Poker Psychology Strategy for Elite and Beginner Poker Players

Poker Psychology Strategy for Elite and Beginner Poker Players

Many years ago, in fact, back in 2010 to 2011 I started blogging a series on poker psychology. What were my qualifications to do such a thing? I expressed experience and observation, side equipped with a lot of reading and research. Why did I do this? I did this as there was only a small amount of literature available that I, myself, for myself, could find. When I looked, I saw only advanced poker psychology strategy information. I was wrong, I didnt look hard enough. I now find a vast array of books, articles and strategy by players and authors such as Mike Caro and my new favorite Psychologist when it comes to the world of Poker, Dr Alan N. Schoonmaker, Ph.D. Psychologist & poker player whos experience beyond destroys mine or any other man or womans I have seen when it comes to poker psychology, mindset and strategy. If there are others I overlook as better, please advise me otherwise.

As I sit writing this blog post I have with me four of Alans books to read, a second time, more thoroughly than the first. Alan not only has books specifically on psychology but a tonne of books he has published relating to poker and business, game play and more. Alan Schoonmaker has co-written with one of pokers other elites, David Sklansky & is widely discussed as an author on 2+2. None of this chit chat, or throwing around titles can compare to talking with Dr Schoonmaker who humbly discussed his life, his knowledge and his legacy to the world of poker via his written genius with me.

Its not often I do long interviews, in fact, I have done around ten of them in what can only be classed as a veteran career. In the last four years, the number of interviews conducted at length is but one. The man of the hour, the man with the knowledge and the man I would choose to set me straight via written text or consultation o my poker mindset and game (if this were available) any day! I took an entire hour out of my busy schedule at the World Series of Poker to sit and talk with Alan about all of his brilliance wrapped into around fourty book titles and the outcome was a very impressed lady, with a great understanding of what separates the great from the good. It was an hour I appreciate.

Quite a few of Alan Schoonmakers book subjects are so very different from what we can find available in general. I currently have in my position one of a kind books such as how to beat killed hold'em games, beating small poker games (which I recommend to all players who are not elitists) and in particular a book suited to those that want to keep that brain power functioning, Stay Young Play Poker (aka - use it or lose it!). These are but small amounts of examples of the variance of knowledge on offer from this brilliant man. In particular, in my current grasp is a book titled "Competitive Edged Strategies For Poker and Business Winners". This book is exceptional for those that want a comparison or, competitive edge on both a business and poker level. That's not what we are here to discuss though.

Some people in the poker industry, alike me, as an example, focus their lives within poker to report it, concentrate on poker life and tabloids or lifestyle as a whole, all while counting the odd chip stack. Others just play poker, they play hard, long and daily and learn via study along the way. Some are executives that we, the poker community, need to keep this little world of poker running well. Then,  there are the Alan Schoonmakers, the authors, writers, teachers, the humble beings that take a back stance behind the crowd to observe and bring an elite skill set to the table, in writing, to help perfect our games, if we are smart enough to use the information they table for us.

What most mesmerizes me about Dr Alan Schoonmaker is his most humble ways yet bright, sharp mind. Its quite clear that Alan is no poker star, no Daniel Negreanu, rather a poker playing genius that would rather focus on the academics, skills knowledge, writing ability and of course the psychology relating to poker and its cross overs that so many of us are in need of educating on. Alan has taught

all around the world in his field of expertise and this my friends (education) does not come cheap. Or, didn't, until now! In this new day and age of technological wisdom we can all self teach and self teach quite cheaply via e-books, kindles and taking on board the lessons of some of the poker worlds greatest professors from the comfort of our own beds. From $2 - and an instant download!

I have been foolish in the past, I have sought knowledge from the incorrect people, I have tried to pass on my own knowledge in somewhat untouched fields to the beginners on the poker scene and although I was correct in doing this on certain levels, I went about it entirely the wrong way on others. I have fallen, I have risen, I have learned and now I want to pass on what I know in a smart way! When it comes to niche areas of poker, do not look to anyone for the information other than those that or high class professionals. Doctors, professors, experts in fields that have passed on knowledge just like Alan Schoonmaker has, via writings assembled specifically to suit your needs.

Of course, one should already know the summary of my blog! If you are after in depth psychology or strategy or even just a beginners taste, when it comes to the teachings of a great poker psychologist, you really should go to Amazon and download Alan N Schoonmakers books. At the very low cost (again, some as low as $2) these digital book copies are - and the fact that they are in various languages, there is simply no further excuses to tap into your own conscious, subconscious, the conscious of others and lift your psychological edge at the poker table from this day forward. Click links within articles to do just that!

I wouldn't be me if I didn't end with a super yet strange positive and acknowledgement! My greatest thanks to Alan for sharing his knowledge and wisdom with me, and all of his book titles so that I can go on a squirmy little book worm adventure into the unknown. Heres to getting into your heads a little more in the near future :)

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Poker Tell Detection Scientifically and Psychologically

Poker Tell Detection Scientifically and Psychologically

My last post was all about reading people eyes for lies. It explained which way the eyes moved when a person was thinking a certain way. It explained how to tell, through the eyes if someone was fabricating a story. Over the years I have done extensive research on how to spot a liar through their body movements. So really I should have started with that as a post for anyone out there who is switching from online to live poker play.

Why, you ask; did I ever study to become somewhat a human lie detector? My foremost "job" before poker is an analyst. My first position held was with the Australian Defense force working with a civil company called Communications Design and Management. I was thrown into deep water at the age of 18 to get in depth information on the Armies current communications support systems before implementing a new one and watching all the current workers get sacked. My tell detection and study started here.

The communications support team that was in place before we were thrown in to take over knew what was happening. They knew the longer that it took for me personally to get the information, the longer they were in a job. They also knew if I couldnt get the information they were home free. In addition they knew that there were un-notated government assets all over the base that they could take with them. My job was to get a grip on what they were doing and how their systems worked, where the data and physical assets were kept and how the systems were monitored ....and how to use the current system before I shut it down and put the new one in place as they walked out the door.

As you can imagine this was one tough job. There as little effort to give assistance and stand over tactics certainly were out of the question. The only was I was getting my information was to be more deceptive then they were and to detect every lie I possibly could as i interrogated them day after day on the happenings of the current system and flipped through paper work and buildings for hard evidence and knowledge.

One of the first things I remember reading about as I tried with frustration at the highest level possible to extract the necessary information was how the brain worked when they were telling lies to me. I learned from my reading that 1 part of the brain is used when you are telling the truth where as 3 parts are used when you lie. I also learned that one who lies covers with another lie and another lie and another lie until they can't lie anymore and they trap themselves at a dead end. A person who is telling the truth is straight to the point and has little to say. There is also telling tales by omission, telling the truth but not all of the truth, simply not giving the full story. In this case the brain works the same as when one doesn't lie at all. That's when you really need to weed out the info.

There are always the people around that are brilliant at telling tales, or rather hiding the truth. Poker players are obviously good at hiding the truth especially when they batten down the hatches, close their mouth, have on their sunglasses and hats / hoodies to cover their face and stay as still as they can. Weeding out info can be very dangerous when it comes to this situation in poker, but at the same time very profitable - dependable on how skilled the other player your against is and also how good your reading skills are when it comes to picking up tells on them and placing them in a memory bank.

Body Movement Tells Defined Scientifically

When a poker player is on a big bluff, unless a genius, he will have more movements then if he has a monster hand. Let's look at an example and we can see why I say this:

If he is on a monster hand and has gone all in he is telling the truth and therefore only 1 part of his "lie section" of his brain is working - he is saying to himself "I have the hand, please call". This is the truth, he will likely be as still as a statue.

If the player is completely bluffing out his arse, he has 3 parts of his brain working, its been shown on MRI's. He will be fidgety, or move more even if he is staying as still as he can. There are very few brains that can avoid these movements. He simply can not concentrate on staying still as he is thinking far too much as he uses 3 parts of his brain. The movements occur as 3 parts of the brain are working to fabricate his hand strength (or tell a lie). He is saying to himself "I hope this bluff works, I am screwed if he calls me, am I giving away any information, shit I better stay still, what is he thinking? This could make or break me". As you can see the bluffer is thinking a lot! These thoughts make uncontrollable movements happen, moving in his seat, moving his head, nerves ticking, movement of the hands. He is thinking sit still, don't give away tells but he is thinking a lot of other things also.

Of course one can be highly skilled in bluffing and lying and not move at all - possibly they are zoning out of the situation and thinking of another hand they won with the nuts. This is a good hint for your own psychological control and a reason many players meditate and spend hours relaxing and zoning out of their thoughts into a state of almost unconsciousness. For some it comes naturally, for some it doesn't. Live poker is not all about skill of card play but psychological control also.

Reading Tells or Lies Through Seating Position of a Player

These are probably the most easiest tells to read. One wouldn't think so as the person is moving all around the place in a casual manner. The player is moving around, chilling out, having a beer - He sure as hell isn't in the make or break hand thats going to cost him masses of dollars.

Simply, if a player is bluffing he will move and sit the following ways:

He may lean back in his chair (move away from you)
Sit to the side of his chair
Keep his arms crossed
Keep his hands tightly folded in his lap.

Reading Tells Through the Voice

By the time we are in the all crucial hand with another player, we have usually spent some amount of time listening to their voice. If the voice suddenly changes pitch and speed, one can assume something is triggering this. Usually liars change their voice patterns suddenly when a lie cuts in. You need to remember that if someone has the nuts and is playing for a lot of money they will be nervous and their voice will change then to. There are also the players that will remain silent. Voice tells must be equipped with other tells. As noted above.

Combination tells are always the best method of read. For the record, the voice alike other body parts that give away tells are effected by whats called the autonomic nervous system. This is where the science comes into it for those wondering why I am making such remarks. When it comes to voice, if you ask a person a question and they are telling tales their body movements work in opposition to their answer. An example:

Q:"Do you have the nuts?"
A:"No" as they nod their head indicates they do
Q:"Do you have the nuts?"
A:"Yes why else would i go all in?" As they shake their head in a no gesture side to side.

Try it yourself, answer someone falsely (in good taste of course) and as you are speaking to them your head movements will indicate your voice is spitting out lies! I did this to my partner just the other night lol. I asked if he liked the lasagne - He said "It was delicious" as he shook his head in a no gesture so casually, calmly and unknowingly that he was telling me no as his head shook left to right.

Reading Tells Through Smaller Movements & Self Reaction to The Person

These are gestures commonly associated with liars and bluffers:

They cover their mouth
They rub their eyes
They touch their nose
They scratch their neck
They touch their ears

If our gut tells us they are lying or bluffing yet they are perfectly still and not making any of these movements nor showing any of the other signs, the automated process of our autonomic nervous system does something very strange. We start what they should be doing. You will find that YOU do this when you have a very strong hand and your instinct tells you that you have them beaten. You will be the one touching your nose, neck, ear - whatever your system has you automatically do. Sometimes this can result in a liar being tricked into you being the liar or bluffer, whichever you may wish to call it.

A scenario - the bluffer is doing nothing to set of warning bells, there are no visual tells but you think he is bluffing, you are going to touch these notated areas of your body without realizing. If he is tuned into bluffs and tells and what to look for and you re-raise him, he may push all in thinking your also bluffing. This is obviously great for you and something to consider when analyzing a situation.

In short, any small change in a persons behavior indicates lies, bluffs and deceit.

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Reading Eyes for Poker Tells

Reading Eyes for Poker Tells

With many online players now switching to live play since Black Friday, I figured that they may need a little hand with a few things to prep them for live play.


My son triggered this post last night when I swore he was telling me tales. I looked deep into his eyes and asked him to tell me the truth. His eyes veered to the left as he replied "Tyrone said I could". Now that was one hellava lie! I knew Tyrone (his step dad) would never say he could. It made me think of the left eye movement and what it meant.



Usually I can tell when my kids are telling tales. I didn't need eye movement to tell me this kid was full of shit. I thought about poker (of course) during all of this, I came to the realization that many people alike me would know if their loved ones lied. What about players at the poker table though? Could people get tells from eye movements? Only one way to know. Get everyone who reads my blog to test it this theory.


Ok, so let me start with that left movement my son made, also called AC (Auditory Constructed).

I asked my son " Tell me who said you could do that, who gave you permission?", His eyes moved to the left (according to scientific facts) as this is the direction the eyes move as a person thinks about the question they have been asked as they "Auditory Construct" a sound that they have never heard. Of course Tyrone never would tell him "he could". He was at that very moment thinking of Tyrone actually saying it. This look is definitely a look of deception and make believe (remember that to YOU they will be looking the opposite direction - this is their face looking straight on:


I told my son he was grounded for telling me tales. Which brings me to AI (Internal Dialog). The next eye indicator.



He sat there talking to himself (kind of so I would hear but to himself non the less). He was cussing under his breath and whining how bad his life was. As he did this he looked down and to the right. This is the direction someones eyes move as they talk to themselves.

I suddenly found myself into this subject and went looking for my eye tell tale signs. Not because anyone was doing them, simply because I wanted to to educate myself on eye movement and lie detection. I knew it would certainly help me in the future at one time in my life, likely with the kids but also with poker!

The next eye movement tell would be (If I was continue what has become alphabetical) AR (Auditory Remembering).



If i asked (or you ask) your child to remember what his dads voice sounds like. The eyes will automatically move to the right as they think about the question and Auditory Remember the sound of the voice. Alike little AR below:


The next eye movement tell would be F (Feeling / Kinesthetic). Or in my words FAWK! I do F a lot since my house burnt down!



If you asked me "Can you remember the smell of your house when it was burning? ", my eyes would move down and to the left while thinking about the question as I used recalled that smell. F also applies to feeling, or taste. Remembering a feeling or taste my eyes would move the same way. Here is Mr Fawk:



Eye movements up and to the left, also known as VC (Visually Constructed Images) are next on the eye mapping agenda!



If you asked someone to "Imagine a green road with a pink lizard on it", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they "Visually Constructed" a green road with a pink lizard on it in their mind.

Lastly we have VR (Visually remembered) eye movements on the list. It is the last of the eye movements i could find.



If you asked anyone "What color was the first car that they owned?" or a child "What did the first pet they have look like?" the eyes would move up and to the right while they were thinking about the question as they "Visually Remembered" the color of the car or in the case of the child, remembered what the first pet looked like.



Lastly, other things to consider are:



Left-handed players would have the opposite meanings for their eye-directions, they would look the opposite way (typically). Make sure you know if a person is left handed otherwise you will confuse yourself!



If the a person is trying to remember something that was recent then his eyes may not go to any direction and just stay in the middle



Some people tend to remember by focusing and refocusing without having their eye move into any direction, you cant read anything in this case (ultimate poker eyes!)



The mind has hundreds of thoughts happening within at most times, many thoughts could run into the mind in one second and so the eye may move into any direction depending on one of these thoughts. This will give you false clues, and since you cant read the other person's thoughts you can get false results

As with other signs of lying, you should first establish and understand a persons behavior before concluding they are lying by the direction of their eyes.

Last thoughts, get sunglasses to avoid having your eyes read at a poker table.

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How to Get Poker Luck

How to Get Poker Luck

Most people will agree that poker is mostly a game of skill. Obviously there is a percentage of luck though. Both online and live poker players rely on some good cards, flops and seating arrangements and not just the skills they possess to help them get through to a victorious win.

It seems some players have a natural skill AND luck factor about them. We can all develop skill, there is no doubt about that. The more effort we put into study and playing, the more our poker skills increase. Some players just have the worst luck ever though. It seems no matter what they do they can not get good cards, they run badly, the flops are against them and these spurts can run for what seems eternity. Other players on the opposite scale of the luck factor have nothing but premium hands and perfect flops. How can this be? Do they bring luck on themselves or are they actually naturally lucky?

Many people try different things at poker tables to induce luck. Some people have their lucky card protectors, lucky charms and try to get their lucky seat. Other players have rituals they perform at tables such a bending cards a certain way, moving seats at certain times and praying to the poker gods.

When it comes to pre game luck inducing, again rituals come into practice for some people. They eat certain foods, prepare themselves mentally by doing certain things at certain places and bring along their lucky songs on their trusted ipods and mp3 players. Others go that little bit further though when it comes to bringing themselves luck. Few do it, but - I was told just the other day there are some! I went and further looked and asked, and surprisingly there are actually more people that do the following things than I anticipated. Call it crazy, I don't know? I have decided to try some of this myself and see the outcome. It can not hurt right?

Power of positive thought: This i one thing used commonly amongst poker players. It is used at the tables and before hand. It is used mostly for mental conditioning but also used for luck factor in poker. People use the power of positive thought to try and push some sort of holding luck when their flops, turns and rivers hit the board. They also positively think about how much luck they will have in the game that's coming up.

Manifestation: Players manifest their dream, goal and wins. They manifest the glory, the start, the end, the money. They try to use their mind to make it happen. They believe in sending it out into the atmosphere - sending their thoughts of the win. The mediate on this, focus on this and block everything out. They use posters, songs, videos, words such as "I will have nothing but good luck, I will get good cards, I will win the tournament, I will be victorious." During this process of manifestation they also use vision and make the visions a big part of it. They "see" in their minds the cards, the win, the cash. By visions, I mean they PUT the pictures in their head and focus on them.

Spells: Players (i am guessing not many) have the option if taking this spiritual thing a little further and trying some luck spells. Not something I ave done, but may be worth a try - its all hocus pocus to most but; who knows - it may work? I looked around and there are many luck spells. I couldn't believe it! If your zany enough i guess you could give it a try if your luck factor is dead. Here are a few i found!

1. Just say these words when the moon is full:

"Lady of luck come out of your hidden course

bless your light upon me as the light of the moon shines above

and in the light of luck will be blessed I, when the moon is next to be full "

2. Wondering magic bring to me, in this life the luck I need,

so all my angles can be seen, and thus fulfill my every dream,

combined earth and fire, bring forth my hearts desire,

guardians of the sea, keep all harm from me.

This should be done while lighting 4 candles 1 at each side of u repeat the

above words 3 times to bring good luck and obtain your hearts desire.

3. Gather 7 mall pieces or turquoise.

Place the stones under a full moon, to soak up the light for seven hours.

Take the stones into your hands, and say:

Luck be quick, luck be kind,

By lucky seven, good luck be mine.

Place stones into green bag, & carry with you wherever you go.

Throw a stone into a moving body of water, stating your desire, anytime you feel the

need for a little good fortune.

These are obviously just 3 of the many out there, written by goodness knows who!

Crystals and Stones: Evident-ally it seems that with spells comes lucky charms. Stones and other kinds of luck materials and objects. It is written, if you need luck in gambling that Aventurine and Tourmaline are what you are looking for! seems like I need some new jewelry if this is true!

So the last thing i am going to mention for luck I just came across whilst reading. Its luck potions. Again possibly worth a try! The way my lucks running, I am going to be whackily trying it all (or sensibly if it actually works).

Luck Potion for Beginners: Lemon juice and sugar, one table spoon of each in a small glass of water, add a quartz crystal to catalyze and activate in sunshine for about ten minutes. For beginners it helps to put a piece of paper under the glass with "Luck Potion for (your name)!!" written on it. You need to drink it all in one go (don't drink the crystal, obviously!). Depending on the person, it lasts for about a week. Top up if you need to. And wearing something yellow helps as well.

Thats all for investigative little me! Best of luck on the poker tables and with your luck enhancing ways! Good luck with d luck potion :-)

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Putting Bad Beats In Prospective

Putting Bad Beats In Prospective

Everyone whines about bad beats in poker and for a reason; they hurt! They hurt our determination, they hurt our bankrolls, they hurt our will, they hurt our poker souls and sometimes our will to play the next game. Bad beats make us curse, cry, smash mice, blab to other players, put down other players, scream at the poker god. A bad beat must be placed in prospective however. How bad is a bad beat when one compares it to bad beats beyond a poker table?

The greatest poker players on earth never cease to stop teaching us, they seem to teach by accident on many different levels. During the opening of the Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Joe Hachem discussed the flash flooding and loss of life and property in Queensland Australia. He said "Watch this video, and remember it, it may put your bad beats in prospective". It was the best advice I received all year! I probably shouldn't have just quoted those words as they were not his exact words, but fairly close. The video showed heartache on every level. Let me explain!

The tears rolled during the video, life's bad beats were certainly thrown at these people. How many of us can say they have had a $500,000.00 bad beat? People on the video did, even kids - their house, assets, property all swept away with only a slab of concrete remaining. How many of us have had a "priceless" bad beat? By priceless I mean a bad beat that you will never forget that changes your life forever in an instant and takes the ones you love most from you; in the most horrific way? Again, a man on the video did, he lost his wife and son, they were swept away in a torrent of water, his son a non swimmer who was hailed a hero as he begged for his little brother to be saved first. Imagine the little brother bad beat - His brother was swept away as he was rescued and his mother looked at his brother being swept away and let go and went with him - This was right in front of that little boys eyes. Now that IS a bad beat!

I lay awake most of the night thinking of bad beats. I thought of every bad beat I have ever had on a poker table. I then thought of every bad beat I have ever had in life. There is no comparison. Yesterday I changed, I changed forever! My bad beats have been much like these I talk of. I have watched my own home burn down in front of my eyes, with it many memories and every possession I owned as well as my beloved mans best friend, my dog. I have lost loved ones and friends to horrific accidents. One week I remember losing 8 friends and family members. I have died and been resuscitated and suffered the most horrible health battles and pain imaginable (to this day). My trip aces being smashed by 7 and 2 off suit is now in my mind not so bad when I think of this.

Of course I don't want to think of these things but the last 3 days for me have been pretty disasterous and I have shed sub-mountable tears. Maybe sub-mountable is an understatement, my face is swollen from crying it seems. You know, what I am about to write doesn't even seem like a bad beat now, but for me it has felt like it!

I was told by my doctor I would have surgery next Thursday
I was told my nan was in kidney failure etc and was going to die
My son smashed his arm, pretty much compound fractured it
My son had a 3.5 - almost 4 hours surgery on his arm during which the crash cart was called, I almost lost him
I spent a night and day with my agonized screaming son, now filled with plates, screws, wires, staples and other forms of metal
I was advised my grandmother died
I was asked to write an obituary or whatever it is called
I wrote it
I passed out cold to wake all night to pain relief begging, nightmares and bloody flooding again!

I am over my bad beats and now have them in prospective, I hope I helped you too - that is all.

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The Poker Mask Poker Psychology

The Poker Mask Poker Psychology

Many people in both the world of poker and also in life itself hide, hide behind a mask. While some people in real life have mental illness and a psychological reason for not showing their real self to the world around them, other people have no real excuse for not showing their true colours. Funnily enough, the people who hide behind a mask in the game of life make great actors and actresses and also great poker tournament players. Or do they?

To determine if a person who hides behind a mask is indeed a great player we need to work out why they are hiding. Obviously if psychological illness is involved it is unlikely that the mask is going to help them at a poker table. For the record, I don’t mean those people with mental illnesses such as depression. I mean those people hiding behind a mask due to childhood trauma or the like causing them to snap in the brain, I mean really snap too!

If a person hides behind a mask due to fear of what people think, again they are not going to make the greatest of poker players. Indeed these people who hide behind masks can be over run and slaughtered at a poker table easily. It may be possible though they would go ok playing online poker.

If a person hides behind a mask as they don’t want to know you, if they hide behind the mask to avoid you knowing them as a real person – this is when the good poker player steps in! These people have skill. I have seen it my whole life. They have complete control over which people they show their true colours too. These people can be brilliant poker players; their mask is the greatest of poker strategy. Unfortunately, there are a ton of these people who are far from humanly nice, but hey! Being nice doesn’t come into place while on the felt!

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Poker and Life and the Psychological Similarities

Poker and Life and the Psychological Similarities

“Life is a complicated thing to live!” I don’t think a single person on earth would disagree with that statement. No matter whom you are, what you do, or how much money you have there are always ups and downs. Combine poker into your life in an in-depth level and it becomes even more complicated; that’s what I have found anyway. But I am not here today to write about a poker life, rather; poker and life a simple comparison.

There are a lot of people out there that will benefit from this piece of writing which may not be for the light hearted. I hope you are one of those that benefit and I hope this gives you a good outlook and stronger persona on both of these topics “life” and “poker”.

I really went into deep thought the other day, about these two subjects and how one is comparable to the other; also the variables and the similarities. It all started with a conversation with a friend about “dealing with past” and all the crap that happens in peoples day to day lives; big or small. We went into deep converse about how some people can handle the psychological traumas inflicted on them and how some basically get sent to an asylum. Being two crazed poker playing lasses; the conversation changed to poker and life comparison. I will decipher this conversation minus any swear words which may have been part of it. Again; I hope this emphasises Poker and Life, and helps you in even the smallest kind of way with your poker game or your personal issues!

When it comes to life I have learnt that life is like a mass of poker hands, life IS poker as much as poker is my life.

There are bad beats in life that get us so down we are literally on the rail. There are sweet small victories where we think we have gotten on top and ahead when in reality; we are just climbing still. There are things we just can’t read into, things we have to fold and walk away from. The most important thing though when we see life as a game of poker is we have to move on from each and every hand.

We have to leave every hand behind us (to a certain degree). We have to leave the good ones and the bad ones as just a little memory tucked away for later use. There are lessons that we must keep with us; and closely in order to help us further on in life, but we use those lessons when needed; we don’t let them overcome us and sway our logical thinking and thought patterns.

Basically using life’s prior ups and downs as future indicators to help us along life’s path is like analysing if a player has a royal flush against our quad aces based on a previous hand. The thing is, we use those lessons when the time is right and when we need to otherwise we shouldn’t think of them (in reference to bad beats in life; in general – but also to victories; one must never be egotistic).

"Is this person about to burn me?" "What happened in that last hand?" these things fit together like snow white and rose red but they don’t always have to be 100% together, you see; every last hand is different but with some similarities.
In life and poker it is unlikely you would be dealt a bad beat exactly the same way as once before by a completely different man, person or situation. It is however expected that you will choose the same type of men/ persons and situations unintentionally in your life alike you would choose the same starting cards to call (Relationship statement based on common but in-depth scientific and psychological relationship comparison studies).

As for thinking of all the shit that gets dealt to you in life - that’s sends a person loopy, that’s like Doyle Brunson remembering every bad beat - 60 years of the never ending bad beats going over and in his head, he would have been institutionalised doing that. Doyle would be in a straight jacket! Who wouldn't?

Summary; if you can use the memories (lessons) from bad beats and victories in your poker at your own disposal and choice with 90% of them out of your every day thoughts, you can do the same in life; and likewise – If you can deal with the traumas, accomplishments and setbacks in life with them 90% out of your every day thoughts you will be a much stronger poker player and a very happy person regardless of what’s dealt up (90% is just a figure for us as an example – not an exact).

Poker and life go hand in hand, in my opinion anyway. Deal with both logically, systematically and sensibly. Venting a bad beat is the same as discussing a trauma with a counsellor. Some incidents are much harder to overcome; they take time, and they make us stronger and more equipped for the future. Those who don’t deal with things in a proper manor in both life and poker are looking at a downward spiral without a doubt.

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