Much is written about poker psychology; mostly it’s about analyzing how your opponents react. But seldom discussed and of much greater importance is your own psychology. Being real and in tune with yourself has huge value, and those that aren’t never correct their leaks as they’re unaware they even exist.

People in denial can endlessly delude themselves. They constantly look for ways to blame something for their bad results. Stop kidding yourself. One can always find an angle from which the fault of losing lies elsewhere. It’s important to realize that if you’re consistently losing, the fault is not luck, the dealer, the deck, the seat or whatever else you may blame. The problem is YOU. You’ve got leaks!

Poker is an exceptionally competitive game. The better, more consistent your decisions are than your opponents, the greater your edge, and the more money you will win. Are you the best you can be? Do you tilt? Do you study? Do you allow your ego to make irrational decisions? Are you fit, rested and thinking clearly whenever you play? Do you give every session your best effort?

If you’re committing some of those errors, you need to build a better you to become a better poker player. Learn and grow from your time at the table. Dig down deep inside yourself and find what it takes to recognize and resolve those issues. Fix your tilt issues. Our emotions override our judgements in all of us at times, some more than others. Take breaks, control yourself, use self-talk to overcome the stress of losing. Meditation is another method of reducing tilt. Work on your game; find a study partner or group, read books. The video market has many great poker sites. Never in poker history has the availability of poker information been so high.

Ego can be a positive force in motivating yourself to be the best you can be. But ego can be a negative force when it causes you to play too long, take on tougher opponents than you should, play higher than you should, not step down when you should. Any time ego is part of a decision, you’re probably making an error. So, take pride in yourself, but keep your ego under control.

Being your best mentally means being physically rested and sound. Working on your physical ability helps both your thought clarity and your endurance and concentration. Both are keys to becoming a great player. Along the same lines, always giving your time at the table your best effort goes a long way. Forget watching the football game, quit flirting with the cocktail waitress; you’re at the table to win money. Focus! Always be thinking about what’s happening at the table and how your opponents are thinking.

Constantly analyze your game. Where are your leaks? Assess yourself with brutal honesty. Since we all tend to delude ourselves, ask a poker friend to be constructively critical of your game. Listen to him! Create a more knowledgeable, harder working, emotionally stabler, clearer thinking ass-kicking poker machine.

And then, enjoy watching the money come to you!