The majority of poker players around the world will be getting into goal setting mode as they will want to make 2020 the best year in terms of winnings and accomplishments. Setting goals and journaling are two key aspects that will help you on your poker journey but there are also a few other things that you need to keep in mind throughout 2020 in order to be more consistent at the poker tables.
We share with you five key tips that many of you will already know but it still bears repeating as these are the basics that you must master if you want to be a successful poker player. These five tips are applicable whether you are playing live poker tournaments or online poker tournaments.
Manage Your Bankroll: This cannot be stressed enough as poor bank management can not only bankrupt you but also get you into a lot of financial and emotional trouble. You need to take stock of your financial life and make a decision as to how much money you are going to use to fund your poker runs.
If you have a decent bank balance, you might be able to plan for the next 12 months or the next months. However, if you have a low bank balance, then you might be able to only plan for the next 30 days or 90 days at best. Whatever it is, it is best for you to know exactly how much money you are going to spend at the poker tables.
Set a weekly or monthly bankroll and make sure you never surpass this. If you don’t set any limits or set limits but are not able to keep them, it is highly likely that you will blow your bankroll in no time and then not be able to play all the poker tournaments that you initially wanted to plan.
Manage Your Emotions: The best poker players in the world all admit that poker is an emotional rollercoaster. There are more lows than highs even for the best players in the world. If you prepare yourself to be ready for these ups and downs throughout 2020, you are more likely to bounce back quickly from a loss.
Set Poker Goals: You might have set life goals and financial goals for 2020 but have you set specific poker goals? Have you decided what are the live poker tournaments you are going to play in the first 6 months of the year? Have you decided how many online poker tournaments you are going to play this year?
Apart from this, you should also set goals in terms of improving your poker knowledge and developing your overall poker strategy. This could mean enrolling yourself in a poker course, reading x number of poker books per month and taking time off to watch poker videos and live streams to learn from some of the top poker players in the world.
Poker Journaling: If you have never done it before, you should think about starting a journal dedicated to your poker player. Make it a habit to write down your poker experiences on a daily basis. This can cover topics such as what poker lessons you have learn through study and through experience, what emotions you felt at the poker table, your highs and lows as well as the mistakes you felt you made because you did not follow your intuition.
Poker journaling is one way to track your progress as a player and will make you more dedicated to the game.
Poker Staking: If you are a poker player who is interested in moving up to mid-stakes or high stakes poker but don’t have a big bankroll, you should think about poker staking. You can join sites like YouStake and see if you can find poker backers who are willing to financially back you and help you enter top poker events. Do learn more about poker staking before you decide to jump right in.
If you follow these basic steps in 2020, you should end up having a more consistent run at the poker tables.