How to Apply Mental Rehearsal Techniques at the Felt

How to Apply Mental Rehearsal Techniques at the Felt Table

3 minutes

Last Updated: September 20, 2024

Every poker player worth their salt should be trying to add extra facets to their game all the time. Are you managing to find those one percent gains in as many different areas as possible? In the cutthroat world of today’s Texas Hold’em scene, winning is more than just knowing what to do with the cards.

If you want to take your poker game to the next level, it may be wise to take a leaf out of the book of professional athletes. The best of the best deploy mental rehearsal techniques and visualize their achievements ahead of time.

Develop the Skill Through Other Casino Games

To start practicing mental rehearsal techniques, it may be a good idea to take a step back from the poker table and play a few different games. Taking a break from the felt to sharpen your skills from time to time shouldn’t be frowned upon. Indeed, if you only play the classic card game constantly, there’s a danger you’ll be stuck in your ways.

Sites like Paddy Live Casino have plenty of games that you can use to hone your visualization skills. The beauty of titles like Cash Collect Roulette Live and Live Lightning Blackjack is that you can play numerous rounds in a short space of time. This allows you to start using some mental rehearsal techniques and refine them between each round.

There’s also the option to watch live casino games in some situations, and this can allow you to get a sense of how other people play. By watching experts, you can experience a range of different strategies. Then, you can imagine yourself using these tactics as well. Another way to do this could be to watch famous poker players on television, analyzing their actions and nuances throughout the hands.

Professional Athletes Use Mental Rehearsal to Gain the Edge

Use Mental Rehearsal to Gain the Edge

Poker players share a lot of similarities with professional athletes. Both must practice a lot and sharpener their crafts, and both compete in highly intense environments. Hold’em players who want to rub shoulders with the best should look to Olympians for inspiration and find out how they’ve used mental rehearsal techniques to take home gold medals.

Michael Phelps is one of the most famous examples of a successful athlete who has used visualization techniques to dominate his sport. His mental preparation famously involves visualizing every aspect of his races before they happen. According to YourSwimBook, he even imagines instances when things go wrong, so he knows how to deal with these situations if they arise.

For example, he’ll imagine that his goggles fill with water, and practice how to remain calm if it happens in a race. These strategies have helped the American win 23 gold medals and become the most decorated Olympian ever, so it’s clear that they work.

As a poker player, you can use these tactics and imagine a poker tournament the day before you play. You can test out different game plans in your head, figuring out which ones have the greatest chance of success.

Benefits of Mental Rehearsal in Poker

If you start practicing mental rehearsal techniques, you may encounter numerous benefits. In fact, if you’ve been wondering how to elevate your game and feel like you’ve been stuck in a rut, this could be the answer to your problems.

One of the most notable results from this technique is improved decision-making. Because you’ve already played out different scenarios in your mind, it can help you act calm under pressure in a real world situation – just embrace your inner Olympian swimmer next time you feel some pressure.

Some players have also reported that using mental rehearsal techniques has improved their confidence at the felt. According to Dr Dev Roychowdhury, when you know exactly what you’re going to do in any situation, you feel invincible. And, as you probably know, there’s not much in this world that’s more powerful than a poker player who thinks he’s going to win every hand.

If you haven’t been using visualization before your poker games up to now, you may want to copy the best in the business and start doing it. This technique could be just what you’re looking for to take your poker game to the next level.

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