Kindle Highlights of The Mental Game of Poker

I was not even aware of the 'Kindle Highlights' feature that showed you the most highlighted sections of a book, but someone pointed it out to me last week. Here are what most of our readers choose to highlight from The Mental Game of Poker: 

While personal issues certainly affect performance, mental game problems can happen for far more simple reasons; for example, hating to make mistakes, having high expectations, and having a poor work ethic.

Highlighted by 11 Kindle users

‘When you look at a weather forecast and it says it’s going to rain, do you get mad when you go out and it’s raining? So why do you continually get angry when you know variance is going to happen?’

Highlighted by 12 Kindle users

You must stay focused on learning the correction to your weaknesses until it is trained to the level of Unconscious Competence—especially after your A-game improves.

Highlighted by 24 Kindle users

Preparation provides a way to make it more likely that you’ll perform in the front end of your ability, and less likely that your worst will show up.

Highlighted by 17 Kindle users

Here are some general things you can do to prepare to play: Review your long-term goals and set goals for the session. Review a list with the corrections to your common poker mistakes. Review your strategy for improving mental game issues. Use deep breathing, meditation, and/or visualization to steady and focus your mind. Listen to a favorite song.

Highlighted by 15 Kindle users

Look closely at tough decisions to see how you played them. Estimate how much variance influenced results. Calculate whether you accomplished the qualitative goals you set before the session. If you fell short, why? Review how you did in the areas you’re trying to improve (poker strategy and mental game). Did you see any progress? If you’re going to analyze hands later, write some game flow notes or thoughts about them that you may otherwise forget.

Highlighted by 25 Kindle users

Resolution keeps all the positive features that emotions add to your game and removes the negatives.

Highlighted by 18 Kindle users

When the emotional system becomes overactive, it shuts down higher brain functions.

Highlighted by 24 Kindle users

The only way you can stay in control at that time is by doing work off the table to reduce accumulated emotion.

Highlighted by 14 Kindle users

Recognition Deep Breath Injecting Logic Strategic Reminder Repeat as Necessary Quit

Highlighted by 19 Kindle users