7 Easy Steps to No-Limit Hold’em Success — Step 7: Keep Your Head in the Game

Wow. Good series. It’s already helped me, by the way.

Ed, these 7 articles are absolutely great, I will read them over and over again the next few days. I especially like your attitude, you are willing to help “newbies” the best you can without any arrogant attitudes (which I see plenty of in many forums).

The first article alone is pure gold, it has been “mentally” almost impossible for me to fold cards like KT offsuit or 2-gap suited connectors before (even in EP) - I have narrowed down my starting hands considerably now.

Can you give any suggestions/links/books to the mental side of poker - especially handling tilt/losing etc, because when my downhill starts it has no end *literally*, I just have to win the money back right there and then, it doesnt matter if I have to play (very tired) many hours (usually losing) to get the money back, I cant wait for tomorrow, let alone next week/month.

Gaston Jeremy

Thankyou Ed, great series. I’m gonna print them out
and memorise

brilliant set of articles Ed. I like the way you have split the topics up, it has helped clarify the important of each topic, it has uncomplicated some of the topics for me by talking about them in separate articles.

I mainly play limit poker but play no limit in tournaments and cash games. The articles about controlling the pot size is really useful

Hosk

Ed - thanks again, great set of articles.

Gaston Jeremy - A couple of books I’ve read which deal with the mental side of poker:
From twoplustwo, Inside the Poker Mind by John Feeney PhD is a series of interesting essays, many of which deal with tilt - why we go on tilt, the little ways it shows up in our game, and how to recognize when we are tilting.

Another one (not 2+2) which I’ve just started to read but which looks excellent is The Poker Mindset by Matthew Hilger and Ian Taylor. There are entire chapters devoted to the exact kind of problems you mentioned.

One more I’ve just noticed from 2+2 is The Psychology of Poker by Schoonmaker, but I haven’t read that one.

Good Luck.

Thanks Daniel, appreciate it. I will look them up.

Ed, congratulations. Great series of posts. I’ve compiled all of them and already fixed some ‘obvious’ leaks in my game. Thanks!

Are you interested in translating it in other languages? I’d be happy to help you with Brazilian Portuguese, my mother tongue.

Cheers from Brazil, Carlos

Ed said: “if you’re grousing about bad beats, you have an especially acute ego problem.”

I always say, if it wasn’t for luck I’d win every time.

This was a great series. I think it’s possible that Ed might just be the best poker author out there right now.

Ed,
What limit were you playing where you lost $5,000 in a session? That’s one heck of a bad run on a 30/60 table and a pretty bad run even on a 60/120 table.

Wow, Ed that single post makes me feel a lot better about my game. I can take the days where I’m down 25BB pretty easily, and suck it up when I’m down 50BB. More than that and I feel shitty for a week and start thinking I should give up poker and take up tiddly winks. Sorry to say it, but I’m glad to see even the best have train wreck days.

Ed,

Thanks for the series. You rock.

Thanks for the series, Ed. I think the two most important articles are steps 2 and 3. Every no-limit player should go over those especially since I believe these two mistakes are made at all levels.

This step 7 is VERY good, its just what I need.

Just wanted to add another thank you. I really appreciate these articles.

Just curious Ed, since you mentioned your worst single day B&M loss. What is your longest number of sessions that you played without showing a profit in limit holdem?

Great advices, Ed. I want futher reading, but as I’ve got a few poker books already (HoH 1&2, Super/System) I do not want just a beginners book with all the advices I’ve heard 1000 times before.
Would NL Holde’m Theory and Practice be a good choice then?

I’m looking mainly for strategy advices for imporoving my micro stakes NL cashgame play.

Truly amazing articles, Ed.

These tips are pure gold.

I actually wrote all the headlines up and read them every time I start playing poker online.

As a beginner, it so easy to forget the simple guidelines when you start playing, and I feel must really hammer them in my head again and again every day.

I started reading No Limit Hold’em: Theory and Practice recenly and I’ave learned a ton allready.

hi guys, just like to say wow, to your poker knowelege Ed, and also u have just described me to a tee in your 7 steps articles and advise. i have read so many articles on poker strategy and mental advise and this is the best i have seen . thanks buddy GL.

This has to be the best step by step guide ive read since I started playing poker 2 years ago.

Good advice, thx Ed

Ed, I want to have your babies.