Affirmations and Poker

[Malachii]

Does anyone out there do any kind of visualization or affirmations to help their poker game? I'm trying to develop a list of affirmations that I can recite every day to take my game to the next level. If anyone wanted to give me some suggestions, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[purnell]

I don't know what it means to do an affirmation. "Recititng" positive thoughts to yourself when you are in a receptive state of mind can't be bad. I like to read and reflect about stuff before I go to bed. Is that what you mean?

[Malachii]

Yeah, it's an NLP term, sorry for not clarifying in my original post. Affirmations are repeating inspirational phrases to yourself, the idea being that your subconscious mind absorbs them and after a period of a couple weeks integrates them. A lot of wealth building/self help books use affirmations.

[purnell]

"Affirmations are repeating inspirational phrases to yourself, the idea being that your subconscious mind absorbs them and after a period of a couple weeks integrates them."

I use that type of thing. I don't think any particular ritual is better than another, just whatever works. I use "brain wave entrainment" to induce a deep "hypnotic" state when I go to bed (sometimes). While I'm falling asleep, I think about things I want to happen. There's no way to prove that it does anything, but I'm convinced it helps me solve problems.

[Shakezula]

Some Seth quotes on suggestion:

"There is no magic connected with suggestions - but repeated often enough, and believed in fervently, such suggestions do indeed take on a deeply habitual nature. They are no longer examined, but taken for literal truth."

"I am not telling you to gush out a steady stream of positive suggestions, whether or not they bear any relation to the situation at hand. I am saying that is far better to look on the most hoped-for outcome to any situation, and to voice that attitude rather than to always expect the poorest outcome, or express the most dire of attitudes."

"Now about the time lag on suggestions. This has nothing to do with time, but with the intensity of any suggestion, and any countering suggestions. The most intensive will triumph, though there may be obstacles in its way."

"...you should tell yourself frequently, I will only react to constructive suggestions, for this gives you some protection against your own negative thoughts and those of others."

"Your own conscious beliefs are the most important suggestions that you receive. All other ideas are rejected or accepted according to whether or not you believe they are true, in line with the steady conscious chattering that goes on within your mind most of the day -- the suggestions given to you by yourself."
________________________

I like to repeat to myself the word "confidence" before beginning to play, or during a bathroom break while I am playing, especially if I am struggling with my game. or the phrase, "I now chose to act confident, and thus I become confident." (Of course it behooves a person to be "grounded" in the present moment, focused on the action-at-hand.)

Any suggestion should work. "I will play my best game, and will focus on the present moment". or, "I intend to take the necessary action, as I see fit, during play". or, "I chose to act aggressive, and will follow my own instincts."

[bkholdem]

I used to watch scenes from American Gigalo and then stand if front of the mirror naked repeating affermations out loud and visualizing myself as Richard Gere's character in that movie (before he got punked) before going to pick up chicks lol. Nice way to get in 'the zone' lol.

I started a private poker journal recently. I make some general comments about my day and certain aspects of the games and a hand or two. More importantly I make notes of things that I think negatively impact my play and mistakes I made. I use these daily journal pages to identify patterns and anything that I think negatively impacts my play. I also have an 'important points to remember' type page(s) that I document psychological/emotional 'leaks' as I identify them in my daily journal. Longer term I plan to restructure this approach to create affermations, practice exercizes, etc designed to plug the leaks.

There is lots of other stuff you can do too. Sleep for 6 hours per night? Your unconscious is still programmable during this time. Play affermation tapes, etc while you sleep. You can also do this in your car driving to and from work.