The world of Poker is becoming increasingly competitive, with more and more free content available about strategies and mindset. Even in the lowest stakes games, it can be difficult to gain and maintain an edge over your opponents. As you move up in stake levels, the size of your strategy advantage shrinks but the importance of having a strong mindset increases – giving you bigger edges over other players.
Karim Chelli, an experienced poker player and mindset coach, recently held a webinar for Poker Academy to discuss how players of all skill levels can develop the right mindset in order to gain an advantage over their opponents. In this webinar, Chelii explained what it takes to have the right mentality while playing poker and how it can help enhance one’s game.
Performance Breaktrough Method
He believes that the development of poker mindsets can be encapsulated in a program called Performance Breaktrough Method (PBM). He feels that the existing methods of working on mindset are failing and poker players need a comprehensive solution.
The PBM is about harmonious development in three areas: Core Mindset Work, Performance Boost and Life Optimization Around Poker. Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these areas.
Step 1: Core Mindset Work
Chelli estimates that only 10% of players are capable of overcoming mental leaks and improving their performance at the tables without any help. Unfortunately, these mental leaks can have a grave impact on a player’s ability to make money in the long run. To truly address this issue, more than just meditation or conjuring reality is needed – beliefs about the world need to be shifted and habits must be altered. This is a long process that requires dedication and effort.
What do you think will happen to your confidence when you know that you’re miles ahead of your competition?
Karim Chelli
In order to identify the source of your mindset issues, it is important that you are honest with yourself. Start by categorizing your problems from the most serious to the least severe. Often, our issues can be traced back to our upbringing, so prepare to reflect on past experiences. Take a look at one issue at a time until you begin to notice a transformation in your mindset.
Step 2: Performance Boost
The coach promotes a major shift in how poker players view their job. Instead of looking at their occupation as merely clicking buttons, he encourages them to imagine themselves as athletes who need to develop proper habits and routines that will enable them to reach their peak performance.
If you look at successful athletes for example you see certain routines that you should also implement into your daily schedule. Only then you will be able to play your A-game in every single session.
Karim Chelli
The route to attaining a state where you can deliver your best performance on demand does not start at the poker table. Developing daily habits and routines, as well as acting like an athlete, has a major effect on your game. With the help of a coach, you can program yourself to quickly enter a peak performance frame of mind, your A-Game. When the session is done, the poker-athlete should take notes of their findings and consciously shift out of the state of readiness.
Step 3: Life optimization around poker
If something is on your mind that’s making it difficult to make the best decisions, your performance can suffer. It’s like bringing all of your worries and problems to the table – if they take over your life, you won’t be able to perform well. This is why professionals place a high emphasis on improving their quality of life: because it makes them better at what they do.
Players who wish to stay at a high level of performance must take care of themselves in their daily lives. They should make sure that they exercise regularly, get enough quality sleep, eat nutritious meals and strive for balance in both family life as well as any other relationships they are involved in.
About Karim Chelli
Karim Chelli was born in Austria and is well-versed in personal counseling, having been involved in it for many years. He initially specialized in male-female relationships before expanding his expertise to mindset coaching for entrepreneurs and professionals from various industries. Nowadays, Chelli focuses exclusively on advising poker players – an opportunity he discovered through Benjamin “bencb” Rolle. His clients span all around the globe, and he helps them to unlock their full potential.