I believe in poker the way I believe in the American Dream. Poker is good for you. It enriches the soul, sharpens the intellect, heals the spirit, and - when played well, nourishes the wallet. ~Lou Krieger .
The number one important thing in poker besides skill boils down to how focused you as a player are at the table and the level of your concentration. You could have superior psychological skills then anyone else at the table and yet they are rendered useless if you are not paying attention.Top reasons you will be distracted at a poker game:1. Table Chat2. Attractive dealer/player3. Too much to drink4. Something on your mindWe already know from the opening paragraph that concentration is vital to being a winning poker player. After all, you need to know how each player treats different hands, whether they are tight or loose, passive or agressive.Now we will deal with the reasons you can be distracted individually. First is table chat... this can easily be avoided - simply do not talk with others unless it is specifically increasing your knowledge of them for this game. The second reason, if you are paying attention too much to a good looking player or dealer then stop and go back to concentrating on
your game. If not, then take a break and go introduce yourself!   ÂThe third reason is easily avoided, don't drink too much as it would mess up your game, know your limits. And the final reason , if you have a family or personal crisis on your mind, worried about anything, you should not be playing in the poker game at all.
Whether he likes it or not, a man’s character is stripped at the poker table; if the other players read him better than he does, he has only himself to blame. Unless he is both able and prepared to see himself as others do, flaws and all, he will be a loser in cards, as in life. ~Anthony Holden
