Becoming a truly professional poker player By Elliot Roe

Why this topic? The fastest way I have found to improve a players profitability at the table has been to help them understand (and accept) that poker is a professional sport. Only a tiny number of players understand that this and act accordingly. If you can live and play with this concept always in mind your profitability at the table will jump considerably.

Common Traits of the Best I’ve worked with a number of the highest stakes players in the world and most share common traits. Health/Diet/Exercise Yoga/Meditation Hours of study Love/respect for the game

5 Mistakes holding you back There are 5 major mistakes I see full time players making time and time again: Lack of organized schedule Distractions at the table Lack of exercise/diet considerations Lack of or inefficient study Drug use

Scheduling How is your week organized? If you don’t work to a schedule what is stopping you? It’s as important to schedule your time off as your time at the table The accountability and effectiveness of your friends and family knowing and respecting your work schedule.

Cash Game Schedule

Cash Game Schedule Results 27.25 Hours at the table 6 days of exercise, one full rest day Controlled sleeping schedule 10 hours of Study True time away from poker

MTT Schedule

MTT Schedule Results Set MTT Schedule Rest days ensured Sleep controlled Exercise on 6 days 1 day of rest 10 Hours of study

Distractions at the table Skype/Facebook/Twitter Office environment? Family disturbing you Television/sporting events Sports gambling (tilt risk) Office environment visualisation

Exercise and Diet Regular cardio, it provides a huge stamina advantage. Some top players believe this is their biggest edge at the tables. Organized diet plan, ideally with meals pre prepared for MTT grinders Limited alcohol use Yoga

Study Rules 10 hours a week minimum Weighted towards HH reviews and leak finding Videos only count if notes are taken Invest in coaching by better players if affordable Not studying is like a professional athlete saying he doesn’t need to go to team practice.

Marijuana Use Many players claim it improves their play Acts as a crutch suppressing emotions Emotions should be worked through rather than hidden You reach a FT would you rather your opponents were sober or high? Why are you different?

Goal Setting Goals have to be achievable No cash goals Set volume and A game play targets Journal your sessions Daily leading to weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual targets

Journal Example

Understanding Procrastination Typically seen in most parts of life rather than only at the table Fear of success/failure Typically found school very easy and took pride in not needing to work as hard as the other children Habit built and label accepted Poker seen as an opportunity to make easy money rather than opportunity to compete

Reality of poker Poker gets tougher every year Software advances mean edge will need to be gained in these other areas. Be ahead of the curve! These are not options but a reality of your profession In most countries a player treating the game as a professional can expect to make the same or more than Dr’s Lawyers etc and we are likely only talking about a 15-25% effort increase

Investing in yourself Professional poker coaching, Mindset coaching with myself or another specialist Personal trainer Personal chef (food delivery) this is used by many top players, it’s especially helpful if you grind MTTs and find yourself ordering pizza frequently. House cleaner, gardener etc etc the less things you have to think about the more time you have to improve your poker.

Self evaluation How much of todays talk relates to you? Where would you currently rate yourself from 1-10? What changes are you making today? What are the realistic goals you’re setting for your life and career

Contact Elliot Roe Pokermindcoach.com Skype elliot.roe