Positive Mental Attitude.

NickyOD

I'm not a big drinker. I'm a real light weight to be honest. I haven't had a blackout from drinking too much alcohol in ten years. The last time I did it was my first year in college when I was peer pressured into doing shots of tequila with salt and lemon, and this time was no different except I'm no longer in college and it was the gold tequila that you drink with orange slices and cinnamon, which by the way is much nicer, but still bloody lethal.

So at 6 in the morning I wake up on a friend's couch missing at least 4 hours of my life. i don't remember how I got there and the last thing I remember was leaving the niteclub. Obviously the fresh air hit me and I became zombified, or maybe I went crazy and started fighting or exposed myself in public, I have no idea and I'll probably never find out for sure.

So as I was walkiing home in the beuatiful morning sunshine wondering how many brain cells I'd just destroyed I was suddenly overcome with an incredible positive feeling of calmness and clarity, like all is well with my world, the rest of my life will be great and I am going to succeed in everything that I do. Even though I may have just killied half of my brain I awoke something that wasn't there before.

I began pondering the question that has niggled at me over the weekend. It's a question that has actually niggled at me lots of times before and I've never been able to answer it. That is until now.

"Since I am a better poker player than Phil Hellmuth how come he has 11 World Series bracelets and I don't have any?"

At first i thought the reason might be that I haven't actually played in a World series event and while in your quest to win bracelets that would probably be very important, but that's not really the main reason.

So what is the secret to Phil Helluth's success? How does a pretty average player with poor mathematical ability leave behind such an incredible legacy? The reason is the same reason why anyone has amazing success when the odds are stacked against them. The same reason why a man with no legs can climb a mountain or someone with an iq of a chimpanzee can become governor of California. It's all down to an incredible positive mental attitude.

Phil Hellmuth believes he is the greatest Holdem player in the world. We all know he's not the most skillful but he does have the best tournament record of any player ever and probably still will have when he plays the last hand of his life. His PMA is his secret to success. He never gives up, he drives himself to succeed and while he may be the most arrogant irritating twat in poker I have to put my hand up and say that in a way, I really admire him. Today I realised that the reason why I am nothing but a bit of fluff on the underbelly of poker professionalsm and Phil Hellmuth is the most successful tournament holdem player ever is because at times I have lacked self belief and Phil believes he is a god.

Whatever your goals are you can never achieve them without maintaining a positive mental attitude. No matter how many Anthony Robbins books you read or how many people you have supporting you, without self belief you are nothing. It is the key ingredient to your success not just as a poker player but in life.

Every time you sit down at the poker table believe you are the best. Respect your oponents but tell yourself they are inferior. Don't be hard on yourself when you lose and when you lose many many times in a row tell yourself you will definitely win the next time and believe it. When you lose all of your bankroll try to figure out the reasons why but never for one second think that it was because of a lack of ability. Pick yourself up off the floor and try again.

"Stay Positive" is the best advice I can ever give you as a poker player before I even begin to talk about strategy because I know from experience that it is often absolutely the hardest thing to do. Write it on a piece of paper and keep it in your pocket if you have to but just remember that no matter what happens to you at the poker table staying positive is what will help you overcome it.

Fatboydim

Interesting post Nicky.... That should show the begrudgers.

I remember watching a documentary on Gary Oldman... same thing... I'm as good an actor as he is... we come from very similar backgrounds... But I have never been as single minded or indeed as confident as he is... So whilst he went on to Oscar success I went on to write stuff and get fat. Belief and drive is a must. The only problem is that it also creates assholes.

But good guys have to win sometimes 2008 bracelets for both of us. The campaign starts here.

Macspower

after spending some of my life working for a Large Ameriacan company your bringing back memories!! we had a PMA meeting once a week and guest "american" PMA speakers were brought in on a regular basis. All around the ofice were signs saying "begin your day with PMA"

have to say thought a lot of it was american bull but certainly not all of it....

PMA works.....

RedJoker

Perhaps Phil is just a Non-Rational player. Nice post btw.

Hectorjelly

phil isnt the cleverest poker player but he is very skillfull at what he is good at

cardshark202

Stop chasing bracelets, concentrate on just playing well.

hotspur

I hate people with a positive mental attitude *especially* people with no legs who climb a mountain, or the blind person who climbed Mount Everest:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKO6G0pC0AM

bops

lol silly biatch - everyone knows gay people can't climb mountains


anyways excellent post nicky - it all makes sense to me - i win coz i know im sh*t hot at this simple game and all my opponents suck

Kobraki

NickyOD wrote:

"Since I am a better poker player than Phil Hellmuth how come he has 11 World Series bracelets and I don't have any?"

Doesnt seem like you're having confidence problems nicky

Seriously though, I agree with ya 100%, if you dont think you can win you wont win. When i think back to my losing runs, i've always had the 'whats the point' attitude during them. Hope things turn around for you nicky, you're due by now.

Goodluck2me

personally i doubt it matters that much, a bad player wont magically become brilliant with a better attitude, although it may help a good player to become more focussed/aggressive, but cockiness isnt a great characteristic in poker either as people tend to bluff too much when they are.

Hectorjelly

confidence matters a whole lot, ever wonder why when you are on a bad run you play bad, none of your bluffs work etc?

con_leche

A positive mental attitude is good for your game, and makes it more fun to sit with you at the table, as you are not moaning about beats etc.

A bad player with a positive mental attitude is still a bad player.

However a bad player with "drive" can learn the skills to beat the game over time.

Many world class players, e.g. those who have transitioned from sports/backgammon/etc. have a huge drive and will to win.

ramtha

www.thesecret.tv is a cool documentary that really explains how we create our reality by law of attraction.some may call it naive or whatever but the best in the world do things slightly different that the masses.the winners edge is such a slight margain.saw a documentary about hellmouth btw,he has all his goals written on his bathroom mirror and the quote,'great things always happen to me'.

Macspower

If you think you can or you think you can't..... your right!

cooker3

I will write an excellent thought provoking post















Damn!

Hippo

Agree 100% Nicky about Hellboy, his record speaks for itself. About a million years ago when I was in college we used to laugh at the then desperately unconvincing and apparently deluded U2 as they played to an audience of 10 as if it was a packed Croke Park, while many of their contemporaries seemed to be miles ahead in terms of ability and cool. Bono may have had a limited talent, but his self-belief and PMA have always been the band's greatest strength, and didn't it work out well.....

peeko

I with you all the way Nicky, great post.

Here's a question for you.

You wake up in the morning, and have your breakfast, brew some coffee and get ready to sit down to some poker. But in your head you are slightly down in the confidence department. What do you do to get yourself back on track? Do you even play?

Macspower

con_leche wrote:

A bad player with a positive mental attitude is still a bad player.

yeah but he can still climb everest

El Stuntman

Macspower wrote:

yeah but he can still climb everest

lol mac, everyone knows everest is rigged

strewelpeter

ramtha wrote:

The Secret is a cool documentary that really explains how we create our reality by law of attraction.some may call it naive or whatever but the best in the world do things slightly different that the masses.the winners edge is such a slight margain.saw a documentary about hellmouth btw,he has all his goals written on his bathroom mirror and the quote,'great things always happen to me'.

Pass the sick bag...This is nonsense , ugly, putrid, hateful nonsense.

It basically says, Hey if you have cancer or you are out of work or whatever normal part of the human condition has left you unfortunate enough not to have perfect ultra white teeth and a house in the hamptons...Tough shít you didn't think enough positive thoughts.
Its the oldest con job, as old as all religion, praise the lord and pass the plate. It is the illogical consequence of PMA taken to ludicrous American fundie extremes Rich is Good Poor is Evil. It is a program that fools people into believing that all you have to do is buy the secret and then you too can be as successful as HellMouth or Tiger or Oprah (who has abused her position to promote this vile dirge).

Nickys post is interesting and yes we need to be positive to play our best, I particularly like

NickyOD wrote:

Respect your oponents but tell yourself they are inferior

There is no doubt that a PMA helps but it has to be in the context of the reality of the situation, you have to pay your dues, you have to work hard at building all the many skills needed to be a great or even a good player, You have to be patient, You need to be disciplined. You do not need some sanctimonious con artist telling you that all you need is to do believe you are the greatest.

mormank

confidence is huge i think! did u ever jus get your money in pre flop and jus KNOW you are gonna crack the other guys aces!!! ive done it loadsa times, but only when i'm feeling confident about my game!! see the irony here...oh well, confidence matters

Fatboydim

At least Hellmouth brings energy into a room and doesn't suck it out.

It's easy to be snippy about him - but he has done a great deal for poker and to not acknowledge this is plain dumb.

It's probably all to do with ceratonin.

Macspower

if you don't habe PMA there is an answer......

http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/pro1362.htm

El Stuntman

Macspower wrote:

if you don't habe PMA there is an answer......

http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/pro1362.htm

this was the section that caught my eye...

More common side effects may include:
Abnormal dreams, abnormal ejaculation, abnormal vision, anxiety, diarrhea, diminished sex drive, dizziness, dry mouth, flu-like symptoms, flushing, gas, headache, impotence, insomnia, itching, loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness, rash, sex-drive changes, sinusitis, sleepiness, sore throat, sweating, tremors, upset stomach, vomiting, weakness, yawning

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

El Stuntman

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Hellmuth is an absurdly confident man.

I reckon that comes from being 7 feet tall or whatever he is

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Nicky - talk of you being a better poker player than hellmuth is, with all due respect, absolute and utter nonesense.

in fairness LL, he was twisted when he wrote the post - hence his bombast.

I usually think I'm good when I'm baloobas!

DeVore

PMA will make you naturally exude confidence and subliminal tells which others pick up on (often unconsciously). Its another slight edge. It may make you fire that third bullet etc.

I use music to alter my mood as needs be. When I need to play aggressively I put on faster, more aggressive music (Greenday, RATM etc). Then I need to slow down and consider things I might play something slower (Jazzmatazz, Portishead, Herbalizer, Massive Attack etc).

I've found it a good way to get myself into "attack" mode or calm me down if I'm getting too "action junkied".

All of these things feed into the physical tells you give off without even noticing it not to mention the confidence to enact a plan for a hand without looking like you are floundering.

DeV.

gerry87

I am a lucky player, a winning force surrounds me...

58o

ramtha wrote:

www.thesecret.tv is a cool documentary that really explains how we create our reality by law of attraction.some may call it naive or whatever but the best in the world do things slightly different that the masses.the winners edge is such a slight margain.saw a documentary about hellmouth btw,he has all his goals written on his bathroom mirror and the quote,'great things always happen to me'.

Would you like to buy some magic beans?

Macspower

some guys can just have too much PMA!!!!

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HERO [SQ CQ]

lanfeust79: Fold
crazyloco: Fold
edking666: Fold
I cant fold AK: Call $1.00
HERO: Raise $4.00
kruck: Fold
I cant fold AK: Call $3.50

*** FLOP *** [S10 H8 H6]

HERO: Bet $8.00
I cant fold AK: Call $8.00
*** TURN *** [C6]
HERO: Bet $25.00
I cant fold AK: Raise $50.00
HERO: Raise $62.70
I cant fold AK: Call $37.70
*** RIVER *** [HK]
*** SUMMARY ***

I cant fold AK : shows [SA CK]
Hero shows: [SQ CQ]

Total pot $198.40 Rake $3.00
I cant fold AK: wins $198.40

kincsem

Notjing to do with poker but I read that a survey of world class golfers found they blamed their caddy, the course, the greens, cameras clicking, and so on when things went wrong. They never blamed their own bad play.

I mentioned this to someone once when playing golf. The other golfer said you would never improve if you didn't address the problems in your own game, and practiced. They said i must have mis-understood the article.

What was going on with the top players was they were preserving their inner belief in their own immense talents. Lesser players would go to pieces blaming themselves.

Hellmuth ?

hotspur

Speaking of positive thinking and gamblers I happened to read this study today on the topic today:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/7n475q2124656702/fulltext.pdf

NickyOD

LuckyLloyd wrote:

Nicky - talk of you being a better poker player than hellmuth is, with all due respect, absolute and utter nonesense.

Lloyd, I think I speak for everyone on this forum when I tell you this.

"Lighten up dude!"

NickyOD

peeko wrote:

I with you all the way Nicky, great post.

Here's a question for you.

You wake up in the morning, and have your breakfast, brew some coffee and get ready to sit down to some poker. But in your head you are slightly down in the confidence department. What do you do to get yourself back on track? Do you even play?

I don't think anyone ever sits down to play with a negative attitude, but it can certainly develop within your sessions, at which point you should definitly leave. That's something I'm doing a lot more lately, i.e. just getting up and taking a break if my session isn't going well and I'm annoyed. I used to tell myself that even though I'm having a **** sessions it's ok, I'll keep playing 'cos "I'm palying fine, this ****er's just getting lucky and I'm cold decked etc etc etc" and while all of that may actually be true my attitude still changes, at which point my chances of turning it around are a lot slimmer.

Russh

I believe...The day I sit down at a poker table/tournament and think anything other than I more or less have this won..is the day i quit poker..
I think you can have PMA and still do silly or the wrong things unless you also have the ability to be self critical...seems like a contradiction...probably is...

Great opening post.....

jayhawk

Well, we are well advised to welcome inspiration in whatever form it chooses to appear, but...

Phil’s dad was brilliant, his wife is brilliant and he grew up spoiled, entitled, arrogant and... brilliant. His personality, behaviour and self-belief are a direct result of where he came from and who he became and, thanks to his talent and good fortune, he never took the hard knocks that grow most of us up. So, in his arrested development, he is the eternal poker brat – because he’s still, fundamentally, a kid. He’s also a big guy and, though soft, has gotten away with bullying people all his life with his size and acid chatter.

He also, undeniably, has superb tactical and hand-reading skills that are wonderfully suited to NLHE tournaments with large fields. He takes a lot of heat for his ability to steamroll weaker players, as if this were a weakness. He is also a terrific self-promoter and has leveraged his notoriety with any number of income streams on the side.

What he isn’t, by any measure, is you, Nicky. I’d say you’ll do better becoming the best Nicky you can be. Not some poor imitation of Phil.

Phil’s weakness is that he enters a tournament with the notion he OUGHT to win, so he’s emotionally vulnerable to a bad beat. It’s not over-confidence, it’s the sin of excessive pride (although the inevitable tragedy is certainly taking its time...) Most champions sit down with the INTENTION to win and take bad beats in their stride...

Tequila has properties that lead to inquiry and insight. Among its many fine qualities...

Lazare

jayhawk wrote:

Well, we are well advised to welcome inspiration in whatever form it chooses to appear, but...

Phil’s dad was brilliant, his wife is brilliant and he grew up spoiled, entitled, arrogant and... brilliant. His personality, behaviour and self-belief are a direct result of where he came from and who he became and, thanks to his talent and good fortune, he never took the hard knocks that grow most of us up. So, in his arrested development, he is the eternal poker brat – because he’s still, fundamentally, a kid. He’s also a big guy and, though soft, has gotten away with bullying people all his life with his size and acid chatter.

He also, undeniably, has superb tactical and hand-reading skills that are wonderfully suited to NLHE tournaments with large fields. He takes a lot of heat for his ability to steamroll weaker players, as if this were a weakness. He is also a terrific self-promoter and has leveraged his notoriety with any number of income streams on the side.

What he isn’t, by any measure, is you, Nicky. I’d say you’ll do better becoming the best Nicky you can be. Not some poor imitation of Phil.

Phil’s weakness is that he enters a tournament with the notion he OUGHT to win, so he’s emotionally vulnerable to a bad beat. It’s not over-confidence, it’s the sin of excessive pride (although the inevitable tragedy is certainly taking its time...) Most champions sit down with the INTENTION to win and take bad beats in their stride...

Tequila has properties that lead to inquiry and insight. Among its many fine qualities...

Nice post.
Welcome to the forum.