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We’re not just referring to the obvious here, such as bluffing and keeping a poker face in times of significant risk. Emotional range can range from not rising to the bait from other players, to knowing when to fold and not get drawn into a firefight, and losing your chips through poor emotional regulation in the heat of a game.
There are many ways that poker pros do this, and it remains one of the most intriguing aspects of the professional poker playing world. Only a small percentage of players reach a level where they can turn the card-based casino classic into their full-time job, and managing their emotional range and maintaining a level head are characteristics that only a select few players at the top have been able to master.
Weighing Up Natural Talent Against Work Ethic
In any field, natural talent will only get you so far. In poker, that is no different. Professional poker players who spend considerable time chiselling their skills and refining their strategy in both land-based and online tournaments keep themselves as sharp as possible.
The proliferation of online casinos has led to a growing number of poker professionals transitioning to digital tables to refine their skills, focusing on strategy and the quality of their hands rather than the physical elements of the game, such as bluffing and reading their opponents. Joe Fortune Casino is one of many operators that gambling aficionados seek out when they are looking for live table games to sharpen their skills.
While natural talent plays a part, without the appropriate work ethic and drive, top poker players will fall behind their peers if they do not utilize all the tools available to them.
Some believe that those with innate talent automatically rise to the top, and while this might be the case in some fields, in poker, the cream of the crop often have both talent and work ethic to complement it. Once they have both of these factors humming alongside each other, it’s the slight differences in emotional range and in-game mentality that separate the great players from the all-time great players.
Navigating The Televised Era
Once the World Series of Poker (WSOP) landed a television deal with ESPN, it added an entirely new level to the concept of elite poker. Not only were the top games about to be broadcast across the globe, but it also meant that the elite players had to keep their composure in front of a TV audience of millions, creating an extra layer of attention compared to a run-of-the-mill high-stakes tournament.
While watching top-level tournaments and competitions via TV and streaming services is the norm, securing the TV rights to the WSOP in the late 1980s was a significant development for ESPN.
Some poker pros use hats or sunglasses to mask their appearance and to make it more difficult for opponents to read their emotions or tics. Other players have been known to recruit psychologists and body language experts to throw off their opponents or to manage their emotions effectively.
Mastering emotional range isn’t just about masking your real emotions, but it is about having the emotional intelligence to understand how other players will react to your every move. Elite poker pros can only do this effectively when they spend countless hours studying their opponents, their previous games, and how to probe for any potential weaknesses that they reveal through their body language.
The Art Of The Bluff
A significant aspect of elite poker is deceiving other players into falling for your bluffs. Some players have scooped up million-dollar prize pools simply by bluffing, only to reveal that they had a worthless hand.
Other players have been psyched out despite having the strongest hand at the table. Some recent controversies that have overshadowed the WSOP include the 2024 winner being shrouded in laptop controversy, which has since resulted in a recent rule change: players are now prohibited from accessing the internet or their laptops during breaks between games.
Jonathan Tamayo will have been aware that this move would raise eyebrows, but part of the affront and the mentality that takes elite poker players to the zenith of the game is that they often throw caution to the wind and do anything to win.
This is part of what makes the elite poker mentality and emotional range such a crucial component. From a fan perspective, it makes for scintillating must-watch action, ensuring that each year the WSOP and other elite tournaments throw up surprises that nobody sees coming.