Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Aballinamion, post: 7230044, member: 289533"] Poker is definitely a mental game, like others have already said. Since it's a mental game, that distinction you made is key—comparing it to casino slot machines really drives the point home. Slots don't need any skill; you just click buttons and hope for the best. What makes poker a mental game is the technique. The fundamentals of this technique are all about developing self-control, patience, concentration, the ability to handle losses, ego control, etc. Most poker skills involve controlling your own mind and mastering your emotions. So, it's a psychological game that aims to overcome not just luck as a practical element of gameplay, but also to overcome addiction. A casino roulette player can easily afford to play out of addiction—to spend more than they have, to have no bankroll management, to gamble while drinking beer and hopping between roulette tables, slot machines, blackjack, and maybe even the poker variants. That's addiction. And as poker players, we can't afford to be addicted to the game. Maybe—and here's a big side note—the professional poker players at the very highest level, the high-stakes crushers like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, or celebrities like Ronaldo and Neymar Jr.... maybe they can afford to play like it's an addiction. But every other poker player needs to keep in mind that addiction can and will cause serious psychological damage. And that's precisely why poker is a game of the mind. Because we use our minds and technique to control our emotions. It's not like in the movies and TV shows where players go to a poker club to bet thousands of dollars (that they don't have), risking their lives. That isn't a "game of the mind"; that's straight-up addiction. In line with responsible gaming, we have to recognize when we're getting addicted and step away from the tables. If we can't manage it ourselves, we should send an email to the poker site talking about our addiction, and for ethical reasons, they're obligated to block our account for a while. This applies to online poker. In live poker, we need to have that same clarity of mind and lucidity to avoid any form of gambling if we aren't in the right mental and emotional state—to make sure we don't bet more than we should, and to be able to walk away whenever we need to, whether we're winning or losing. So yeah, poker can be a game of the mind... if you play with technique. If you play out of addiction or compulsion, then poker isn't much different from slot machines. [/QUOTE]

Verification

Search

Reply to thread

About CardsChat

Our Community

Our Site

Follow us