Poker: A Mental Game – 5 Tips for a Winning Mindset

Hey everyone!

If you’re into poker, you already know that it’s much more than just a game of cards. Sure, it’s important to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, but beyond all the skills of betting, bluffing, and reading opponents, poker is a battle of the mind. It’s a mental game—one where resilience, patience, and the right attitude can make all the difference. Building mental resilience isn’t easy, but just like any muscle, it can be trained and developed. In today’s blog, I want to share five essential tips to help you develop a winning poker mindset.

 1. Focus on Strategy, Not Results

Poker can be brutal. There’s no getting around it—sometimes, luck isn’t in your favor and get outdrawn on and it really sucks to lose. But here’s the thing: you can't control the outcome of each hand. Bad beats happen, and you’ll get outdrawn at the worst times. The key is to focus on what you can control—your strategy and your decision-making process.

Before you sit down to play, whether it's a tournament or a cash game, be prepared. Have a clear understanding of your pre-flop and post-flop strategies. If you’re a tournament player, know how to adapt your approach depending on the different stages of the tournament and your stack size. Don’t just try to figure things out on the fly—have a game plan.

Variance is an inevitable part of poker; luck will sway back and forth. The important thing is to trust in your strategy and focus on execution. Results are secondary to making the right decisions. In the long run, consistent execution of a solid strategy will bring the rewards.

2. Give Yourself Time to Evaluate and Review

We've all had hands that haunted us for days. Maybe you should have raised more, maybe you should have folded—these thoughts can get stuck in your head and end up harming your confidence. Obsessing over your mistakes is like getting hit by a "second arrow," as described in a Buddhist parable: the first arrow is the event itself—the mistake. The second arrow is your reaction to it—the ongoing mental punishment.

To avoid that second arrow, set aside specific time for review. After a session, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, allocate a scheduled time to evaluate key hands and your decisions. This way, you’re creating a productive space for learning, rather than letting mistakes eat at you endlessly.

Focus your reviews on execution. Ask yourself: Did I follow my strategy? If not, what adjustments do I need to make? Separate your evaluation from the emotional rollercoaster of wins and losses. This is what keeps your learning on track and helps you grow as a player.

Process First: Execution Over Outcomes

Winning is a byproduct of consistently making the right choices. To keep a winning mindset, always prioritize the process over the outcome. Concentrate on executing your strategy correctly rather than obsessing over short-term wins or losses.

Create an evaluation process that works for you. One effective method is this three-step process:

1. Evaluate – How did it go? What worked, and what needs improvement?
2. Rehearse Correction – What could you have done differently? Where did your execution shine, and where was there room for improvement?
3. Let It Go – Once you’ve evaluated the session and rehearsed the changes, let go. You can't change what happened, the most you can do is learn from it.

3. Study the Game Your Playing

Identify one specific area—your "one thing"—to focus on improving in each session. This will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and ensure that your learning is targeted and practical.

When studying, eliminate obstacles and distractions and try to find like-minded Players, who share your goals. There are certain things that will hold you back if you let them, and they’re not always obvious. To keep a sharp and winning mindset, work on eliminating these obstacles from your life:

- Distractions – Focus is crucial in poker. When playing, try to eliminate anything that might distract you from your game, the same holds true when you’re learning.

- Bad Habits – Whether it’s skipping study sessions, playing tired, or jumping stakes when frustrated, identify and work on eliminating bad habits.

- Negative Thoughts – Self-doubt and negative thoughts can spiral out of control, especially after a loss. Remember to reframe setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. If your plan is to become great at poker, remember that! Setbacks will occur, don’t let negativity diminish your goals.

- Negative People – We’re the average of the people we surround ourselves with. If someone around you is overly negative or unsupportive of your poker journey, their influence can drag you down. Some relationships you can’t control; I remember my mom had a hard time when I started playing cards, but having friends to support my journey is very valuable.

Seek out like-minded people who share your passion for poker. Having a supportive group can make all the difference—whether that’s a study group, online community, or just a few poker buddies who push you to be better. You are the average of the seven people closest to you—choose wisely.

4. Building a Professional Mindset

Even if you have no plans or aspirations of going pro, you can still adopt the mindset of a professional poker player. It’s all about consistency and discipline. First, decide on your goals. What do you want to achieve with your poker game? Then, figure out what it will take to get there—the time, effort, and dedication required. Treat poker like a job, not a hobby, if you want serious results.

1.     Adopt A Good Pregame Routine

A good pregame routine can help you enter the right frame of mind before you play. Creating a pregame ritual is about putting yourself in the best position to succeed, both mentally and physically. Here are four steps that can help you set the tone for a successful poker session:

1. Meditate for 10 Minutes – Meditation is a great tool for poker players. Taking ten minutes to meditate before a session helps calm the mind, center your thoughts, and eliminate unnecessary distractions. As Sam Harris once said, "Meditation is a way to get to know the one person who truly matters in your life—yourself." In poker, knowing yourself is crucial. When your mind is clear, you can better focus on making the right decisions, even in high-pressure situations.
2. Practice Drills – Before you start playing, take time to review certain spots or practice specific drills. This could involve reviewing hands where you felt unsure or practicing calculations for pot odds or equity. Think of this as warming up—just like an athlete wouldn’t jump into a game without stretching, a poker player shouldn’t jump into a session without a warm-up. Reviewing potential decision points helps you stay sharp and prepares your brain to tackle similar situations at the table. As Bruce Lee said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
3. Exercise – Physical exercise is incredibly beneficial for mental performance. Exercise not only keeps your body in shape but also boosts your mood and improves cognitive function. Studies show that even moderate exercise can help reduce anxiety and enhance focus—two essential qualities for poker players. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, "Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body." By incorporating physical activity into your pregame routine, you'll enter each session feeling more energized and less stressed, ready to play your best.
4. Get Enough Sleep – Lack of sleep is a silent killer for many poker players. Fatigue impacts decision-making, reaction time, and even emotional stability—all crucial factors in poker. As sleep researcher Matthew Walker notes, "The shorter you sleep, the shorter your life span." For poker, the takeaway is clear: if you want to make sharp, well-thought-out decisions, you need to be well-rested. Make sleep a priority so you can approach each session with a clear mind and fresh perspective. It's one of the easiest ways to gain an edge over players who might be showing up tired or mentally drained.

Conclusion

Poker is a game that requires skill, resilience, and a winning mindset. It's not just about the cards you play, but how you approach every aspect of the game, both on and off the table. The best poker players aren’t the ones who win every time—they’re the ones who keep learning, keep adapting, and keep showing up, even when things get tough.

By focusing on strategy over outcomes, reviewing your play at the right times, embracing a good pregame routine and building a professional mindset, you’ll be well on your way to developing the kind of mental game that will set you apart at the poker table.

Remember, mental resilience is like a muscle—it grows stronger the more you work on it. Keep pushing, keep playing, and most importantly, keep having fun. That’s what poker is all about.

See you at the tables.

Alon Marcus