But in tournament play, they need to stick it out until the end if they want to win. Most basic online tournaments with one hundred entrants take at least four hours to complete. The more participants that enter a game, the longer it will take. Some live tournaments even go on for a number of days.

Poker players need to display high levels of endurance in order to get to the final stages of a tournament. They will find themselves folding hand after hand, and having to watch other players compete for chips a lot of the time. For those who aren’t trained in this, it can get boring and they end up playing weaker hands just to get some action. Their minds can wander off elsewhere as well, as they overthink past hands and wonder whether they could have played them more effectively. In these circumstances, having a mind free of clutter is essential. Players need to be able to concentrate on the game alone.

When thinking about how to improve their focus on the game, poker players need to look at artificial intelligence as a guide. Machines like Pluribus have famously taught themselves optimum strategies to deal with any situation that may arise. The state-of-the-art technology has overcome some of the biggest players in the business, including Chris Ferguson and Jason Les. The reason why AI is so successful is because it doesn’t let emotions affect its decisions. A human may go on tilt after a bad beat, but the computer realizes that certain instances of misfortune are the nature of a game which is grounded in probability.

How Do the Experts Declutter?

Simply telling poker players that they need to declutter their minds before playing poker is easier said than done. In theory, players of Texas Hold’em, stud, Omaha and all the other strains of the game know that they need to be concentrating on the cards and their opponents when they are at the felt. But it is hard to stop other niggling thoughts and feelings entering the mind. For this reason, experts like Jared Tendler advise players about strategies to declutter the mind before playing.

Tendler talks about how the mind can become cluttered when players have too much data in their heads, and this can lead to mistakes and not playing in the zone. It can even lead to difficulty sleeping, and if a player isn’t well rested they are unlikely to be able to play their A game. The expert in poker psychology advises a number of techniques to declutter the mind. He says to limit active learning, which means that players shouldn’t be trying to master a load of new techniques each time they play. Instead, they should be refining the skills they know and gradually introducing new ones.

Tendler also stresses the importance of writing things down. After playing a tournament, players should create some notes about what they did well and where they can improve. Looking at these later on can help people get their thoughts into a clear order. Resting is hugely important as well. Amateur players may think that playing as many tournaments as possible is the best way to get to a higher level, but this could actually be detrimental. For that reason, players should only play for as long as they think they can keep their focus. Then get some much-needed down time after the game.

What Can This Teach us About Decluttering Our Minds in General?

Having a decluttered mind isn’t only important in poker, it can be useful in everyday life as well. Being able to focus and not get distracted by trivial things can lead to better mental wellbeing. The points above also stress the need to not overthink things. Rather than let situations play on your mind and get in the way of your everyday life, you can try to approach problems in a constructive manner.

These decluttering techniques are useful for anyone, and they can help people have a better focus on their work. No matter what industry you may be in, you will face problems on a day-to-day basis that need to be overcome. You will also have to learn a number of new skills in order to improve at your job. Using the strategies of writing notes and using active learning, therefore, could be advantageous.

Decluttering the mind is an essential way to improve at poker tournaments and increase your chances of success. But even if you don’t play poker, you can take some of the useful advice and apply it to your daily life. Being able to focus on your objectives with a clear mind is as good for your mental wellbeing as a walk in the great outdoors.