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Phil Ivey: Being good at poker doesn't mean being good at life
I guess we all agree that Phil Ivey is one of the most legendary poker players of all time. Over the past 20 years, he has credited countless successes in both the live and online poker, including 10 WSOP bracelets and more than $ 30 million in live tournament winnings.
Despite such a long biography, Phil remains a modest man who avoids the attention of the world's media. The interviews with him are very rary and valuable, and here you can see one, very interesting, that was made by Joe Ingram:
As a short summary, we extracted fourkeyideas from it, which only confirm the size of Ivey's character.
1.If you enjoy winning, learn to manage losses as well
Poker is an extremely varied game, thanks to which you will experience days when you will not be able to lose, but also days when you will not win a single flip. Even the best players in the world have to accept the fact that they simply can't win every time they sit down at the table."If you enjoy winning, you have to accept the fact that you sometimes lose. When you do, the game becomes much easier for you. The easiest you can achieve with practice, the more hours and hands you play, you will realize that you will not circumvent this rule and you will learn to live with it. "
2. Climb to higher stakes wisely
The topic of bankroll management is a common topic among poker players, and Phil Ivey is no exception. "I know a lot of players who got into trouble when they went crazy and played stakes, which got them into financial trouble. It is relatively easy to avoid it, always guard your bankroll and take your time - poker will become a much more fun and enjoyable hobby for you. "
3. Learn to control your emotions
The bigger the money being played for, the more emotions the game brings. But emotions are the enemy of common sense, so you should put them aside at the table. "In poker, I worked for many years on how to break away from emotions. I have learned to set the emotional level at which I am during the game - when I win, I try to limit my joy, when I lose, not to fall into sorrow. I think this is a very important prerequisite for success. "
4. Being good in poker does not mean being good in life
Probably the best and deepest idea we kept at the very end. We all know a number of poker players whose poker successes have been overshadowed by scandals and inappropriate behavior in everyday life. What does Phil say?
"Look at me - I was young, I lived in Vegas and I had a lot of money. Everything happened very fast and I got used to that life. Since I was eighteen, I have devoted almost 15 years of my life to poker. I played it almost every single day, and I spent years at the poker table as others grew up and experienced different situations and emotions that shaped their personality. I've never really grown up, I've never solved common problems, and I've never experienced emotions like most people around.
I always thought I was a very good and selfless person, and I justified it by taking care of my family and friends financially. In fact, the opposite was true, I was a very selfish man. I was selfish in terms of time, I did only what I wanted. I was selfish in relationships, with people around me, with my loved ones.
I gave up life and devoted all my time and energy to poker. I had great benefits from it, especially media and financial, but I paid a considerable price for them. Now I see it and that's why I try to work on myself as much as possible. I am very lucky to have people around me who care about me and they have told me plainly what I can change.
Being good at poker does not mean being good at life. It will take a lot of time, energy and effort to become good at poker, but the same is true in life. Fortunately, I managed to change that and work on these things. I started practicing yoga and meditation, which helped me realize what was important and what was not. Today I try to focus mainly on important things, family, exercise and health. I think I've finally found the right place in life. "
Source: UpSwingPoker