To prepare for games which you need to play, there is always a warmup routine. In every sport, individual or collective, competitors have their ways of getting amped up prior to competitions.
The routine and pre game rituals that poker players follow could be collectively as a team or individually. Some are even of the superstitious kind.
In Poker, players also have their warm up routine which they practice before poker sessions or a poker tournament.
Be it what they do at home or what they do when they get to the poker table, it is a tradition they observe to get the blood flowing to give them confidence.
Top Poker Players Talking about warming up
Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt
“The warm-up is essential. No matter what, I always warm up now.”
Fedor Holz
“I would prefer to have a better routine, like always going to the gym 30 minutes before I play, more consistency to help train my mind so with this routine I know I’m ready to play poker, and maybe I’ll play better.
“It makes you feel much healthier and more relaxed. I would like to try to always have some good food before I play, because when you don’t, you’re usually very rushed eating during the tournament, and you order take-out or food at the table, which is not really good for you. So I want to work on those types of simple things.
“Also, I would like to try taking like 15 minutes after I’ve played to just think about the things I did well or some mistakes I made and try to be more honest about it.
“Some people think very results-oriented, and I try not to think like this and be more open-minded, but if I can have this consistency every time I play, I think it would make me a way better poker player.”
Sofia Lövgren
“I make sure to be well rested and eat a good dinner before. Always load up with fruits and almonds.”
Kristen Bicknell
“Often I will think about specific spots that I want to work on. Spots of my game that I either have problems with and want to focus on and have been trying to play more optimally.”
“Especially when I would play a cash game session, I would typically pick three things to think about or goals for the session.”
“This can be from a mental game or theoretical standpoint. I’m a big believer in positive visualization and I think it is something that is almost by nature for me as I don’t make a conscious effort to do it, but the time leading up towards playing, I am usually visualizing the session ahead.”
Some Routines You Can do before playing a poker game/tournament
Some of the best professional poker players around have given their routines as well as the reason for having one.
The major reason for having a poker routine is to afford you the ability to get in the zone.
What Is The Zone?
The zone is essentially a mental space one enters where they feel total and complete clarity, inspiration and great energy before an online tournament or at physical poker tables.
It is the height of mental performance. To become the best professional poker player you can be, you need to be able to enter the zone as often as possible.
Now let us get to the routines and tips.
Find mental balance
It is only natural for our play to be influenced by external factors and variance when we arrive at a poker session so finding balance prior to playing poker is key.
Take a few seconds before a session to examine your mental condition in order to remove things that might have a substantial impact on your performance.
If you’re fatigued, for example, it could be advisable to take a nap or postpone your game till tomorrow.
Are you feeling unusually stressed or irritable or sad? Poker is emotionally challenging enough as it is, without bringing emotional baggage to the table. Before you begin playing, take some time to resolve any issues that are bothering you.
Even if you’re in a good mood, it’s vital to take a few moments to calm down. To that purpose, do something calming before you play, such as listening to music or meditating.
Even a small moment of relaxation will assist you in psychologically preparing for change. You may lose two buy-ins in the first five minutes of a tournament or bust it on the first hand. That’s OK. It is not acceptable to let short-term outcomes influence the rest of your session.
Eliminate all distractions
Utilize the toilet; put your phone away or, at the very least, quiet it and turn off alerts; have water, a snack, or some fruits ready; tidy your desk; ensure that housemates, friends, and family will not interrupt you while you play.
Did you know that? According to studies, even if your smartphone is turned off, keeping it within sight has a detrimental effect on your attention since part of your brain is fighting to not pick up or check the phone.
It gets worse if you receive a notice or message. It has the potential to derail your performance!
Remember that in this day and age, single-tasking is a superpower. Reduce distractions, keep your phone out of the way, and maintain a clean working environment.
Eat Healthy and Exercise
There are several advantages to eating healthily. Everything in poker boils down to having more energy to be able to concentrate for longer periods of time than your opponents at the tables.
Yet it is true that eating too much or too little can also interfere with your ability to concentrate.
A hefty dinner may lead to you feeling tired. Inadequate calorie intake will result in distracting hunger and, once again, poor energy levels. Hence, before joining the event, make wise eating selections.
Proteins, Caffeine, Fruits and whole grains are examples of what you can eat to sustain your energy and stamina both physically and mentally in order to play poker in the long run.
Because poker is a game where you sit in one spot for long hours, you need to get up and move around to get some exercise while you are at the tables. You also need to do that before going to play.
Exercise is crucial for keeping high energy levels when playing poker and you can combine it well with eating, dieting healthily.
Hit few tables
Playing at fewer tables has no disadvantage. Sitting at too many tables when playing poker online, in my opinion, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. We will eventually get overburdened, and the quality of our play will drop across all tables in front of our constantly darting eyes.
On the other hand, there is practically no group of poker players that play at too few tables. It’s also conceivable that you begin a session with too many tables, rather than gradually raising them to a session high and then tapering them down as the session proceeds.
Make Sure Real life is sorted before playing poker
This is one of the first things you should do before participating in poker tournaments or any other type of poker.
You won’t be able to play your A-game or at your best, if there are problems in other areas of your life.
You should constantly be as attentive and concentrated as possible in order to detect leaks and mistakes made by other players and exploit them effectively.
If you have deadlines at work, make sure you meet them. If you need to take your significant other shopping, do so.
You won’t be able to focus for more than 5 minutes if something bothers you, and any unwelcome occurrence will quickly cause tilt to sneak in. And all of a sudden, you’ve turned into the sucker.
