For this feature, I am going to focus on how to perform under pressure during tournaments, specifically at final tables or when approaching one, especially when big spots arise.
Many of these spots occur on day four or five, when you're the most fatigued. You're the most tired. So, the question is: How can we play our best in those moments?
Train under pressure
It's going to be very hard to perform under pressure if you're not training under pressure.
In that regard, I would ask you to look at a wide range of sports. Let’s pick football, for example. A team will constantly train its two-minute drill. Even if they only use it a couple of times during the season, they're constantly training for that high-pressure situation. My favorite way to do it is by coming home late after a live session and training at 1am or 2am, when I'm fatigued and tired.
I like to play with PeakGTO, whether it's ICM, preflop, or post-flop training. I want to practice putting myself in real-life situations when I'm very tired and perform as if it's a real-life game.
When those high pressure situations arise, that training will allow you to play your best more consistently.
Patience and presence
In those high-pressure moments you have to focus on being present and taking your time. I see so many mistakes made from myself and others because people act a little too quickly.
For instance, they don't realize all the variables at play. They forget that the big blind just doubled up and they have more chips. They might have missed a piece of information that their opponent just lost a big hand, which would change his mood.
Do your best to be present and take your time. For me, that's going to be moving my hands away from my chips a little bit. I like to sit back, take my time, and take deep breaths.
I want to make sure I'm very present in the moment and able to execute and focus on the important things for that situation. If you're in the middle of a big decision and you're thinking about, ‘Oh, this looks silly’ or ‘Man, I'm playing for a lot of money here,’ or any of these things -- all of that is noise.
But if you're very present on the situation and take your time, you cut out all that noise. It becomes a habit just to focus on making the best decision you can. And when that is your process, you can suddenly perform and execute at a much higher level.
Trust yourself
I always want to focus on is trusting yourself.
All that noise I am referring to is dragging your decision making into a place where you're making the decision for the wrong reason.
Maybe you’re thinking, ‘I really don't want to get bluffed here.’ And you go ahead and hero call that spot. But if you had looked at that spot from a third-party perspective, you would never do that.
I always like to envision myself, ‘OK, what would the best version of myself do in this moment? What would the best version of myself say to somebody else that isn't me in this moment about what to focus on?'
If you can accomplish that way of thinking, you can trust yourself more. That will lead you to making more really good decisions at the table.
You're executing at a high level if you can do that in high-pressure situations. You're going to win more money, more trophies, and have a lot more fun playing the game of poker.
Justin Saliba, a professional player with over $10 million in live tournament earnings, is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and sought-after coach for players of all levels. For more information regarding coaching from Justin, please reach out to PokerCoaching.com and PeakGTO. Follow Justin on X.
