Why keep a poker journal?
Poker is a long-term sport. You can’t let someone else do it. You must make the money. You can’t invest if you don’t have a plan. Right? Poker is no different. Bad poker players (fish), never keep any records. They don’t keep track of anything. They don’t base their decisions on historical realities. They don’t know how to distinguish between the sites they play on or at the tables. They simply sit down, get blinded in, and begin playing. Fish don’t play long-term poker. They are here for the Right Now! This hand! This is the moment! This session! They are happy if they win. They are sad if they lose. They are…in a word…VICTIMS!
Your poker journal is the best way
It is possible to strive for more. Many players are unable to grasp the most powerful tool poker offers – historical reality. It is historical reality. It happened. It happened. It happened because, guess what? It’ll happen again!
You won’t be able to learn as fast as you need from your mistakes if you don’t keep track of them. You might not learn anything from them. You might learn for a time and forget about it. Your poker journal is the best way to tap into the most powerful poker tool available.
You are missing the most powerful tool poker has to offer, your brainpower. Your brainpower will take you to the future. It is what will determine your success or failure in the future. Because… A man thinks… so is he! Proverbs from the Bible
Hours are spent staring at a computer monitor, reading, playing, and learning (good and not so good) lessons. You read books and articles, chat with other poker players, and watch others who are better than you. All this information is where? It cannot be stored in your head. Your head is an awful record keeper. Your head is easily manipulated by emotions and has a lot of other work. It can also fail you at the worst times. Instead of depending on your head, trust your poker journal. Your poker journal is always with you. It is important to review it regularly. You should review it often.
How to keep a poker journal.
I hope you are convinced that a poker journal can really improve your game. The HOW is easy. Simply get started! Here are some things that I have done over the years with my poker journal. These are just a few of the many things I have done with my poker journal over the years.
Although you can keep a poker diary electronically on your computer (which I highly recommend), it is not recommended. While any spiral notebook can be used, I recommend that you get something more substantial. Take a shopping trip to buy a journal the next time you go. Think about electronic journals this way: How many computer files are you able to find from three years ago? It’s not many. What number of pictures do you have from your childhood years? Probably quite a few. While physical things are durable, electronic files can be easily lost, forgotten, or damaged. Keep your physical item.
I use a leather journal cover made from refillable leather that I purchased at Barnes and Noble. Here’s why. Leather is great! Leather gives your thoughts weight and importance. Leather is durable and comfortable. This journal will help you become better. You can refill it and keep a few pens in there. This is very important to me as I need my journal ready for use and to keep up with my daily life. I use about one refill every nine months, and I keep the older journals for reference. I keep my journal close to me all the time and make frequent notes in it.
What do you write in your journal then?
Note down anything that comes to your mind. My journal is used for both personal and poker goals. Every journal is filled with my life goals and concepts that will help me succeed in whatever I do. This way, I can pinpoint where I need to be to make my mind work if I get lost.
Then I write what I feel is important, as I see it. These are things such as:
– Starter Hand Charts
Poker Session.
– I found these poker ideas in magazines, books, and online.
Summary of my thoughts that help me achieve my poker and life goals
Personal Improvement ideas and notes
– Repetitive Sentences: This is an important one.
Poker can be a powerful tool to make us feel better when we make mistakes or have bad sessions. Writing a sentence 50-100 time is the best way to get rid of negative energy. This helps me to get rid of negative emotions and help me refocus my efforts. Randomly, I open my journal and see pages that say “I will always follow my rules 100% when playing.” This is a result of a few sessions where I broke my own good advice and played like a fool.
These are just a few ideas of things you might want to keep. Notes about the poker articles I need, time management steps, and questions that I use to approach my life positively are all things I keep. It’s all great! It’s all good!
Here’s a sample of my journal. Although many of these items don’t appear to be poker-related, they are the foundations for my poker success.
LIFE GOALS
- Time, Flexibility and Independence – I am an independent human being with 100% control over my actions and time without financial constraints or pressures.
- Discipline, Desire and Control – I can control my time and activities so that my family and I are well-rounded.
- A Transforming Force – I’m a positive force that transforms those around me to a better, happier life.
- Kaizen – I will grow and improve in small, meaningful and positive ways every day of my life until I die.
“We are all what we think. Everything we become is a result of our thoughts. Our thoughts make our world,” The Buddha
“Things don’t change.” We can change. Henry David Thoreau
Problem Solving Questions: (from Anthony Robbins
- This is the best thing about this problem.
2.It isn’t perfect yet
3. What are you willing to do to make it what I want?
4. What are you willing to do to make it what I want?
5. How can I have fun with the process while I do my best to make it what I want?
These are just a few snippets of my poker journal. Although they don’t necessarily refer to poker, I find them vital for my continued success in the game. Because they are full articles, many of my journal entries have been used as the basis for chapters in the book.
Conclusion
I hope you are convinced that a poker journal can bring power, focus, and long-term perspective to your poker game. Anyone can play a hand and post a blind. Without a journal, many players achieve longer-term results. A DESTINATION is a place where you can share your thoughts, frustrations and observations. This will help you to find a new level of calm, balance and peace in your game.
