{"id":1360477,"date":"2020-01-30T21:12:36","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T21:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/?p=1360477"},"modified":"2025-12-29T14:40:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T14:40:59","slug":"winning-poker-mindset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/winning-poker-mindset\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning Poker Mindset: Top 5 Things You Should Control!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The reason I love writing about poker is it\u2019s very much writing about life.<strong> If you don\u2019t have your life in order, you will not <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-poker\/\" title=\"How to Play Poker: Winning Strategy for Beginners\">play winning poker<\/a>. <\/strong>Unless your training is simply impeccable, you will fly off the handle at some point. It takes years and years of deliberate study to get your game down to a science. But it merely takes daily discipline to make sure you show up to the game with an open mind, willing to take what the table gives you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<font color=\"grey\"><b>Here&#8217;s what you&#8217;ll learn:<\/b><\/font>\n<ul class=\"toc_list\">\n  <li><a href=\"#dogs_life\">A Dog&#8217;s Life<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#listen_wise\">Listen to the Wiser<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#control_media\">1. Control the Media You Consume<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#control_culture\">2. Control the Culture Around You<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#control_body\">3. Control What Goes Into Your Body<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#control_sleep\">4. Control Your Sleep<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#control_exercise\">5. Control Your Exercise<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-css-opacity has-background\" style=\"background-color:#45a532;color:#45a532\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dogs_life\">A Dog&#8217;s Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It never ceases to amaze me how humans will treat their dogs better than themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll hear many intelligent people say, \u201cOh, he\u2019s an Aussie Shepard. He needs to exercise every day, or he\u2019ll go nuts. He also needs to work on problems. Agility tests, herding, learning new commands\u2026something. Otherwise, that dog will just chew on themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you put any dog in a small room, it will go insane.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet humans have no respect for the fact that they are a far more complex and easily exasperated animal than a dog. They will put themselves in a small room all day, giving themselves no mental or physical stimulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"listen_wise\">Listen to the Wiser<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I started my adult life renting out a garage. I paid for my garage with landscaping work. I literally didn\u2019t have a toilet in the place. The landlord was a great guy and let me use his when he was awake, but at night, I\u2019d have to run to some nearby bushes to take care of my business. That summer, I worked as a commercial fisherman. I put in literal 100+ hour weeks while everyone else was partying before college started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I now live in Queens, about ten minutes outside of Manhattan. I have health insurance and most of my teeth. I haven\u2019t worked a \u201creal\u201d job since 2006. I\u2019m not rich, but I enjoy myself. I like working on my own schedule. I have time to read. I get to travel a good deal. I\u2019m happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I got from point A to point B without any special talent. What I did do was pay attention to people wealthier than I was. Successful people love to share their wisdom if you\u2019re humble enough to accept it.\u00a0 Nobody ever asks them about their process. When they tell you what they did to reach the top, they get to relive the thrill of the hunt, the thrill of the game. You both benefit from this relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you\u2019ll learn from all of them is more or less the same thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They control what goes into their gas tank.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can\u2019t run on fumes. Similarly, you can\u2019t succeed with a fatalist culture surrounding you in either your friend group or your chosen media.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No dog can become the best in the show if it\u2019s locked up in a kennel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost every one of my mentors taught me the following rules. I hope they can help you enjoy your life more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"control_media\">1. <strong>Control The Media You Consume<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/man-coffee-cup-pen-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Media You Consume | Poker Coaching\" class=\"wp-image-1381494\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This is a big one that hasn\u2019t been discussed much in poker literature.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Constantly exposing yourself to drama will burn you out. It will also give you a glib view of the world that will carry over to your execution of fundamentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To stay informed, find a neutral news source from another country. BBC will cover the United States, for example, and will not offer their opinion on any of the developments. You\u2019ll also get the main beats of the story in three minutes as opposed to thirty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To stay informed about poker, you should cultivate small groups of guys who are devouring different <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-strategy-tips\/\" title=\"Poker Strategy 101 \u2013 How to Win in Poker More Often\">poker strategy<\/a> materials. If you trust the person, they can curate what is important and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you watch strategy materials, it\u2019s important not to waste time on bad ones. Whenever possible, download the videos, play them at 2X speed, and listen to what the person is saying. If it\u2019s meaningful, go back to the important section and watch it several times while taking notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s almost no need to pay attention to poker gossip. It could be to your benefit to not know who just won what. You will take people as they are when you play with them, as opposed to psyching yourself out with their recent results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"control_culture\">2.<strong> Control the Culture Around You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/blurred-background-cap-close-up-coach-1618044-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Culture | Poker Coaching\" class=\"wp-image-1381503\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many fatalist types in <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-poker\/\" title=\"How to Play Poker: Winning Strategy for Beginners\">poker<\/a>. They create a programming you can\u2019t get out of. \u201cYou lost? Must be because you\u2019re unlucky.\u201d That statement means you can\u2019t do anything about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The guys who tell you, \u201clawl standard!\u201d are essentially saying the science is settled in poker. There\u2019s no room for improvement for anyone. We\u2019re all just supposed to trade coolers until we die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most successful people surround themselves with people who don\u2019t like excuses. Sports psychologists will hear a client\u2019s particularly dreadful claims and go, \u201cWow, that sucks, but what are you going to do about it?\u201d There\u2019s no room for judgment or unwarranted sympathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want people around you who will always be asking, \u201cWhat are you going to do about it?\u201d Real winners are not judgmental, but they don\u2019t want to hear your excuses, either. They\u2019ll go, \u201cWhat can we do about this?\u201d They\u2019ll give you their notes. They will make it clear that your success is your responsibility, and they will help you on the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"control_body\">3. <strong>Control What Goes Into Your Body<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/spinach-chicken-pomegranate-salad-5938-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Healthy Food for Poker Players | Poker Coaching\" class=\"wp-image-1381461\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If a scientist came up to you and said, \u201cI\u2019ll pay you a $100 to eat nothing but free McDonald\u2019s for a week\u201d what would you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of us would say no. We know we would feel so terrible at the end of the week it wouldn\u2019t be worth the $100 and the lack of a grocery bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why would we feel terrible? McDonald\u2019s is full of carbs in the burgers and fries and sugars in the soft drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, many of us will run that exact same experiment without being paid every week of our lives. We get something filled with carbs in the morning, be it a muffin, hash brown, toast, or cereal. All those low-fat \u201chealthy\u201d options of yogurt and cereal bars are just loaded with sugar. We get to lunch and dinner and load up on processed food, which is loaded with sugars. At night, we have a couple of beers, which is essentially liquid bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most hyper-successful people seem to have the same diet: They\u2019re extremely careful about the processed food they put in their system. They stay away from sugar and carbs. They\u2019ll go with fruit if they\u2019re getting carb cravings. Some of the hardcore health nuts will go headfirst into the vegetables (the golden standard of human fuel), but many just eat fish, eggs, poultry, mixed nuts, and other proteins that keep them full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019ll still eat bad on occasion. They\u2019re human. But they\u2019ll wait till the weekend or when they are away from work to indulge. They won\u2019t do it for more than one or two meals a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people reading this are going, \u201cyeah, I\u2019ve read this before\u201d but they don\u2019t understand the severity of the situation. Tons of poker players got to that next level when they overhauled their diet. There\u2019s basic scientific reasoning for this too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>According to Dr. Robert H. Lustig, who wrote <em>The Hacking Of The American Mind, <\/em>sugar is one of the key precursors to depression and lethargy. However, tryptophan (nuts, cheese, chicken, beans, turkey, eggs) increases serotonin, which helps ward off depression and lethargy. Omega 3s (wild-caught fish, nuts) have been shown in some newer studies to help patients with their depression, although the science is still catching up with the fish oil trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"control_sleep\">4. <strong>Control Your Sleep<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/man-sleeping-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Sleep | Poker Caching\" class=\"wp-image-1381476\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, we\u2019re hitting the basics here, but if we can\u2019t master the basics, we won\u2019t get anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many poker players have gotten to another level by simply monitoring their sleep hygiene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a personal note, I have abused my sleep cycles more than any other person I\u2019ve met my age. I\u2019ve probably pulled more all-nighters than anyone should ever pull in their life. My longest sessions were 40+ hours, and I used to engage in them with regularity. I slept six hours a night for years while I was building businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can say with full confidence it\u2019s almost never intelligent to engage in any of that activity. If you\u2019re working intelligently and without distractions, you can always get eight hours of sleep. It makes a world of difference when it comes to emotional regulation, problem-solving, and short-term memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To get the best sleep you can get, it\u2019s recommended you find the right temperature you like to sleep in. Professional athletes are freaks about this for a reason. It\u2019s been shown to change performance. You should also wear a sleeping mask because light coming through the windows to any degree will disturb your sleep quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, use a Sleep Cycle alarm clock, which determines when you\u2019re in light sleep. Due to our circadian rhythms, we can sometimes have an alarm clock wake us up during a deep sleep, which will leave us feeling screwed up for hours, if not the whole day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blue light is known to obliterate good sleep, so get blue light-blocking glasses. Don\u2019t drink caffeine within eight hours of bedtime. You might still be sleeping eight hours, but it won\u2019t be of the same quality if you have caffeine bubbling through your skull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"control_exercise\">5. <strong>Control Your Exercise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, don\u2019t leave yourself in a kennel all day. Dogs go crazy when they\u2019re stuck in a small area, and you\u2019re far more complex than a dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t have to go be a muscle head somewhere. Just get outside. Go for a walk and listen to audiobooks, at the very least. Get some fresh air. Let your mind idle a bit outside of the office or family life. Take a moment for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to increase your energy the most, the best bang for your buck is the weight room. I was a distance runner for the first seven years I played poker professionally. However, consistent cardio left me brittle with a little runner\u2019s belly, even if I could run 50+ miles in a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/how-to-start-lifting-weights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Weight lifting is essentially intense stretching.<\/a> You can do a squat without weight. <strong>However, if you add a bar and put some weight on it, you\u2019ll get the benefits of hundreds of squats in a matter of seconds.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you build even moderate muscle it will help you burn more calories. You\u2019ll feel more clearheaded at the table with the endorphin rush of lifting in the morning. It will leave you feeling loose and without stress. A surprising number of elite performers, both men and women, love weight room exercises for these reasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The reason I love writing about poker is it\u2019s very much writing about life. If you don\u2019t have your life in order, you will not play winning poker. Unless your training is simply impeccable, you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":2516195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,877],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1360477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mindset-lifestyle","category-poker-basics"],"acf":{"peak_live_date":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2.jpg",1200,628,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2-373x210.jpg",373,210,true],"medium":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2-746x390.jpg",746,390,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2-768x402.jpg",768,402,true],"large":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2-1024x536.jpg",1024,536,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2.jpg",1200,628,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2.jpg",1200,628,false],"author_image":["https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WinningPokerFeat2.jpg",100,52,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Alex Fitzgerald","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/alex_fitzgerald\/"},"uagb_comment_info":4,"uagb_excerpt":"The reason I love writing about poker is it\u2019s very much writing about life. If you don\u2019t have your life in order, you will not play winning poker. Unless your training is simply impeccable, you [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1360477"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2534431,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360477\/revisions\/2534431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2516195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1360477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1360477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1360477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}