I thought with the new year coming tomorrow, this would be a good time to get this second part of the article finally out.
lol I’m such a slacker! I hope it gives you a little help towards staying on track! I know I need it myself! lol Clearly my New Years resolution needs to be stopping my procrastination! lol No better, or more cliche, time to get our acts together than the NEW YEAR! lol Hopefully by now you’ve had the time to implement the first articles tips and have seen some improvement in your game! Proper sleep and an exercise routine are obviously no brainers, right?! Now it’s time to give you the real game changers! The things I do before every session that I know have improved my game and my life! I’ll still just be giving a basic rundown of what I do on a daily basis to give everyone some insight and hopefully to give you all some idea on how to set up your own routine. So let’s dive into part 2 now!
Meditation
Wait! Don’t stop reading yet! lol I’m not gonna get all hipster and granola on you! We don’t even need to get close to any kind of Zen and poker discussion (but it’s a good discussion lol) I know meditation isn’t for everyone, and I know that because I have been one of those people for a long time! And I can’t even try to preach to you because, honestly, it’s still a struggle for me! Sitting still and purposely trying to do nothing for any amount of time is tough, especially when I know there’s so much poker just waiting for me! But there hasn’t been a session or a day for that matter, that meditating didn’t improve somehow. It just simply works for me. It calms my anxious thoughts and focuses my brain. I can’t recommend it enough. What poker player couldn’t benefit from lowering stress levels while at the same time giving an mental boost? After trying it, I know you will agree. Like I said though, its still a struggle, so I use an app called Headspace to help guide me through and keep me on a schedule. There’s plenty to choose from though, and I know Elliot Roe at pokermindcoach.com has some MP3s specifically for poker players. I might try his stuff next, since its obviously made just for us! If niether of those are for you, then just sit still and quiet for 5 minutes before you play and zone out! lol whatever option, the point is just try it! It can’t hurt!
Nutrition
I was on the fence about including this in the article, with it being such a huge topic, but the blogs called 2Fit2Fold, how could I not! lol Plus, the more time I spend at home grinding the more important I realize this subject is. Mostly because I feel like its so overlooked! How can something so critical to our performance, both on and off the tables, be such a small topic among players? There’s several articles we could make on this, but I’ll try to keep it short and on point by just talking about what I do for pregame. My preferred meal is a mix greens salad with tuna fish and a small piece of fruit. I use extra virgin olive oil, mixed with balsamic for dressing, as well as a brain boosting healthy fat. I also mix up a teaspoon or two of coconut oil in some black coffee for a pick me up that will last alot longer than traditional high fat, sugar laden desserts that most people drink! lol During play hardly eat any starchy carbs, unless its an very long session or my options are really limited (say 2am in the poker room lol) I’ll drink water and Green Tea throughout the session as well. Pretty simple, but effective stuff you can try out yourself and see an immediate improvement in your focus and health. It’s not rocket science guys, eating healthy is easier than ever and you know will improve your game, stop making excuses! Now, I know there’s plenty of very UNhealthy players that are very good at poker. lol I would actually say most of the “pros” we look up to are out of shape, to say the least, but imagine how much better they would be if they had the proper mental fuel to play! I think there’s at least a trend right now of players “trying” to get healthy though, so at least that’s a start! But even more reason for us to step our game up. Stay ahead of the curve people!
Brain games and session review
Just like it sounds lol I use an app called Elevate and recently have also started Luminosity. They are quick and a lot of them involve math, which I basically always sucked at until I got into poker, so I always still need a little prep work to get that part of my brain working.lol I don’t think there are gonna turn me into Albert Einstein, but taking ten minutes of my day to improve my brain health and get my mindset right for session is another “no brainer” lol get it!? After that I usually do a quick session review on either my HUD or hand histories. Nothing crazy in depth, but just look for some spots I think I could have played better to get my “poker brain” ready and give me some kind of “leak” to focus on improving. Sometimes I’ll also use Jonathan Little’s Poker Coaching site, for a hand quiz or two. It’s a bit pricey though, so if you wanna save the money, he also puts out one free new hand review a week on his site. There’s over 100 now i think, so that should last you a while lol.One last thing I do specifically for online, is to make sure my HUD is running properly and take note of every players stats before playing. Seems simple enough, but as someone who “technologically challenged”, its a must lol. Making sure everything I need is running properly before I dive in, goes a long way in the battle against tilt. Also, making a quick note of their stats is always a good habit that translates well into “profiling” players in live games.
So there you have it, my basic warm up before I play! Like I said at the start though, I have been slacking and am going to take this New Year opportunity to get refocused! I know it seems like alot and might be a big change for alot of you, but I also know what a huge positive difference I see in not only my game but my overall Happiness EV in life!
Good consistent sleep
Proper Nutrition
Good work space
Exercise routine
Meditation
Brain Games and Session Review/Study
HUD/Player Profiling
I hope you will try out some, if not all, of these pre game ideas and use them to crush 2017!! Happy New year and Good luck at the tables! If you have any questions about any of these or want more tips about my poker routines, hit me up in the comments below, send me an message on any 2fit2fold on social media, or come check out my Twitch stream at www.twitch.tv/2fit2fold! Be sure to stay tuned to Everygame Poker for some big things in 2017!!!