This will be my fourth World Series of Poker, and as a mental game coach, I find each one more fascinating and exciting than the last. The WSOP truly is one of the greatest sporting spectacles in the world, period. From my previous background of working with high level golfers and athletes, I am starting to realize that it is one of the mentally toughest competitions in the world, on a par with Wimbledon, The Masters, and The Indianapolis 500.
Because of the sheer length of the WSOP, not only is the strength of the field and variance a massive factor, but so is your own mindset. Without a strong mental game, you really do not have a chance at navigating around the minefield that is the Main Event. Here are some of the biggest mental game mistakes I see players, experienced and amateur alike, make.
Preparing Badly
It is already an old poker cliché: You can’t win it on day one, but you can certainly lose it on day one. From a mental game perspective, you can lose the Main Event even earlier than that.
