A simple game of online poker can sometimes feel like one of the hardest things in the world. As opposed to a game with your friends where you can all see each other and use their reactions to your advantage, you have to contend with anonymous and invisible avatars when playing online. You have to communicate through text messages or sometimes through microphone audio, which makes it much harder to read the game and adjust your plan whenever necessary.

These factors can be quite intimidating to a person, leading many otherwise skilled players to quit or underperform during the game. If you feel nervous before playing, here are a few tips to help you improve your focus and overcome that mental hurdle.

1. Patience Is Key

Whether you plan to have a long or short session online, being patient during the game is very important overall. You might get a bad hand or be on the losing side for most of your games. The most important thing, however, is to keep calm and be ready for the opportunities that will arise as you continue playing the game.

Your opponents will get tired as the game goes on. This may cause them to make the wrong decisions or to misread different situations because of mental fatigue. Cultivating patience can help you to avoid this pitfall, keeping you fresh and alert throughout the whole session.

2. Use Your Logic

When playing a poker game, it is very useful to be as rational as possible. Logic is your friend as much as your emotions are your enemy in this game. You should approach each play step by step and adjust your play style when appropriate.

Before your next game, make use of statistics to familiarize yourself with the online poker scene. Observe every move your opponents might make and understand how it will affect your own chances as you continue the game. Avoid making decisions based on your emotions because this will provide very inconsistent results in the long run.

3. Prepare Your Mind

Before you begin any online poker session, you should ensure you are in the right frame of mind. You should not play poker if you are intoxicated, under a lot of stress, or very desperate. Extreme situations will burden your mind and cause you to make errors in your judgment during the game.

You should go into each game after a good rest, free from the chaos that might clutter and distract your mind. You want all of your attention to be on the game; therefore, you should resolve anything that may still be in the back of your head before you begin the session.

Mental preparation will also help you to manage your expectations as you play the game, keeping you calm under pressure. Your memory and focus will be better too, after a good rest, which can help you read opponents’ moves as the game progresses.

4. Organize Your Schedule

It will help you to know in advance when you want to play and enough time for it. You can search for and join different online WPT global tournaments. With the dates of each upcoming event posted online and way ahead of time, you can fit a 1-hour or 12-hour session into whichever day you see fit. The dedicated time will help you prepare mentally as well as physically for the upcoming event.

If you have any tasks which must be done by the day of the poker session, try to reschedule them and perform them on different days beforehand. The same goes for any meetings with friends or family. This will ensure you do not join the session too late or with other things to do still on your mind.

5. Accept Your Losses

One of the worst mistakes a poker player can make is to become fixated on their losses. You should never join an online session with the belief that you will win every game in the session. Poker is a game of chance, and the odds of you winning every single game you play are slim to none. Even the best have a bad day once in a while, so do not be too hard on yourself when you experience a loss.

If the game requires you to put up some money to play, set aside as much money as you are willing to lose completely. Be realistic about your profit margins, and do not go over the limits you have set for yourself.

Winning can sometimes be just as bad as losing if you are not careful. Be sure to avoid playing even more games than you intended to so you can get the excitement of winning a tournament. If you are not careful with your expectations, you might put up more money than you have or grow desperate for another win. This will cloud your judgment and make you more likely to make the wrong decisions, causing you to lose even more.

6. Prepare Your Environment

It is very important to ensure that the place you play online poker is ready. You might be using your mobile phone to attend the session, so you should ensure you have a good network. If you are using a computer or a wireless network, make sure there is a stable connection throughout the session.

You can also arrange your chair and desktop in the most appropriate way possible. Because you might sit for a long time, make sure your room is well-lit to protect your eyes. Pick a comfortable chair as well so you can maintain good posture and a healthy back as you play.

Get Ready For Your Next Poker Tournament

If you still feel a little nervous after going through the tips we have discussed, you can use online guides to help prepare you even further. A calm mind is your most important card on deck when playing poker; therefore, you should be as focused as possible.

Keep in mind your toughest opponent might end up being yourself if you are not well prepared on the big day, keeping the above tips will ensure you are at your best no matter the circumstances