Mind Game Hand Histories: How to eliminate psychological problems in poker

In poker, emotional outbursts and psychological problems can be a major obstacle to success. Once emotions take over, your play becomes ineffective and mistakes start to affect your bankroll. In this article, we'll break down five key steps that will help you identify and correct your psychological licks, just as you work on the technical aspects of your game by analysing your hand histories.

📉 Superficial solutions don't work

Most of the methods aimed at eliminating psychological problems consist of trying to fix the situation quickly, but they do not address the root cause. Instead, players are offered superficial approaches that temporarily reduce tension but do not remove the problem.

Example:

• Problem: ‘I start to tilt when I get run over by a weaker player.’

• The solution, ‘Just don't tilt,’ is wrong because it doesn't address the very cause of tilt.

🛠 Hand-history of mind games: a five-step protocol for analysing the problem

To work on psychological problems, I suggest using a five-step protocol that is similar to analysing hand histories in poker. Each of these steps will help you understand where the problem comes from, why the logic behind it is flawed, and how you can find the right solution.

1. Describe the problem

Write down your description of the problem as if you were telling it to the coach. The more detailed your description, the easier it will be to find a solution.

Example:

• ‘I tilt when I get run over by a fish in a big pot’.’

• ‘After a winning streak, I start playing too loosely.’

2. Find a logical explanation

Every psychological problem has a logical basis, even if it seems to be entirely emotional. For example, if you start to tilt, it may be because you believe that you should always win against weaker players.

Example:

• Tilt from moving a weak player may be due to an over-expectation of beating him.

• Loose play after a winning streak can be caused by an overabundance of confidence.

3. Analyse why your logic is flawed

This step requires precision. A logical error may be that you overestimate the control over the outcome of the game by underestimating the impact of variance.

Example:

• Mistake: ‘I always have to win against weaker players.’

• Right View: No one can control all aspects of the game, especially the randomness of card distribution.

4. Find the right solution

Now it is important to move on to the solution to the problem. Correction example: ‘I can't control the cards, but I can control my actions and reactions.

Example:

• ‘I'm going to focus on the quality of my decisions rather than the outcome of individual giveaways.’

• ‘Playing too much on the plus side is a loss of control and I have to stay disciplined.’

5. Explain why your solution is correct

This step helps to consolidate the new understanding. Explain to yourself why the decision you have chosen is the right one.

Example:

• ‘I only control my decisions, and moves are a natural part of poker, which is what makes me profitable over the distance.’

• ‘Playing too loosely because of the euphoria after wins is a mistake that leads to losses.’

🎯 Additional strategies for success

📊 Progress tracking

It is important to record your progress to understand how your game is changing. After all, emotional and psychological improvements can sometimes be barely noticeable. Here are some criteria for tracking your progress:

• You're quicker to notice a problem approaching while you're playing.

• Your emotional state recovers faster after a tilt.

• You make fewer emotion-related mistakes.

📓 Record keeping

Recordings are a powerful tool for working on the psychological aspects of the game. They help to systematise thoughts and see the dynamics of progress.

Benefits:

• You get your thoughts out of your head and put them in order.

• You create an ‘account’ that you can go back to and analyse the changes.

• Relieve stress by helping your mind deal with your emotions.

💥 Working with accumulated emotions

Emotions tend to accumulate, and one small setback can trigger an angry outburst if there is a whole chain of past experiences behind it. To cope with accumulated emotions, you need to gradually ‘unload’ them.

Steps:

1. Recognise that accumulated emotions are a real threat to your game.

2. Use handhistory to record and sort out problems.

3. Gradually learn to recognise emotions in the moment.

4. Analyse past emotional reactions and rewrite them, looking at them from a different angle.

🎯 Practical exercise: Emotions under control

1. Pick a handout: Where emotion took over. 🎲

2. Describe: Your feelings and actions. ✍️

3. Analyse: Why did it happen? Could it have been played differently? 🤔

4. Formulate a plan: How to avoid this happening in the future. 💡

5. Apply: In your next game, replace negative with positive. 🧘‍♂️

Result: Improved control over emotions and play! 🎉

🔑 In conclusion

Psychological issues are an opportunity to grow and improve your game. In modern poker, you can't just ignore your emotions and hope for consistent results. By working on yourself, you can not only become a more stable player, but also gain a psychological advantage over your opponents.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel to make sure you don't miss the next content and keep improving your game with every new step!