Win or Lose, the Choice Is Yours

As you walk into a tournament, it is amazing
how much you can tell as you observe the
other players. Often it is easy to spot the
top players simply by the way they hold
themselves; winners and losers both give off
evidence of how well they expect to do.

To be a "top player," you need to be
confident. Part of this confidence should
come from knowing that you are prepared, and
the rest from being committed to making good
decisions. To play well, it is important to
be confident and committed every time you
sit down and play. As noted Poker teacher
Mike Caro said, “It is okay to play your
best game all the time.”

Somehow the expectation of winning or losing
seems to affect the results of many games
and tournaments. Our minds will find ways to
follow through on our strategic visions and
on our expected results. Knowing this makes
it obvious that we must strive to program
our minds into believing that we will win
every time we play a game.

Considering all of the unique factors of the
game and of your opponent(s) is an important
part winning. Maybe there is some factor
that will help you prevail; maybe your
opponent is weak in an area you can exploit.
At any moment, any one of the winning habits
may win for you. What an exciting and
motivating reason to keep a winning mindset
and to stay observant!

Being rested, showered, fed (but not too
well fed), and exercised are all important
factors in being successful. World chess
champion Bobby Fisher walked several miles
from his hotel to the tournament site before
each game of his famous 1972 World
Championship match against Boris Spassky.

On closing, feel your best, play your best,
and expect to win, and success may come more
easily than you imagined.