Fearless state of mind when playing poker?

[Adde]

I play at my best when I feel no fear, but I don't always feel like that. Kind of like a tennis player being in or out of form. How do I top my form in poker?

I got to think about this when I saw Layne Flack in the recent airing of WSOP ME 2005. He played brilliantly, confident extraordinary, with no fear whatsoever.

How do I get into that fearless state of mind when grinding it out at the tables?

(I play online for relatively small stakes ($2/$4), and I make a nice living out of it, so the stakes themselves are of no concern why I feel fearless or not. Neither are the competition, since I pretty much always play against the same type of players.)

Adde

[Poldi]

What do you fear when you dont play your best?

[Adde]

What do you fear when you dont play your best?

Excelent question. I can't say I fear anything in specific, or at all, but still I don't have that fearless feeling. Not easy to explain, I admit. Perhaps an example will help:

When I feel fearless, I go ahead and fire a second bluff bet without blinking. At other times, in the same game situation, I don't feel as fearless, and hesitate to go through with the bluff. Compare with a basketball player, who doesn't hesitate to shoot a 3-pointer when he's in good form, but otherwise might hesitate.

Adde

[Tommy Angelo]

"What do you fear when you dont play your best?"

"Excelent question. I can't say I fear anything in specific, or at all,"

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I have ellimated my fears at the poker table by systematically knowing them, tracking them, and taking specific measures, sometimes requiring years, to elliminate them.

Here are some of the fears I have done away with. I am listing them in case seeing them in print aids your self-awareness.

1) The fear of playing bad
2) The fear of thinking I played bad
3) The fear of looking like I played bad
4) The fear of other people thinking I played bad
5) The fear of losing
6) The fear of losing money
7) The fear of playing too long
8) The fear of thinking I played too long
9) The fear of looking like I played too long
10) The fear of playing while underfunded
11) The fear of playing while underrested
12) The fear of paying off like a chump when I know I'm beat
13) The fear of missing bets

There's a bunch more I'm sure. I'm just rattling these off the top of my head. Incredibly, I am no longer afraid of any of those things I listed, or traffic jams, of hard-drive failures, or all sorts of other things too. And I used to be nothing but a walking collection of fear. All I'm saying is, it's possible. But it ain't easy. And it ain't fast.

Tommy

[SA125]

n/m

[Nigel]

Tommy,

I really appreciated this post. Thanks.

Nigel

[Felipe]

[ QUOTE ]
Tommy,

I really appreciated this post. Thanks.

Nigel

[/ QUOTE ]
yes.

[Adde]

I have ellimated my fears at the poker table by systematically knowing them, tracking them...

Excelent reply, Tommy, thanks! I will try to digest this over time.

Also, several other very nice replies. Thanks all!

Adde

[Bascule]

It seems to me that some of those fears are rational and desirable, particularly this one which I hope I never lose:

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10) The fear of playing while underfunded

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Perhaps 'fear' is too strong a word, but substitute 'concern' and these seem advantageous characteristics:

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1) The fear of playing bad
7) The fear of playing too long

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Nit: I can't see any difference between 1 & 2, or 7 & 8.

[vexvelour]

I like to read a poker book before I play for this reason. Read for a good 15-20 minutes and you'll be good to go.