Confidence vs Overconfidence

Houbi37 · May 20, 2026

Confidence is important in poker—but too much of it can be dangerous.
Believing in your decisions is good. Ignoring mistakes or underestimating opponents is not.
The best players stay confident but always question themselves.
Where do you stand: confident or sometimes overconfident?

Uncloggie · May 20, 2026

Confidentially Confident

Jpatch · May 21, 2026

Haha! Great topic!

The first thing I thought about is: Obama vs Trump. So true.

I think overconfidence is a mental problem. Fake it until you make it. Very common in this materialistic day and age.

Confidence fortified by discipline is definitely a better skill set for success. I’m poker or in life for that matter!

john_entony · May 21, 2026

I think I still have a long way to get to the level of professional players who can strike a balance between confidence and overconfidence. I can’t say that I make bad decisions very often, but sometimes I get too overconfident, especially when I have a lot of chips.

GODZZ · May 21, 2026

Ya gotta watch out for that positive Tilt.

SergioV · May 21, 2026

I think I’m somewhere in the middle. Confidence is important in poker because if you doubt every decision, the game becomes very hard. But sometimes after running good or winning a few big pots, it’s easy to become overconfident and start forcing plays that aren’t really there. I try to stay confident but still review my mistakes and remember that even weaker players can surprise you sometimes.

R.Melnyk77 · May 21, 2026

Houbi37 said:
Confidence is important in poker—but too much of it can be dangerous.
Believing in your decisions is good. Ignoring mistakes or underestimating opponents is not.
The best players stay confident but always question themselves.
Where do you stand: confident or sometimes overconfident?

I am confident enough to achieve the goals I set for myself. But sometimes, of course, I can be wrong like everyone else. However, I definitely don't think it's a problem with my self-confidence.

s0ftdumps · May 21, 2026

I think confidence is believing in your ability while still accepting you could be wrong. Overconfidence starts when you stop reviewing decisions because you assume you're already right.

In poker especially, you have to stay humble enough to review hands honestly and recognize holes in your game. The players who improve fastest are usually not the loudest or most confident, they’re the ones willing to say “I butchered that spot” and learn from it. Confidence says I can figure this out. Overconfidence says I already have.

Poker Orifice · Friday at 12:30 AM

Poker is a strange game. Even after playing it for decades, I can still lack confidence very often. And one day I feel like I could be mixing it up with Phil Ivey but then the next I feel like PoetryAA can own me on every hand in a Cardschat freeroll.
What I choose to do when not feeling confident, I get someone to quiz me on a few spots... typically spots that I am needing work on. It definitely helps.

Personally I don't think I could ever feel 'too confident'. I'm striving towards it and I think it'd be a good thing.

RENEY444 · Friday at 1:21 AM

I'm almost never confident ( worried about my opponents luck mostly ) . In tourneys , I just try to stay patient and get near bubble ! Only then, when the blind sizes demand it , will I open up my play .

SPANKYSN · Friday at 1:41 AM

I am quite confident that during any given poker session, I shall suffer a lack of confidence.

bodil19982 · Friday at 9:55 AM

I think you need to find a balance in your game, and luck will put everything in its place.

antonis32123 · Friday at 11:35 PM

I never play recklessly in poker , I play accordingly to my knowledge , my skills , my memory of similar poker hands situations that I have witnessed at the tables while playing . It has nothing to do with confidence or over confidence.

guroove · Saturday at 10:09 AM

Meditation helped take more control of any sort of emptions good or bad, it will help you handle tilt and excitement.. I totally recommend adding that to your routine.

dompoker · Saturday at 10:50 PM

It's important to be confident in yourself, but you should never underestimate or overestimate your opponent,

anbu210 · Sunday at 12:31 PM

I try to stay confident, but poker has a way of humbling everyone eventually 😄
Confidence is necessary to make tough decisions and handle variance.
But overconfidence can be dangerous, especially when it makes you ignore leaks or underestimate opponents.
The best mindset is probably “confident but always learning.”
In poker, the moment you think you know everything is usually when mistakes start increasing.

eetenor · Sunday at 12:40 PM

There is no such thing as not being overconfident in poker. Players believe they can beat: other players skill-Variance- Rake- Fatigue- Decision overload- Distraction-Greed etc etc

You have to be delusionally overconfident in your belief that you can overcome all of this.

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Confidence vs Overconfidence

Houbi37

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Uncloggie

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Jpatch

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john_entony

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GODZZ

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SergioV

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R.Melnyk77

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s0ftdumps

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Poker Orifice

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RENEY444

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SPANKYSN

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bodil19982

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antonis32123

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guroove

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dompoker

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anbu210

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eetenor

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