I saw this clip from BenCB’s social media and I felt I just had to share this because the words uttered by the absolute boss Olivier Busquet rang so true to me on my own findings from working on my game, I felt it would be really valuable for others to think about.

This clip comes from a huge interview between these two high stakes players BenCB and LivB, both crushers in their own rights and huge on the mental game side of Poker, the whole interview is really valuable, this small section just highlights some key techniques to help your win rate.

Emotional Control

This is a huge part of nearly everyone’s game that can be worked on, Poker is a game where even the best players can get a little hot under the collar and make emotional moves. Working on your Tilt and gaining some Emotional Control will hugely up your win rate.

There are a few ways we can work on this, for instance, sometimes we just aren’t going to play our best, we’ve all done it, sat down at the tables, online or live and just absolutely punted off our stack due to our current mood. To play poker well we need to be in an almost Zen-like state, so what can we do to get there.

One big thing for me is not playing when I have something else on my mind, I can’t be thinking about being on my phone or looking at something on the internet, I have to focus 100% on the game.

Another key thing I have realised is that taking a moment away from the tables when you start playing poorly, especially with cash games is really important, Tilt is something that starts with a couple of slightly poor decisions and then ends up getting worse and worse. Try and say to yourself, I’m playing well, if I notice I make even a small mistake soon, I will take a break from my session and assess the hand.

Preflop Discipline

Know your ranges and stick to them! It’s so easy to do, we know that our pre-flop ranges are important to stick to because these are the hands that play profitably, however, sometimes we just want to widen up a little and play some slightly poorer hands.

DON’T!

It’s that simple, be disciplined and believe in your results with your tested ranges. There’s an old saying that goes, tight is right and let me tell you it’s a motto that has stuck around for good reasons!

Value Betting Thin

Too many players will play that they can never put a value bet in and get called by better… this is the wrong approach.

We need to bet wide enough for value that we will occasionally be value owning ourselves, meaning bloating the pot with the second-best hand for our opponent to scoop, however that’s OK! Because most of the time we are going with our ranges and our read on the situation and we will get another bet called.

Go with your gut in these close spots and look to randomise, if you hit a high number then go for some thin value in a close spot, if it’s low, then check back.

These close spots can transform you from a decent poker player to an absolute beast that crushes your games.

Overfolding Rivers

There are a bunch of scared nits out there that will only bet with the goods on the River. I’ve seen it way too much, the flush draw comes in and I think, are they just turning there hand into a bluff on that card? ….Nope, they just called to hit the flush and then Shove in their money.

Look to fold more than your fair share of Rivers, because this is a spot where when the money is going in from most players they are just super strong.