How to stay focused while competing for the WSOP championship

How to stay focused while competing for the WSOP championship

It is the dream of every poker player, no matter where he or she may hail from on this planet, to one day sit down at the final table in the main event of the World Series of Poker. It is really no different than the little kid who plays catch with his old man in the backyard, dreaming about that day when he will step onto the gridiron as quarterback in the Super Bowl. Or that cute little tyke peddling up and down your street, his head filled with visions of shaming a crowd of Eurosnobs at the Tour de France just like his hero Lance Armstrong. We can all relate to being young and having grandiose dreams of proving ourselves on a global stage. We have all been there, it is a universal phenomenon and one which will probably never die. At least, I hope not.

One of the glories of living in the Internet Age is that poker fans have a viable opportunity for turning their childhood dreams into reality. The World Series of Poker was invented in 1970 by the great Benny Binion, who had a vision of bringing together the world’s greatest poker players under one roof. Back then, the only people who could compete in the WSOP were giants of the game who had been playing on the "outlaw circuit" for decades. It simply was not feasible for a rookie or moderately seasoned player to make much of a dent at the World Series of Poker.

The Internet has changed all that. Satellite tournaments have been responsible for introducing rookie players to the final event of the WSOP. In just the past three years, two champions have been amateurs who rose to the pinnacle of the poker world of by virtue of winning satellites.

Therefore, we must take it as a realistic proposition that you could one day find yourself at the final table. If that sounds ridiculous, then you should consider the limitations you are setting upon yourself, because they do not exist anywhere outside the confines of your own mind.

But, if you should find yourself in that position one day, how will you stay focused properly to weather the storm? After all, you will be facing off against the most fearsome poker players on the planet, all of them set on robbing you of your poker chips.

My advice is this: stick to the basics. That sounds overly simple, but within simplicity lies profundity. Just because you’re on the world’s biggest poker stage, you do not want to get distracted by all the bright lights and pretty girls. You need to stay absolutely centered on the very fundamental elements of game play which have brought you to this point. The biggest mistake a rookie can make in the World Series of Poker is to abandon his or her own trusted essentials, thinking they will not not hold up in this rarefied air of competition.

Stay true who you are, stick to your own game plan, and you will have a better chance of emerging as the victor at the World Series of Poker. Good luck, and keep dreaming.