Everything Poker

I have found that one of the biggest problems with my poker game is lack of proper preparation. Through my experiences and through conversations with other players at the poker tables I have found there is quite a variance on this when considering other players’ points of view. Some players just play without really doing any prep. Some spend a lot of time preparing for their time at the table. I find my problem with the proper preparation is simply time.

There are many ways to prepare for a game. Whether it be shuffling your chips in your hand while in thought. Or simply reading texas holdem poker books. I have a friend who likes to shuffle out the cards and deal to imaginary players around him so he can randomly simulate the decision making process. I’ve done this one before and even gone so far as taking chips out of one of my clay chip sets to simulate the other players stacks!

The simplest form of preparation is developing your skills and knowledge through reading. This doesn’t just mean reading books. There is also a growing amount of knowledge on the internet through poker forums. There are also many monthly magazines. I find these are preparation for a Las Vegas chip accumulation run due to the information refreshes itself on a monthly basis.

Preparation does not have to be centered around poker. I have found something fantastic that works for me is meditation. This helps to get one in the proper mindset to rake in the texas holdem poker chips. I have even found myself trying this at the poker tables as an exercise. I close my eyes and visualize my opponents poker chip stacks in front of me.

Another way to prepare for playing poker is by becoming well rounded in other more technical areas. Learning about things like business and finance has a lot to do with poker. I like to view my moves at the tables with my world tour poker chips as mini investments. My initial buy in is an investment. I like to view my overall poker life as a side “business”.

Some players take the point of view that no preparation is required at all. These players range from one extreme to the other in terms of poker knowledge and skill. There are some players that just don’t need to prepare because they are gifted. Even a bad player may have no need to prepare if his overall goal is just to have fun and that’s how he defines a win. Many players don’t prepare at all because they are under the impression that they already know enough.

Everyone has a different point of view as to how they want to handle that clay chip set down in front of them. That’s what makes the game of poker so unique. Poker is for each individual what they make of it. Some people ironically even sit down at the table with the intention of losing every last chip set down in front of them. And they know they will have a grand time in the process.