What does it mean to be “process oriented” in relation to poker? A process oriented poker player would focus on getting better at the game and making correct decisions in each moment while not worrying about results of a given hand. If you keep your focus on the process, you can’t help but improve your game. Keep improving and the results will take care of themselves!
Staying process oriented is particularly important in tournaments. If you are a tournament poker player, there will be times where you lose hundreds, if not thousands of buy-ins. This is not because you are playing poorly, it is just the nature of tournament poker. If you let the outcomes (losing the tournament) drive your decisions, you will likely end up regressing in your poker game, rather than improving your play.
If you think about the definition of being “process oriented” a little deeper, you can start to take action on the idea. The “process” we are discussing is one that can be applied to any and all areas of discipline. I am going to lay out what an optimal process looks like for poker tournaments. If you can follow this guideline consistently over a one to two year period, you will vastly improve your game. It just takes focusing consistently over an extended period of time.
The process I recommend covers five separate areas:
Study (Tactical improvement)
Mental (Mental and emotional preparation daily, weekly, monthly)
Physical (This includes diet and exercising regularly)
Volume (Playing consistently over an extending period of time)
Rest (Take at least 1-2 days off every week to rest and recover)
STUDY
Write down hands while playing live and use APT’s HandCraft tool to create a hand history, or mark hands while playing online. Go back later and review any tricky hands. Consider whether you played them in an optimal manner, or whether you would take a different tack upon further reflection.
Review hands with peers (of greater AND lesser skill than you).
Open a solver or hand range chart and answer your own questions about how you played the hand.
Use Advanced Poker Training to practice how you might play this hand in future similar spots.
MENTAL
Create a meditation practice. Find an app like Calm or Headspace for short guided meditations, but any type of meditations that clears your mind and energy will do.
Reduce or eliminate negative self-talk. Replace it with more positive visions of how your game may play out.
Remind yourself what lies ahead for the day. Focus on the present, not some future outcome or concerns.
Find a purpose greater than yourself for your actions. Remind yourself how poker fits into that purpose.
PHYSICAL
You will not be able to play your best poker and stay process oriented if you are tired and out of shape. Exercise regularly – a minimum of three days a week. Four days a week works best for me. Exercise is also good for your mental and emotional health. It will help keep you on an even keel and reduce the probability that you will go on tilt at the table.
Physical exercise keeps your heart healthy which has any number of positive effects.
I won’t go into all the benefits of physical exercise, but suffice to say it can have positive effects on all other areas of life if you implement this on a regularly basis.
VOLUME
Staying process oriented in poker is all about volume. This is where a large chunk of your EV (expected value) comes from. If you are a tournament player, putting in volume can be a time consuming, arduous process. In the live setting this probably means playing as much as you possibly can. Realistically, it probably requires playing four to five days a week. Online you can get away with three days a week minimum.
REST
If you are putting in volume you will NEED days off. If it’s one day off, I’d suggest not even thinking about poker. Go out and do something you enjoy that gets your mind off of the grind. If you take two days off, I would suggest putting a little study time in on one of those days, just to keep you sharp before you jump back into the next week. Lay off of the caffeine and make sure that your mind gets ample rest as well as your body.
CONCLUSION
Staying process oriented in poker (particularly tournament poker) requires a high level of self reflection and self awareness. Humility is your friend. Ego is not. As we improve ourselves in our practice, physical, and emotional ways, we become a force at the tables that people will try to avoid. Be that person!
Cheers!
Mike
Want to read more from APT Pro Mike Wasserman? Try his article about the The Making of a Poker Pro.
