How to Control Your Emotions While Playing Card Games

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By its very nature, gaming is a social phenomenon. For many of us, gaming is a great way to fight boredom and get in touch with other people; this is because of the strong emotions plus the very specific kind of tension we experience, which all makes us feel really good. Of course, different kinds of casino games affect us differently; but as long as they manage to make our blood pressure level rise, we all know the game is going OK!

However, not all games are easily won if you express all your feelings. So of course, if you’re playing a slot machine and you’ve already had some delicious cocktails, it would be great to shout out loud when you win!

And if you play craps and you somehow manage to get the right combination of dice, your glorious cry of victory might well be the appropriate reaction to a favorable outcome!

Still, some of the casino games out there can be won only if you can keep your feelings in check; or at least train yourself to feel some other kind of emotions, rather than negative or disruptive ones. So, now we’re going to talk about some strategies that you can apply to get an edge over other players, or at least to curb your passion when you feel that your head is on fire. The game we’re going to use as an example is the game of poker.

Keeping Yourself Together at the Poker Table

Without any doubt, the most emotional casino game of all is the game of poker. Poker involves a very important social dimension, because after every new draw, each player at the table keeps a secret all other players are dying to unravel – the secret of the hand that has been drawn. That’s why any poker pro is not only a skilled mathematician, but also a sensitive psychologist who knows how to notice the most insignificant signs of the opponent’s anxiety, joy, confusion, or hope. So if you find yourself sharing a poker battlefield with one of those battle-hardened poker masters who can read your mind as if you were somehow thinking out loud, then you can use some of the following tips to upgrade your poker social skills, thus turning them from a weakness into a strength.

Learn How to Hide Your Passion

Do you know how you express your emotions? Well, if you’re a professional actor, you probably know this pretty well! However, if you are not, you will probably need to figure out how you act when you’re so deep inside the game, as there are no resources left for introspection. So for this purpose, you can just use the help of your best friends, who know you better than anyone else. Arrange a poker game and ask the most attentive of your pals to track down your reactions, so you can learn from them how your body acts when your mind evaluates your opportunities.

Once you know that you’re tapping nervously every time you find out that your poker hand is lame, you will need some training and discipline to curb your typical reactions. Also, a good old workout can help. Firstly, it will help you to feel fit and full of energy. Secondly, it will help you to feel calmer so it will be much easier to control your mind and body!

Can’t Hide Emotions? Alter Them!

It’s well understood, of course, that some people are more emotional than others. Some of us always look like they are wearing a poker face, while some look like they’re always playing a Shakespeare character from the stage. We are all different, and there’s no universal solution that fits all of us as individuals. Some people feel the strong urge to react to every situation that has any significance for them, and it’s almost impossible for them to hide their passion. So what can a poker player possibly do if they’re crying out loud with joy or feeling down when not even one a pair in your playing hand is an option? That’s right, you need to alter what you feel!

Some of the greatest poker players, who are driven by strong emotions, choose this strategy quite frequently – you just need to be on fire all the time! Be joyful and keep on cheering, regardless of your hand value; and if you have an urge to express yourself, just do it like you’re on cloud nine. This strategy may also end up being an extremely destructive one for your opponents, who are doing their best to show no emotion at all! In other words, this jolly poker persona may work not only as a defense, but also as an offensive strategy that will mess up the cards of your opponents.

Puzzle all the Players and Win

Do you remember the times when you used to dream about becoming an actor? Or maybe a musical performer or a news anchor? Well, even if you’ve never had an ambition like this, it’s never too late to become a professional hoaxer, especially since it’s an essential part of the game to mislead or to puzzle the other players! Or as the old proverb says – “Attack is the best form of defense.”

That’s why you can not only hide or alter your feelings or reactions, but you can also trick everyone for your own benefit, if you’re acting it to be truly convincing. This strategy is going to require some solid acting skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to lose a small stake in order to win a king’s ransom in the end!

Your major objective is to make all other players (or at least some of them) think that you’re not paying attention to your facial expressions and your body language, and make them believe that you’re just a rookie. Fuel their confidence with a couple of matches – look grim when the hand is lame, and then feel agitated whenever you have a strong one. Don’t overreact, because you might end up getting busted right away. But if you do manage to make your opponents believe in your wide-eyed and sincere persona, you can turn the game to your favor when the stakes are really high!