People often wonder how some players deal with the stress of playing poker professionally. Most people would be horrified at the stakes of the games they play tournaments with buy-ins of up to $25,000 and cash games that frequently have six-figure swings. Most professional poker players have become somewhat desensitized towards money. Despite this, they still do experience stress while playing poker, and these are some tips for anyone else who does, too. Feeling a certain level of stress while playing poker is a key to winning, and that "certain level" varies by individual. To put it another way, to excel at poker, you must always play within your stress comfort zone. You should never gamble with money you can�t afford to lose, as this would be incredibly stressful, not to mention very irresponsible. You should not base what limit you play simply on your bankroll. You must be as emotionally ready to lose a certain amount of money as you are financially in order to justify playing in a particular game. If you are a millionaire but are not emotionally ready to lose more than $1,000 in a given session, stick to $10-$20 limits or smaller. If you�re not emotionally prepared some of the big losses in these games can be emotionally devastating and very stressful. These lessons are very painful to learn, so stick to games in which you are emotionally prepared to lose at least 50 big bets, because it can and will happen frequently, even if you are a great player who rarely tilts.more about poker stress... |