Top Tips and Techniques for Identifying and Regulating Your Emotions in Poker

Imagine this: you’re deep into one of your favourite poker tournaments, and a bad beat just wiped out a significant portion of your stack:

• Your heart races; frustration bubbles up.
• Suddenly, you’re not thinking as clearly as you were a moment ago.
• Your emotions have got the best of you, and you bust out a few hands later by making a questionable play.

Now imagine the opposite outcome:

• You still lose a good portion of your stack, and your frustration mounts.
• But this time, you are able to refocus quickly and get your head back into the poker game.
• How much more likely are you to end up in a profitable spot in this scenario?

Having the skill to stay emotionally composed in stressful situations often makes the difference between a big win and a devastating loss.

The key to this scenario is emotional regulation.

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage and respond to your emotional experiences in a calm, focused, and controlled way.