[SlowStroke]

Thanks for the response. You make several good points. I really like your idea about optimal state of mind and playing optimally being equivalent. You could say that one is really just a reflection of the other. That sounds right to me.

I also forgot to mention that we are really just talking about playing up to your fullest potential. If you don't understand the game but have a wonderful state of mind - you will still play poorly.

Let me clarify my ideas about mistakes. If you are on tilt and your emotions cause you to make a play that logically you know it wrong. I don't label that as a mistake. You did the best you could at the time. This may be just a matter of definition, but it helps me focus my attention on the tilt causing emotion rather than the specific poker misstep.

There is an hidden benefit here. If I label a play as a mistake, then I will have to forgive myself before I can move on. The time gap between the mistake and the forgiveness is filled with guilt. And it is too easy to take the next step from thinking 'I made a mistake' to thinking 'I play bad'.

If instead I believe that I did not make a mistake, but rather my mental / emotional state may need attention - I get to bypass all the guilt because there is no sin to forgive. I am able to immediately focus on the next hand completely. And that is my real goal.

I often scan this forum and when I see a post on a topic that I have been thinking about I sometimes respond just to get the ideas straight in my own mind. Writing is good for that. And having to put it out in public provides the extra incentive to get it right. So sometimes my posts are really just advice from me to me.