Here are some thoughts I had after reading Quarterbacks and SNG Mentalities; the paragraph on short-term memory really hit home to me!

I like this quote ‘…just like how true SNG players should never let what happened in the previous game, set, or day affect how we approach the next’. I’m generally ok dealing with a bad day or two, but can sometimes fall back into old habits after a long downswing. This can lead to missing bvb and bubble shoves in particular, as I want to avoid confrontation.

As the quality of poker players improves I can see that the mental side of the game will become even more important. I’m a big tennis fan and in tennis the difference in skill level between the men’s top 100 is quite small- the main difference is the mental edge that certain players have.

Nadal has one of the strongest mental games; he will always fight until the last point and never give up. Commentators say that its because he approaches each point separately, and just gives 100% on the current point. As a result he can come back from seemingly impossible situations.

In the recent Australian Open semi-final Andy Murray was a set down, and had set-points against him when he came back to defeat David Ferrer to reach the final. He said ‘I actually thought it was 4-3 – just before the umpire called it 5-5…I was so focused and wrapped up – it probably helped me out.’

In Conclusion I’m reminded of a video I was watching of a cash game involving Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey. After Ivey wins a big pot, Dwan asks his how much he is up- Ivey looks back like he has asked the most stupid question ever and replies, ‘Does it matter?’