Posts Tagged ‘poker players’
May 18th, 2009
I have found a large number of poker players who regularly practice some sort of meditation or conditioning to help keep them calm and mentally alert in the game. They are not the only ones.
We have all had times when we have experienced peak performance. Athletes call it being "In the Zone,"; Zen Masters call it "Being as One"; others call it "Experiencing Flow." It is that time when all outside distractions are blocked out and our concentration is devoted solely to the task at hand. It can happen in our everyday work, when we play a game, read a book, see a movie, or play poker. When this happens, we are totally unaware of outside forces and time seems to speed by. In my first tournament win I actually was so much in the zone I was unaware when I actually had taken over as chip leader. My total concentration was on the game. This was not the first time I had been in the zone and I later learned that with a little practice you can learn to trigger this state and enter the zone on command with the help of a post hypnotic anchor.
A friend and fellow gaming author introduced me to the work of late psychologist Steven Heller, who taught many people how to enter the zone to achieve peak performance. Further study led me to the work of others who use the same simple technique, which is a form of self-hypnosis and visualization. Here is how to do it.
1. Find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed. Sit in a chair or lie down and make yourself very comfortable.
2. Think of a time when you had one of your greatest achievements or a time when you were totally confident. This might be a night when you had your best win at the tables. In my case I use my first tournament win, when I was making all the right moves at the table. This will be your power image.
3. Now mentally visualize everything you felt and heard when your power image was taking place. Amplify the feelings and images in your mind. Make the sound louder and the picture brighter.
4. When you amplify your power image you will get a feeling of supreme confidence. You will feel a sudden burst of energy. When this happens, you squeeze your thumb and index finger together forming a circle. This becomes your physical anchor to this image. You can also repeat a name or phrase associated with this image as your squeeze your fingers together. I use the code phrase "concentrate."
5. Repeat this routine ten times visualizing your power image while bringing your fingers together and repeating your code phrase. This will reinforce the link between your fingers and the confident feeling.
6. Repeat this exercise once or twice a day. Eventually you will be able to trigger your confident feeling and peak performance any time you desire.
7. You can use this at the poker table if you suffer a bad beat or if you feel your concentration slipping away. You can also use this in your daily life, anytime you find yourself in a situation where you need to be confident when making decisions.
Tags: online poker, peak performance, poker players