Most\nplayers understand that, but few follow up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s just like New Year’s resolutions<\/a>. How many times you promised something to yourself and then fall short after a week or two? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTake poker seriously, or do not waste your time with this game.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That should be your mantra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you\nwant to take it seriously, these are a few things you should promise to\nyourself today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I know how\nhard it is to decide what you want, but without knowing why<\/em> you are in\nthis struggle, you\u2019re almost guaranteed to lose motivation on the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While everyone loves the freedom, competition, and money that comes with becoming a professional poker player<\/a>, very few realize how much work is needed to get all of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So before\ndiving in this career, make sure to answer what it is that you are trying to\nachieve and, most importantly, why you want it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A few\nsimple questions can help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are\nplenty of other careers where you can make a great living with less risk, so if\nmoney is your primary motivation, please do not jump to poker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I know many\nplayers who tried this. None of them succeeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you ready to dedicate yourself to this cause? <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want the results, it will require countless hours for studying and playing, so think hard about how much you really want it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many\nplayers think that the more they play, the better they\u2019ll be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They\ncouldn\u2019t be more wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest\npart of your progress comes from analyzing hands and databases, reviewing your\nsessions, discussing strategy with friends, or working with a coach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter\nwhat you choose, this will be your main way to improve, not playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously,\nit\u2019s vital to play as well, so that you can test all new information, implement\nit, and get experience. But the quality of your decisions is much more\nimportant than the number of hours you spend at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s way\nbetter to play a 4-hour session with full concentration, than 8 hours on\nauto-pilot. I\u2019m sure you understand the difference, yet many players choose the\nlatter option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So don\u2019t\nforce yourself to play when you\u2019re not ready. If you\u2019re feeling bad, tired, or\ninfluenced by negative emotions, skip your session.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you only\nplay when you can perform at your best, you\u2019ll see much better results, even if\nyou play less. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of that, you will improve faster, learn from your mistakes<\/a>, and avoid them next time you\u2019re in the same spot \u2013 something you won\u2019t be able to do on auto-pilot. Don\u2019t be afraid to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\ndon\u2019t play at all for a couple of days, do not force yourself to go back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, do\nsomething fun, relax, take your thoughts off the game and then, when you\u2019re\nready, go to the tables with full force and concentration \u2013 you will thank me\nlater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most\nplayers rush their decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the\nhand, they instantly know that they made a mistake, but are not able to figure\nit out on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t be\nthe guy who instantly makes a decision and then sits for a few seconds only to\nact on the first instinct. Instead, think through all possibilities. Weigh the pros\nand cons of different actions end compare likely result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It might\nsound like a lot of work but, trust me: when you get used to this approach, you\u2019ll\nbe making much better decisions. It\u2019s worth the struggle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With many constant bad beats, swings, and variance in poker<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to not let your emotions run wild – but this is something you have to learn. Emotions are not your friend at the poker table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not\neasy to detach yourself from them, but there is one thing that helped me a lot.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n While playing poker, I learned to recognize what I can and can\u2019t control. At the beginning of my career, I was tilting<\/a> a lot after every bad beat, but now it only puts a smile on my face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t\ncause any negative emotions because I know that I can\u2019t control the outcome of\nthe hand. I can only concentrate on making decisions, and do my best in every\nsingle hand that I play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid the\nmindset that past events can influence the future. If you got unlucky several\ntimes in a row, it doesn\u2019t mean that now you\u2019re in some magical state where you\u2019ll\nbe losing more often than you should. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately,\nthis is how many players see it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nreality, every hand is a separate event, and previous results do not influence\nyour chance of winning in the future. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Concentrate on playing every hand in the best possible way and detach yourself from short term results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This way, you won\u2019t have any problems with tilting or emotional decisions, which will boost your long-term results more than you think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Poker bankroll management is probably one of the most important skills<\/a> that separate big winners from the rest. I know many players who lost everything and had to quit poker because they played when they shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am also\nnot a stranger to this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At one\npoint in my career, I lost almost all of my money just because I played without\na sufficient bankroll. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sure\nthat you know how important it is to have enough buy-ins for a specific game\nthat you play, but do you know simple rules can help you optimize it? If not,\nmake your life much easier by doing the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have\na separate bankroll just for poker, it\u2019ll be much easier to control your\nemotions and stay calm when things do not go your way (which will happen). This\nis vital to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing\nthat you don\u2019t need to withdraw money to cover your bills and living expenses\nwill help you concentrate on playing quality poker even on a downswing, and you\nwill be able to make better decisions as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of\nthat, this will take away a lot of stress, so it will boost your quality of\nlife, which is an easy win-win to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Withdrawing\ntoo much money from your bankroll prevents you from moving up the stakes, which\nis essential for long term success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\nmove up the stakes, you learn faster, improve your game, and can move up again.\nBut if you constantly cash out a big part of your winnings, that isn\u2019t going to\nhappen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, with a\nbigger bankroll, you\u2019ll feel less pressure – so why not give yourself that\nextra advantage? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of\nwithdrawing, invest a part of your bankroll into learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Enroll in\ndifferent poker courses or get a coach. It will help you improve, and it\u2019s a\nmuch better alternative than cashing out money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously,\nif you are on a strict budget and need to cover your living expenses, you need\nto take out some money. This is where the next bullet point comes into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have\nsavings to outlast the swings without withdrawing money from your bankroll for\na couple of months, it can be life-changing for your career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I highly\nrecommend having at least a six-month reserve to cover your basic living costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t\nneed to have a huge amount for that, either. In most cases, you only need to\ncover your rent, food, other basic needs, and then a bit on top of that, so you\nshould be able to put that sum aside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Better to be\nsafe than sorry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracking results\nis a must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s\nvery simple to do it when playing online with tracking software, you need a bit\nmore effort in live games, or on sites where tracking software is\nforbidden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\nhappen to find yourself in these games, there are a few things you need to\ntrack:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\nhave all these numbers, you can easily calculate how much money you win per\nhour in different stakes, games, and casinos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since your\n$\/h rate is the most important indicator of how you\u2019re doing, you always want\nto know this value.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take\nan example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you play\n50 hours in a $1\/$2 game and win $1,500, you can estimate that you are winning\n$30\/hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However,\nyou should also subtract other expenses, like travel costs to get to a casino,\nfood for your session, and so on. For the sake of this example, let’s say you\nspent $250 on all of that, which reduces your total profit to $1,250 –\n$25\/hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using this\nmethod, you can easily compare different stakes and find the most profitable\ngames. Maybe you are winning more in lower stakes compared to higher ones, or\nmuch more in one casino than another?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This way, you\ncan easily make the most profitable decision for you and choose the best games.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the\nmost important promises you can make to yourself is to keep improving throughout\nyour career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Poker is a\nvery competitive game, so if you stop learning, others will catch up. And it will\nhappen sooner rather than later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\u2019re winning today, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll be winning after a month. Therefore, creating a plan or schedule for learning is a vital step. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Try to make it a habit to leave at least an hour a day to review your play and analyze interesting hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of that, dedicate one day per week and block out four hours to seriously work on one part of your game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can do that by working with solvers, reviewing videos of different players approaching the same spot, or even work with a coach<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I will\nleave this decision for you, but whatever you do, don\u2019t stop learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but\nnot least, have some fun when playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Identify\nwhat you love about poker and try to remember that feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you\nenjoy that adrenalin rush when facing big money jumps deep in MTT? Maybe you\nlove to counter the same players in cash games and learn how to beat them?\nMaybe you live for mastering your strategy? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Figure out\nwhat – other than money – motivates you to play. Whatever it is you love about\npoker, it\u2019s important to remember to always have fun along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Identify Your\nMotivation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cartoon](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Poker_Motivation-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Do Not\nForce Yourself To Play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cartoon](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Do_Not_Force_Yourself_To_Play_poker-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Take Your\nTime When Making Decisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cartoon](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Poker_Take_Your_Time-1024x768.jpg\")
4. Control Your\nEmotions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cartoon](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Poker_Control_Your_Emotions-1024x768.jpg\")
5. Manage Your\nMoney<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Finances,](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/poker_Manage_Your_Money-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nKeep your poker bankroll separated from everyday cash<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do not withdraw too much money<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Have at least 6 months of expenses covered <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Track Your\nResults To Choose The Best Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cartoon](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Track_your_poker_results-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n7. Dedicate\nTime To Work On Your Game <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cartoon](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Study_poker-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMost\nImportantly, Have Fun!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n