Professional Texas No-Limit Holdem poker players often have entirely different playing styles, yet they often share some universal characteristics that set them apart from losing players. Today we take a look at the seven most important traits:
1. Champions are driven by ambition.
Great poker player know that nothing good has ever come from the fear of failure. You have to develop a vision of becoming a successful poker player and
2. Winners act while other procrastinate.
If you want to archive great things in life, have to be willing to act. Stop procrastinating and become an action-taker.
For most players that involve things such as finally reading the poker book that is catching dust in your bookshelves and practicing with your advanced poker training software on a daily basis.
Sit down, define specific, actionable goals and set reminders for them in your calendar. Then act!
3. Victors have self-discipline
Self-discipline isn’t a personality trait; it is a skill that can be developed by everyone. Knowing how to do something is easy, starting and finishing something is an entirely different league.
For you poker career, you have to develop the self-discipline to take your hobby seriously. Treat it like a business. Reading books, watching training videos and practicing with your favorite poker software are essential for your poker education.
Who do you think is bringing home more medals, those who train every day or those who only train once every other month?
4. Poker Pros have the will to win
Learning to be persistent is presumably the most important skill for every serious Texas No-Limit Holdem poker player.
In spite of all obstacles and discouragements, you have to stay on course and know that you will reach your goal when you are persistent.
5. Winning players always get back on their feet, while losers stay down.
Nobody could have said it better than Rocky Balboa: “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
On your path to becoming a great poker player, you will make mistakes, you will encounter devastating bad beats and loose money. A loser will just give up, while the winner learns from his mistakes and moves forward.
6. Successful players accept responsibility
If you blame people or external factors for your failures and mistakes, you let them control you. You can handle what happens in your life.
If you lose consistently, it is most likely because you haven’t improved your skill levels enough, not because the universe is plotting against you.
7. Winners believe in themselves
Adopt a “Yes, I can!” attitude in your day to day life. If you have a distinct idea of where you want to go, it is easy to realign yourself in moments of doubts. It will direct your subconscious to look out for new ideas, tools and people that can help you to become a better Texas No-Limit Holdem poker player.
