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Bryn's Blog
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Self Confidence in Poker |
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 Importance of self confidence in poker, by Marcus Bateman, Betfair Poker
'All it takes is confidence' - Bryn Kenney, professional poker player and winner of over one million dollars in online cash games and tournaments.
OK, maybe you need a little more than just confidence (sorry Bryn), and you will need to learn about the ins and outs of the game to a high level, but what Bryn is saying is actually very close to being true. Confidence is a huge part of any poker players game, and if you start to lose it you will quickly start losing that other all important part of poker - money.
This is particularly true in 'big bet' games such as no limit hold'em and pot limit Omaha, where your confidence levels have to be consistently high due to the razor edge decisions you frequently have to make. If you are not confident in your game then you will not feel able to make those all important big bluffs and calls which separate the winners from the losers and break even players in these games.
When your confidence is running high it can feel like any game on earth is beatable, with a player able to consistently bully and read their opponents with an aggressive and confident style. When you lose your confidence the opposite is usually true - you feel like a fish at every table you sit down at, seem to lose part after pot when you lack the courage to fire that last bullet or make that key call, and generally just haemorrhage money in every direction.
The hardest thing to deal with about confidence is that is extremely hard to get back. Sports psychologists in all fields of sport are paid millions and millions of dollars each year by managers and sports stars in ana attempt to help the regain confidence and form - and still no single coherent answer has been found. In poker, probably the first step to regaining confidence is to take a break. Losing lots more money will simply make the problem worse - by moving your mind and your money away you will often be able to start regaining your confidence immediately.
Once you have taken a break one of the best way to regain confidence is to study. It may be that your confidence is down because a leak has developed in your game and your not winning at your usual rate - by reading as much as possible or using any other of the myriad of resources available to improve your game you may well be able to not only regain your confidence, but also plug a leak in your game. Never stop learning, take a break when things are going badly and let your confidence levels rise as high as possible.
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FIRST Wednesday Quarter Million |
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Adam "Akat11" Katz: the next generation of poker |
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by Katie Lindsay
Google translation from French
Adam Katz is a young player 25 years originating from the state of Florida. As true of online poker, Katz made a brilliant conversion in live poker tournaments in which he displays at the moment an overall gain of $ 329,000 when he has already collected more than $ 800,000 in online tournaments.
KL: How did you get started in poker?
Adam: I was a little bored with my studies and I had not really found my way. I already play cards in parts of silver for a few pennies when I was a child before organizing some parties with friends at home in Orlando. I then made a 1st deposit money on online poker room on the Absolute Poker and a few months after I already played on the highest limits of MTT tournaments and Sit'N'Go. A year later, I landed on Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars.
KL: Why did you wait to register on new rooms?
Adam: My move from one room to another caused me some trouble at first. I did not understand why I had so much success on Absolute then I felt so many difficulties on Full Tilt or Pokerstars. The level was actually much better on these 2 new rooms and I had to make some adjustments as to how I play. For a while I did not know me call into question, ultimately, I realized that the style of play that I had applied on Absolute and bring me so much money was not effective on Pokerstars . It is through the mind that I knew myself to become a winning player.
KL: As you already had a real job or are you go directly from school to poker?
Adam: Yes, I had a lot of jobs actually. In my last job I worked at the Cheesecake Factory where I was managing the bakery. It was in this time that I began to organize games of poker at home. I did not interrupt my studies specially to dedicate myself to poker, I thought simply having around the subject, that's all. I do only 2 classes per semester, plus I lost my scholarship and I did not really what I was studying.
KL: What made you think that poker could be a career option?
Adam: I mean I thought I was good enough within the first couple months, but I was probably wrong. Probably about a year and a half ago is when I realized I could really go somewhere.
During the first few months, I thought I was good enough to consider a career but I was wrong. A year and a half later, I was now convinced that I could go far.
KL: What was the trigger?
Adam: I started to win many tournaments on Absolute Poker and a year and a half, I started to go much further in tournaments and limits average gain some on Pokerstars and Full Tilt. I am referring to re-buy tournaments for $ 11 and $ 55 tournaments and the Freeze-out at $ 150. During this period I had the chance to become friends with many players among the best performers of online poker, this has had a positive impact on my growth curve. I believe that without the help of these brilliant friends, I would have taken much longer to grow and I count the number of years.
KL: What is the most valuable advice that is given?
Adam: The most important advice comes from Bryn Kenney: "all you need is confidence." When you play in a state of confidence, you are no longer hampered by the hesitation, you trust your instincts and choose the good spots to play. If you play too timid, you will be walked on or let people beat you through maps with which they would never see a flop. The most important is to follow the procedure common to all good players: Amit Mahkija, Bryn Kenney and others taught me to think "correctly", to decode the hands step by step and collect the puzzle to end the coup. Ben Palmer, and Jamie Rosen also help me in everyday life.
KL: What is the performance in terms of poker in which you are most proud of?
Adam: The fact of having qualified for the final table of Foxwood, can also be my great online series in which I won 6 tounois in just 2 months. Regularity is a very hard target to reach at poker, when you do, you feel in a state of grace.
KL: What is your favorite format and when you excel the most?
Adam: I prefer to play live and it is in this format that I play best. I think give a good image at the table, and it'sa game that I consider easier. Meou something like opponents see me as a young player and flashy fashion and immediately think "I will not let me dominate this kid." Even if I did that 4 hands at the table in 30 minutes, the next hand that I will relaunch an old type can not help but tell me that I always revive its blinds. The perception and image are 2 different things in live poker. My goal is to know how others perceive me and play according to that!
KL: What is a month of the year normal for you? Travel a lot for you to go compete in tournaments?
Adam: 3 to 4 weeks I'm away from home and the 4th week that I'm using Vegas. I travel a lot within the USA or the Bahamas for example, always accompanied by a band of friends: Amit 'amak316' Mahkija, Ben 'shankingyou' Palmer, Hunter 'hemipowerswt' Frey, and Jamie 'TheCronic420' Rosen
KL: What are your goals?
Adam: I want to become the best, or one of the best. My next goal is to make a gain of over $ 500k and win a live tournament to $ 5K or $ 10k. I feel in good shape at the moment and I hope to achieve such a result in the coming months.
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16th Sunday 500 |
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Get the Party Started |
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