\u201cI believe a man is a professional when he can do what needs to be done no matter how he feels within. An amateur is an amateur in his attitude emotionally. A professional is a professional in the way he thinks and feels and in his ability to execute under the most trying conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[Think of] the deer crossing an open field and upon approaching the clearing\u2026suddenly instinct tells him danger is there, and nature begins the survival process, which involves the body releasing adrenalin into the bloodstream, causing the heart to beat faster and enabling the deer to perform extraordinary feats of agility and strength\u2026It enables the deer to get out of range of the danger, helps him escape to the safety of the forest across the clearing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou must understand fear so you can manipulate it. Fear is like fire. <\/strong>You can make it work for you: It can warm you in winter, cook your food when you\u2019re hungry, give you light when you are in the dark, and produce energy. Let it go out of control and it can hurt you, even kill you\u2026Fear is a friend of exceptional people\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI tell my kids, what is the difference between a hero and a coward? What is the difference between being yellow and being brave? No difference. Only what you do. They both feel the same. They both fear dying and getting hurt. The man who is yellow refuses to face up to what he\u2019s got to face. The hero is more disciplined, and he fights those feelings off and he does what he has to do. But they both feel the same, the hero and the coward. People who watch you judge you on what you do, not how you feel.\u201d \u2013 Cus D\u2019amato, legendary boxing trainer<\/p>\n\n\n\n No-Limit Hold\u2019em<\/a> is the fist-fight of poker variants. Tournament No-Limit Hold\u2019em is the heavyweight version. One all-in, one-shot can change the course of an entire event. There\u2019s nowhere to hide with 40-50 big blind stacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to expect it.<\/strong> Before you start a day three or day four live, say to yourself in the mirror, \u201cAt some point today, I am going to lose 50-75% of my chips. My response to that event is going to determine how I do in this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have watched more tournament poker than anyone I know. It is extremely rare to watch a tournament win in which the player doesn\u2019t lose most of his chips at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s even a word for it. That\u2019s how rare perfect tournaments are. If a guy doesn\u2019t lose a huge pot at some point in the tournament, the announcers will say, \u201che\u2019s going wire-to-wire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s just like boxing. If you watch any championship event, you\u2019ll see the champ eat a horrible shot at some point. It\u2019s his reaction to the event that makes us love him. That\u2019s what makes grown men stand in their seats and clap till their hands bleed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, poker<\/a> isn\u2019t nearly as manly as a boxing or MMA match is. But for us mere mortals, day four of a tournament can be pretty painful. You\u2019re almost always delirious at that point. Your head is buzzing from being drowned in casino noise for four days while you try to decipher every little bet, move, and tell. It\u2019s like taking a standardized test for eight to ten hours a day while sitting next to slot machines and hundreds of people shuffling chips. You\u2019re not feeling so hot after a little while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you\u2019re likely to lose most of your chips because good players tend to make it deep in tournaments<\/a>, and good players are aggressive. Aggressive players create big pots, which are big opportunities to lose most of your chips.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEvery time you play tournament poker, you can expect to get hit in the face.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Poker is your chance to find that strength within yourself.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n