- A Clear Mind: Keeping Centered at the Table -

Christal Ashley

In my article entitled, “The Power you hold as a Woman at a Poker Table” I had talked about the effects of belittling words at a table. I had also mentioned how for the first three months I played I wore headphones at the table. At that point of my game, the way I kept my mind clear was to shut out the chatter. If I couldn’t hear the comments, they couldn’t affect me. As you continue to play poker, your game will change and progress, and the way you react to certain things at a table will change. The key is to always have something that will center you again.

Imagine this, when playing poker you are a piece of silly putty. Stay with me here, it will make sense. When you are centered in your game, you are a ball; all of your potential is with you. As a ball, you are in control, you can bounce, and you can “roll” with the punches. Now, someone at the table calls your all-in with Q-J suited against your aces, hits two pair, and doubles up through you. If you do not center yourself and you allow yourself to go on tilt, you begin to stretch. Your energy moves away from you. If you remember from your childhood, when silly putty stretches, it weakens. Holes appear, and eventually it breaks. It is the same with poker, if you go on tilt, you begin to play too many hands, or you allow your emotions to affect the way you play, and this can cause gaps or breaks in your game.

Another instance, someone at the table makes a distasteful comment about women poker players. Either to get you on tilt, or (and I find this is mostly the case) to cover up his own insecurities about playing against an awesome lady of the table. If you do not remain as a ball and let that comment bounce right off you, it will become printed on you. Remember how you could copy newsprint and the such with silly putty? If you allow that comment to affect you, it’s printed all over you and just like silly putty with news print, your game can become dirty and discolored.

The worst thing you can do at the table is put yourself back in the egg. When you allow bad beats or rude comments to effect your game to the point that you go back in the egg, you become entirely too tight. By going back in the egg, I mean you fold too easily to bets, or you don’t raise where you need to. You become so affected by what happened in a prior hand or conversation that you tighten up to the point that you start to blind off. You have to stay in the game, and when you’re in the egg, you’re not playing at your full potential.

The point I would like to make here, is you have to have something that centers you at a poker table. When you begin to stretch, you must have a process to roll yourself back into that ball of great poker energy, and stay clean from bad newsprint.

I have used several methods over the past couple of years to center myself while playing. I started with a phrase that I still use to this day. I simply repeat in my mind, “Play Calm, Play Smart”. That is my personal poker mantra, it makes my mind realize that I must stay calm, and play my best game. Another method I have tried is when I start to tilt, on the headphones it is classical music. Classical music relaxes me; I usually play it during hot baths and quiet reading time, so it takes me to that place in my mind. I have also tried thinking of certain wonderful times in my life, or simply visualizing winning a big hand or taking down the tourney. It reminds you of why you are there, and you are there to win!

Over the next few weeks while you play, try to find what centers you. A place, image or mantra that you can envision in your mind to help you stay in control of your game. And remember that as you progress with your game, whether it’s trying out Omaha, or going up a limit in your cash game, you might need to change how you center yourself. And always remember, stay out of the egg!

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