How To Overcome Poker Anxiety
Playing poker is a feeling like no-other. The fun, excitement, adrenaline and high you get when winning a big poker hand is unmatched in our opinion. However, not enough people talk about the anxiety that can come with it, especially as a beginner.
The pressure to perform well, the fear of making mistakes, and the intensity of competition can create a stressful environment. It’s not uncommon for players who in some cases travel across the globe in order to attend huge tournaments, to feel anxious and stressed, to the point where all enjoyment is gone momentarily and the thought of backing out grows with each passing minute!
If you’ve ever experienced this before, or perhaps worry that you might feel extremely anxious and just emotionally fall to pieces prior to playing poker, especially in a tournament, then we want to share with you some of our top tips to help you overcome poker anxiety and still be able to play at your best level.
Preparation
Some people may look at this and laugh. Preparation? Like this is some sort of exam. Well in some ways, there is correlation between an exam and a poker tournament. Let’s show you how.
As a player, you should be familiarising yourself with the rules, strategies, and how the tournaments work. All of this preparation will allow you to have a more calm approach when attending or playing in a tournament. The more you know, the better.
Here are some preparation tips for you:
- Study the game - including hands.
- Practise your poker face.
- Practice online and test different strategies and ways of playing, seeing what suits you.
It’s very common for the top poker players to practise a lot online before hitting up a major poker tournament like the world series. They may practise in smaller online tournaments, or just play for fun at live casinos. To get started, we recommend finding one of the best poker sites like the ones at JohnSlots, create an account, claim your welcome bonus and start playing that way. At least if you can use your welcome bonus as funds, you’re under a lot less pressure as you’re playing risk-free.
Routine
Having a pre-game routine is a good way to keep yourself calm, composed and also busy in a way where you aren’t thinking about the stresses and nerves of playing poker.
It’s common for people to have routines before anything, perhaps it is an exam, or a sporting event, or a poker tournament. Here are some routine examples that you might find helpful:
- Meditation
- Exercise
- Music
- Reading
- Eating
What Can You Control?
A lot of stress, worry and anxiety comes from things that you can’t control. Which is understandable because as humans we do tend to get uncomfortable in situations that are out of our control.
But you need to find a way in which you can put this to the back of your mind and focus solely on the things you can control. If you perfect and prepare for things that are in your control, you’re giving yourself the best chance of the outcome you want.
Relating to poker tournaments and venues, things such as preparation and just turning up, are both aspects that are within your control and therefore master them to the best of your ability.
Control Your Breathing
When it comes to anxiety, one of the best solutions to lower anxiety levels or to overcome it completely is to control your breathing. Deep, controlled breathing is a powerful tool. When you feel anxious, your breathing may become shallow and rapid. By consciously slowing and deepening your breaths, you can activate your body's relaxation response.
Here’s a technique to try: Inhale slowly through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this process several times to help calm your nerves.
More Techniques
If the above options don’t necessarily work for you or perhaps you want something else to work in tandem with these, then here is a list of some more techniques: Keep a positive mindset, take breaks, learn from past experiences, keep hydrated and well nourished, speak to others.
Where Does Poker Fear Stem From?
There can be a range of causes for poker fear. Some may seem justified to some depending on previous experiences they’ve had, whereas others may be experiencing feelings that are completely out of the blue and out of character.
Here are some of the common poker fears that players have:
- Beating beaten
- Losing money
- Making bad decisions
Is Poker Anxiety Common?
If you feel like you’re experiencing poker anxiety then just know that it’s actually quite common. A lot of players, particularly in their early playing days will experience it. With time, it should lessen and if it doesn’t then there are a multitude of techniques and practices that you can try to see what works for you.
As a last resort, it could be worth seeking your healthcare professional and explaining your symptoms and feelings, in case there is something deeper that needs to be considered.
At the end of the day, poker is meant to be fun and enjoyed by the masses, so don’t let poker anxiety put you off.