Jason Su is a player, coach and author of The Joy of Poker. Watch the video above or read on for his advice on poker, instincts and becoming a player others hate to face.
Want to win big at poker?
You can’t be like everyone else, you’ve got to bring something to the table that your opponents do not.
And in a day and age where really good strategy information is out there for anyone who wants it, I’ve found again and again that the one thing my clients always tell me I teach them that makes them the most money is consistent: Learning how to trust your instincts.
Everyone says they want to do it, few actually do — and even among those, almost none have a clear structure of how they get to that place, as instead they are just people who happen to be wired to trust their gut in big moments.
The mindset coaching industry makes things worse.
A coach might give people the advice of 'Just trust your gut' and literally just leave it at that, as if it’s the easiest thing to do and you just needed a reminder.
In actuality, if you don’t know 'how' it’s done, you’ll just be a complete mess and probably start to play even worse than before.
You need a process.
A solid framework of tools that will take you from Point A to Point B — from sitting there in a tough spot unsure of what you want to do, to allowing your intuition to show up and become a valuable part of the conversation, so that no matter what happens you’re able to walk away with true peace of mind and no regrets.
Give yourself permission
Here’s what you’ll need:
1) You need to let go of all the 'I should do this' and 'My hand can’t bet that card' and instead give yourself total permission to do whatever you want, whenever you want, just because you want to.
2) You need to stop trying to find the solution, and instead let it come to you.
3) In order to do that, you need to stay present through all the emotions that come up when you’re in a big spot — because the moment you stop being present, your emotions are going to leak out into the way you think and play, never in a good way.
Learn how to do these things and, no matter what happens, you can walk away from each spot knowing 100% that you did your absolute best and have zero regrets or second guessing.
You’ll see the openings.
Do what needs to be done.
And become the version of yourself who others hate playing against, because they know that you’re the one who can’t be knocked off your game and will always trust yourself to do what feels right when it counts.
Jason Su is the author of The Joy of Poker and coaches many of the world’s top poker players on how to perform their best when it matters most.
Learn more with Jason on YouTube and through what many of poker’s top players say is 'the best newsletter in poker,' which you can access for free at pokerwithpresence.com.
