Playing poker can turn into a highly lucrative career, if you get things right.  This is because poker is a difficult game to master. Unlike any other sports, poker is essentially a mind game that requires mental fortitude, patience, deep focus, emotional stability, and analytical thinking.
Things become more complicated especially if you’re a newcomer, as even learning all the basic concepts already takes a lot of time. But with hard work, determination and some help from the experts, you will get there, and sometimes, early success will take you by surprise.
You can draw inspiration from New York Times best-selling author Maria Konnikova and poker journey from being a total newbie to becoming an international poker champion.
Meeting Erik Seidel
Konnikova first heard of Erik Seidel in the movie Rounders and did a background check to find that he was a poker hall of famer. Upon learning about all of his accomplishments at the poker tables, she reached out to him and sought help for her new project based on the game of poker.
Siedel, a poker veteran and one of the most successful poker players in history, is known for his soft-spoken persona, silent strategy, and psychological approach to playing the game. He mentored Konnikova throughout the early stages of her poker career. She knew nothing about the game, she wasn’t familiar with the rules. She was treading unfamiliar territory.
Within ten months of learning the game and starting from the bottom, Konnikova won a No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in Paradise Island where she won $84,600. Fast forward to today, she now has over $300,000 in career earnings, her latest score was a 56th place finish in the $3,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller during the 2020 World Series of Poker Online Bracelet Series.
Konnikova is sharing her poker journey in her latest book The Biggest Bluff which was released back in June.
Poker Strategies From Konnikova
Konnikova learned a lot of valuable lessons from Seidel and she shares them in her book. Newbie poker players can benefit from the tips shared below.
Control is Key
You have no control over most of what happens in a game, but you can control how you react to them. And this is very important if you want to win. Your own emotions can become your worst enemy. Learn the art of controlling them.
Swallow Your Pride
Ego will only do more harm than good especially in poker. It limits your ability to accept new information. It prevents growth and gives false assurances. If you know you’ve made a mistake, humbly own up to it.
Remain Focused Especially In High Stakes Games
The normal environment inside the world of high stakes poker contains a lot of distractions preventing you from making informed decisions. In order to stay on track for your goals, try to do things that will allow you to regain focus, such as taking a short break, wearing headphones, or concentrating on your opponents’ hands rather than their faces.
Avoid Tells
Tells are not always reliable. They’re only useful if you’re able to generate a pattern out of frequently using them. If you’re still a newbie, it would be better to look away from tells as they are sometimes deceiving. Focus more on improving your decision making skills.
Be Flexible
Poker is an evolving game. You need have an open mind and accept new ideas. Relying on a single strategy won’t help you grow as a player. Always reconsider your decisions and figure out if they really fit the situation. Learn to balance things be open to change.
Focus on Your Decision Making
Winning in poker all boils down to the decisions you make at the table. You can’t control luck, but if you have a clear and coherent system of making decisions, it will be easier for you to pick the right move. This is something you should strive to improve throughout your career.
Don’t Dwell On Past Failures
One of Seidel’s guiding principles is to never focus too much on past mistakes as it only prevents you from concentrating on the present moment. Focus instead on the fresh opportunities that may come along your way. Stand up and go forward – always.