Gautama Buddha(credit: Wikipedia)
When you’re game isn’t going well, you wonder what’s wrong. So many people seek answers outside of themselves. They blame the RNG (Random Number Generator), the card room, other players and so forth.
That’s not really the best course of action. Why? Poker is an individual game. You must work on yourself first and foremost. You play your game and no one can take you off your game but you.
Sure, this sounds all New Age-y and “Zen”, but it’s true. Your game belongs to you and you must take ownership for your mistakes. You must be willing to correct them to make yourself a better player. Blaming forces outside of yourself serves you little. You can’t control those forces. You can learn to control or master your reactions to those situations and action that come your way.
Sure, maybe the RNG didn’t favor you. Maybe the player irritated you. However…why do the players irritate you? They may be trying to get your goat, true, but there’s something inside you that responds to it. You can choose not to let it affect your game.
Truly you can.
So the next time something goes awry in a game, think about how you could have behaved, reacted or played differently to enact a different outcome. You’ll be surprised at the answers you’ll find.
If you can take it a step further and employ the suggestions needed to fix those mistakes, then you’re well on your way to becoming a world-class player.