Positive Visualization in Poker
Positive visualization is the art of imagining what you want in order to achieve it. Visualization is used all walks of life. In business, you might visualize what it would look like if you had that perfect job, how your office would look and how you would look in it. In sports, you might imagine the basketball hoop is twice as wide, or the baseball is three times as big. The idea is it is easier to grab what you can see, even if what you "see" is only a mental image.
Positive Visualization in Poker
Since poker combines elements of business and sports, it seems like visualization can work for poker too. When trying to use positive visualization in poker it is important to understand your goals and your method for achieving them. Making a clear picture in your mind of the queen of clubs because it is the only card that will win you the pot will only "cause" it to appear one time out of 46. Willing your opponent to lay down his cards to your bluff by imagining those cards in the muck is unlikely to affect his decision. That is magical thinking, not visualization. Positive visualization in poker means imagining what it is like to have a huge stack of chips and know that you played perfectly to get them. It's seeing what you look like with all those chips in front of you and how opponents perceive you as a result. It's feeling the confidence that comes with knowing you have a big intimidating stack and that you earned that stack.
Results of Positive Visualization in Poker
You can't just imagine a big stack or a successful poker career and have it appear in front of you. If it were that simple, everyone would do it. However, positive visualization can give you the confidence and focus you need to acquire these things. If you have that image of your mind, you may think twice about playing that ten-five suited for a raise because "you might hit a flush." That image may help you find the strength to make that big laydown. That image may finally give you the confidence you need to push all your chips in with a bluff that wins a huge pot. That is what visualization is about: Not making things happen magically, but giving yourself the focus and discipline to achieve your goals, both in life and in poker.
- Date posted May 4, 2008
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Alex McCay
The world of poker
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