EdmondDantes says

Nice post! Just curious, though...I've often felt like kicking my opponents balls in at the table. Does that count as "being in the zone"?

09/09/07

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I heard Negreanu on tv the other day talking about being in a poker zone which got me thinking to how much "the poker zone" is very similar to the feeling in sports. Any time I hear that phrase I think of Jordan when he hit 6 threes in one half in the NBA finals as he shrugs to the scorer's table like "I don't know what's going on".

My experience with the "zone" is basketball related. It's an almost euphoric feeling...as if you can do no wrong. When you're in the zone you feel like you can kick the ball in. The hoop feels as big as a pool. It's a great feeling. When you're not in the zone and shots aren't falling you start looking elsewhere for explanations. You start to analyze your mechanics, am I not following through, feet set properly - you hang your head after shots as if nothing is going your way.

The same feeling can be true for poker. I've had times where I feel every decision I'm making is the correct one. You're read on players is spot on and you put players on the correct hand ranges. It's a definite rush. When things aren't going well you start looking at mechanics...hand selection, bet sizes, raising too much?, etc.

So the question is "How do you get in the zone?" It's not something that you can turn off and on when you want it . It just kind of happens. The key is to make sure your prepared so that it will happen. In basketball this means all those years of practice and shooting in the driveway set yourself up to experience this great feeling. In poker this means continually studying the game using books, forums, videos, and other players. If you're prepared it will come.


Goal update
I haven't been playing as much as I'd like to lately since I'm getting into the swing of things at school. I was taking a beat down for a week. I was losing many hands where I was a 70-80% favorite and was getting sucked out on the river...it happens. I've had a decent past few days winning around $1000 and have hit my mark for moving up to 2/4. Next is to get to $6000 to move up to 3/6.