OK, before we start delving deeply into the world of poker psychology, you need to get a better grasp of who you are and where you are going. You have to have a course in mind - a track on which you are heading. Where do you want to be (with poker & life) 6 months from now? A year? Two? Five or ten years from this time? OK, we all can't be Greg Raymer here, so I hope not everyone reading these instructions say they PLAN TO win the WSOP main event.

Let's set true goals, here. I find that most people really don't set goals for poker or life. They just blindly "go with the flow." Those who do set goals are often poor at doing so. So, I suppose it is best if we do a quick tutorial.

Goal Setting in Poker

Goal setting is very much a personal endeavor. It falls within your personal framework as it fits with your drive, personality, family schedule, work schedule, ability, finances/bankroll, etc. In other words, you should not readily accept your goals as some arbitrary financial number that some poker author out there has thrown around. Despite some of their writings, it is not true that "success" is winning one/two big bets per hour. Poker, or life, is never that simply defined. Poker success is what you measure it to be. For many, poker success is NOT all financial in focus. Instead, they measure success by their play, their improvement, their time, and their learning.

Goals should always be challenging, obtainable, and measurable.

Challenging: Obviously, you want to be working towards a goal that you would be excited and proud to reach. Setting a goal which is very easy to obtain may certainly provide success, but it does not optimize your skills and winnings. You have to find a mark to shoot for which you know will involve some dedication and work to achieve.

Obtainable: Your goals should be things that are possible for you to achieve. Goals too high will inevitably set us up for failure and discouragement. I am an avid traveler, but it is ridiculous for me to aim to visit every country in the world. Perhaps it is a more reasonable goal for me to want to visit each of the 7 continents. The same holds true for poker. It may be too lofty for most of us to desire a WSOP main event bracelet or a championship at a televised WPT event.

Measurable: You have to be able to know if you have achieved your goal. Likewise, you need to know when you are getting close. Using financial steps is one way that many players set and measure goals, as overall bankroll is easily measurable. Setting goals with time, confidence, and patience can be a bit more difficult for some without such easy measuring sticks.

Example of a poor goal: "I want to be a great poker player." Um, sure you do. What is a great player, in your opinion? How do you know when you are great? Great is pretty tough to define, I'd say. How long will it take you to get there? How are you going to get there?

Example of a good goal: "I want to be comfortably & confidently playing in $5-10 Limit Hold 'Em by the end of this calendar year." OK, now we are setting a true goal. Clearly defined parameters are found here, with 5-10 limit being a very measurable mark. The timeline is included, which gives us a distinct date to motivate our efforts. With the "comfort," I see that as both emotional comfort and financial comfort. That implies that the poker bankroll must be swelled through lower-limit & tournament winnings to fuel the 5-10 buy-in's. Confidence levels can be measured only within yourself. Be honest in your self-evaluations.

Notice that the example of the "good" goal is not a strict financial number. I am not a fan of goals such as the following: "I want to be 'up' a total of $1,000 from poker winnings by the end of December." I find these types of goals to be dangerously misleading. You see, I've played some of the best poker of my life and still lost money due to bad beats and bad luck. On the other hand, I've pulled in hefty profits even while tilting, playing poorly, and relying on the luck of the fabled "poker gods" to help me suck-out opponents. Instead, I advocate for goals that involve learning, improving, feeling confident and obtaining self-assurance at the tables.

Let's Do It: Set Your Goals!

So, it is time for you to set some personal poker goals. Take out a notebook and scratch them down for future reference. Once that overall goal is set, list the steps (in the form of mini-goals) that it will entail to get to that goal. How much time studying poker (reading articles, books, instructional videos, chat forums, etc.) will you invest? How much playing time you will invest at the tables online and at brick & mortar casinos? How will that time affect your family and work commitments? Levels? Which games?

If you have some people in your life that may be affected by your set goals (such as a wife, or perhaps a poker buddy that you play against often), include them and listen to their input. Once you have your direction set, you may be amazed how well you will progress. If you don't know where you are going, you probably won't get there!

THIS LESSON: Learned about Goal Setting, Set some Overall Goals

NEXT UP: Intrapersonal Poker Psychology, My Strengths and Weaknesses

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