I'm going to put this here because if it gets taken the wrong way, it sounds crazy and embarrassing.

I watched "the secret" a documentary about positive thinking, and positive response to help you live a more successful life.

Some people swear by it, some say its crap, i'm really not too sure what to think, but I do know one thing.


People who are negative in life tend to fail, or are less successful, and same with people who are negative in poker and this results in a losing player.

I always used to laugh at people who would get all their money in with KK vs A,rag and say. "Ugh god, here comes the ace,, kings always lose blah blah" and if an ace falls, they say, Yup, i knew it. i knew it was coming.

So after watching this documentary on positive thinking and positive vibes, which are supposed to attract positive responses, i started thinking strongly about cards i want to see in hands rather than what card i didnt want to see.

like I have A,K vs K,9 on a K,K,6,2 board.. Instead of thinking, No 9, no 9, i think.. 8 of clubs, 8 of clubs.

Now here is the scary, "i'm crazy part" I've noticed over the last few months, more so lately.. that I'm really thinking clearly as I play, and when i get into these big situations where I'm all in, or will be all in on the next street, I'm visually thinking strongly of a card i really want to see hit to win me the hand.

Its not only hit several times, but its been the exact card, and suit. it sounds like a coincidence, but believe me, its occurred so many times Its become a HUGE coincidence, in a short time

anyways, just my X-files moment for you all.

In my personal past poker history, it seems that every time I say something like "God, here comes the X" in a negative sense, I lose. But whenever I say things like, "I'm going to win this hand dammit" I win. Somehow I doubt it has something to do with outcomes, but it's a nice think that it does

well, in the documentary"the secret" they say that negative thoughts and feelings attract negative outcomes, and vice versa for positive.

So, people who think about debt, and people who wake up everyday worrying about debt only attract more debt, and end up further and further in debt.

sort of "when it rains it pours" type of deal.

So, If you think in a poker sense. someone who is behind in a hand will be thinking, comon Ace, comon Ace... while you think, No ace, No ace. all that energy is attracting the same outcome.

Now that sounds ultra crazy like thoughts change the outcome of cards, and thats not what I mean. But the documentary is intriguing if you havent already checked it out.

I know it's crazy, but especially playing online, I've noticed that I pretty much get what I 'expect' to happen. When I am running bad, I expect to have that ACE hit against my KK, and sometimes I just know when my good hand is going to hold.


I haven't watched the Secret but I know what it is all about, and I do kinda believe in that sort of thing.

I'll often root for my opponents cards, as a positive reaffirmation of how slim they are actually drawing.

I think the key is all in relaxing your body and mind and just playing the best you can.

A5 beats QQ 30% of the time, the sooner we accept this, the sooner we move on.

I have noticed that since I switched to cash games I'm a lot more happy-go-lucky and relaxed. I'm sure if the government funded a study, they'd probably find increasing blinds cause low sperm count, male pattern baldness, and ulcers.

weeeeeeeeee.

Here's what you do:

1) Make a specific note when you're rooting for a specific card.
2) Make a note when it hits.
3) See what % of the time you're correct.
4) Come back and post your findings.

Then, if you actually are Maverick

5) Profit

Well if it keeps you thinking positive and your game sharp, then believe it by all means, the exact specifics of whether it is feasibly possible are largely irrelevant if the end outcome is positive.

A while ago when i was in an all-in spot as a big favourite i was always preparing myself for the worst and when i lost it was just like "nyeh, i probably messed up earlier in the tourney so it's my fault anyway". This train of thought continued for about a month when i was really really sucking at tournaments; when i finaly won as a big favourite and won a race, i felt guilty, seriously, i wondered how long my luck would last and how if i cashed in the tournament it was only cause i suckouted or got situationaly lucky.

For the last 3 weeks or something i've ran sick good, i've hit more than my fair share of sets and i've been having people make lower flushed/boats to me more often than ever.

Now whenever i get lucky, i laugh and say 'god damn it feels good to get this many cards' and when i lose as a favourite i think 'Haha, fair play i've been too lucky lately, i've got to lose these sometimes'.

I think the notion that positive people are winners and negative people are losers is a bit wrong though. I also hate it people who complain about luck, more than anything really, but i think that often the reason someone is negative is because they fail, not the other way around.

yup, you are crazy

"No sense being pessimistic. It wouldn't work anyway."
-- John Robb

Hahaha, ^Winner.

If people thinking about cards actually affects the cards you should be really careful about trying to make money playing poker. Poker is hard enough with the increase in good players and variance, voodoo only makes it harder.

Please don't. Just, don't. Ok, thanks.

No. There are two of you.

Unless you are Shannon Elizabeth's joke account?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BlJQYqRv9I

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."

- - Albert Einstein

WTF? Why is this in Strat?

Hey RT, Check out JC's blog. This is kind of freaky.

well, IMO there are several variables to being a successful player. Maybe this does zero for most, but if it creates a positive effect on some, isnt that good?

Positivity is almost definitely a key to a winning player, but it doesn't change the deal.

screw u and your life rules.

lol

I'm starting to believe it's true - 5 months ago, I was a mini-Matusow "I never win races", "I run so bad", etc. I didn't win races, I ran so bad. I take a break, change my attitude. I win races, I'm running good.




I've been doing the same thing.

Monthly school tourney about a month ago:

I'm in the BB with 10/8o, check my option. Multiway pot, 10102 flop, gets checked to the Q turn, checked again. At this point, I know I have the hand locked up, but I call for the case 10 anyway. River = bingo (case 10 obv), I check and INSTACALL as soon as the UTG kid finishes saying "I'm all in" (I'd say there was about a one second pause between the words "in" and "I call")

.25 cent tourney from a few weeks ago, I have an OESFD on the turn. It's a HU pot, I bet 600 something into a 1700 pot, get shoved on, I call allin. While I'm thinking about what to do, I start thinking "Ace of hearts" over and over to myself, type in the chat ROYAL ME ONE TIME LEE!, I hit my first ever Royal Flush.

It's really really weird, but I think it actually works. I'll think hard about the card I want, predict that it will hit, it does.

Is this thread a giant level?

Mathematics>The Secret.

Its important to play with confidence but thinking that being positive will change the outcomes of allins and river cards is lol.

No one really believes that you can change the outcome of cards.

we're just saying that the law of attraction works by attracting likes from your thoughts.

negative attract negative, positive / positive. anyways, like its already been said, when you're feeling good and in a happy state, your poker playing will just seem so much clearer.
You celebrate your wins, (whether they be all in preflop, or slow played monsters) more often since they are what put u in the good mood.
You start to think that your cards are hitting more often keeping you in that happy positive state.

I've always questioned people who go on big long downswings. and I've always said thats impossible.You're either a winning player at your game/level and get unlucky on occasion, but just as lucky the same amount.

so what is it? could people who project negative energy bring theirself down so much they actually think they are playing great and getting unlucky? even for an entire month?

To quote rounders, "people never remember how they built their roll, but they cant help but remember with perfect accuracy, the bad beats they took"

what if you didt focus on beats at all, and only gave a reaction when you win. which would obviously be a positive one.

It might feel like you're calling out your cards, but in reality you're just staying positive.

its the same as peoplewho call out, NO ace, No ace with KK and the ace falls and they say, God i knew it.

maybe not math strat, but definitely a must for anyone who plans to play fulltime. IMO.

I agree with most of this. I think that staying confident and upbeat would help your overall results, but I think some people, like drcossack, think its supernaturally improving his ability to suck out and win races, which is ridiculous.

I just stand up and pray like Jerry Yang everytime I get it in. I win my races about half the time doing this. There is no god, or he just listens half the time. I am confident and positive I will win these 50% of the time.

I think at some point every remotely superstitious poker player experiences this. I don't really believe that pleading with the universe for a specific card will change my fate in a hand (even though I sure as hell do it anyway) but I do think that attitude plays a huge role in everything you do.

I really hate those people who go through life attempting to blame their failings on anything but their own incompetence. If a person is so convinced that they're going to lose a hand before the hand is even over then they must be pretty f*cking accustomed to losing in the first place.

Like Stu Ungar said, "Show me a good loser and I'll just show you a loser." and to me, a good loser is someone who can accurately predict their failings before they even happen.

Positive thinking didn't work for them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnTbO26u9bQ

No, I don't think that, heh.

I'm not winning/losing any more races than I did 5 months ago - I understand the mathematics of poker enough to know better.

I'm just not focusing on the "Oh great, I'm in a coinflip, I'm going to lose" mentality anymore. That was what made it seem like I could never suck out/win races. The "Royal me one time Lee" is just a joke because I actually hit a Royal Flush draw after I said it.

It's essentially what I've bolded in AimHigher's post below:




When I honestly believed I could never win races, I didn't. I stopped thinking about it so much, and I still lose them, but I also win them.

Do I think I'll get the card I need every time I call for it? No.

Has my attitude toward poker in general changed since my break in August? Yes.

Am I playing better as a result of a changed attitude? Hell yes.

I agree with Royal that if you're going to play fulltime, you have to have a positive thinking system in order to be successful. If you keep going on monkey life tilt and blowing up everytime something happens that statistically shouldn't, you're going to have a terrible poker playing career.

But having anything to do with results: No way.

If I have an underpair vs overpair situation I can tell you if I am going to suck out.



True Story.

FYP

No you are not alone, there are a bunch of crazies in this forum

Best post here.

You're not the only weird one.