Vacation From Poker

A winning poker player has many arsenals in their bag when they hit the poker table. They know how to play certain situations, they know how to play certain players, and they know when it’s time to take a complete break from poker. In my opinion taking a break from the poker table can really help a player’s game, but every player has different ways to clear their mind. Some poker pros use yoga as a way to clear the mind, others use exercise to clear the mind, but I like to take a complete break from playing poker. After days, weeks, and even months of playing poker on a daily basis I believe that taking a ‘poker vacation’ will help your overall poker play. To me it’s like any job that a person has and it’s why we have weekends from the work week. It’s a chance for people to forget about work and it gives them a chance to unwind.

When playing online poker on a daily basis, it is very easy to fall into ‘auto pilot’ mode. ‘Auto pilot’ mode is when you are making decisions without thinking the hand through. A player is setting themselves up for failure when they are going through the motions at the poker table. This could be because you think you are playing solid poker, but in reality you are missing situations you would normally pick up on when playing your best. Playing poker just to play poker is the worst thing a player can do. In order to succeed in poker you have to be hungry, and you have to be motivated to win every poker session you sit down to play. If you lost your motivation or desire to play your best, take some time off from the tables to clear your mind. I have cleared my mind of poker and I have not played the game in the last week. I am becoming more anxious to hit the tables as times goes on, and the motivation to play solid poker is returning. This doesn’t just go for poker either. A break from any type of activity is helpful to clear the mind.

This technique may not work for everyone, but I know from experience that a break the game makes me remember why I love playing poker. If yoga or exercise is all you need to trigger the poker mind then by all means keep doing it. Taking a break is what I need to help my poker game during certain times. Find out what it is that helps your poker mind, so that you can play solid poker when sitting at the tables. Good luck at the tables my friends.

Craig Fleck