How to maintain mental resilience during a lengthy poker session

Every poker session* — it's not just a test of strategic knowledge, but also a challenge of mental endurance. 

Even the most prepared player may find that by the end of the gaming day, concentration wanes, emotions get out of control, and decisions become impulsive.

Most poker players tend to focus solely on game strategy and rarely think about the mental state in which these decisions are made. However, psychology often plays a decisive role in the quality of the game. 

This article will help you to understand what constitutes mental resilience, why it directly depends on the player's physiology, and how to build a system that maintains concentration and emotional balance even in the longest and most intense sessions.

* A session is a gaming segment during which a player spends a certain amount of time at the tables, participating in hands and making decisions in real-time.

The brain is part of the body, not a separate 'processor'

Our discussion will address the subject of players' inflated demands on themselves. Many feel guilty for 'stupid' mistakes and suboptimal decisions — especially in deep runs, at final tables, where the stakes are high.

Players often treat the brain as a computer that can be endlessly loaded with strategy. In practice, it is an organ that directly depends on the body's condition. When reviewing sessions, players often look at strategy, but rarely ask the key question: in what mental state was the decision made?

Let's touch on the main physiological factors that degrade game quality:

1. Lack of sleep reduces concentration just like alcohol: even knowing the ranges, a player might miss the size of a bet or make calculation errors.

2. Heavy food takes energy away from the brain and causes drowsiness.

3. Lack of movement reduces oxygen flow — attention 'stagnates', impulsiveness increases.

The result is fatigue, irritability, and 'stupid' mistakes. How to fix this?

1. Sleep 7–8 hours on a stable schedule.

2. Prefer light foods with proteins and complex carbohydrates.

3. During each break, get up and do some stretching.

4. Before starting, go through the checklist: 'Has the player eaten? Slept well? Is he comfortable?'

A-game doesn't last for eight hours straight

The state of the A-game — clear thinking, calm emotions, precise decisions — requires significant resources and inevitably gives way to a more automatic level — B-game.

The professional's task is to improve the quality of their B-game so that even when tired, they maintain a stable level instead of descending into the chaos of the C-game.

How to improve the B-game?

1. Regular repetition of frequently occurring hands. This forms 'muscle memory' of decisions.

2. Targeted analysis of repeated mistakes. This tool helps to fix decisions and develop useful automatisms.

This process is also facilitated by working with software and poker trainers.

Read more about what they are like in this article.

*you can insert a link to this article when it's ready:

'Poker software: a complete guide to the programs used by professionals'

3. Mini-warm-up before starting. Spend just 5–10 minutes repeating basic play lines. This will be sufficient to get into the right mental tone.

Like an athlete practices shots or moves, a poker player trains the B-game — it is this that maintains the result over the long distance when energy runs out.

Emotions — a mirror of fatigue

As the session lengthens, the load increases not only on attention but also on emotions. A tired brain filters impulses worse: a slight loss causes a storm, an opponent’s inadequate decision causes irritation, decisions are made 'out of spite' or 'whatever'. 

Emotions become an indicator of exhaustion: the more intense the fatigue, the fewer resources are available for self-regulation.

We offer concrete tips for controlling the emotional state:

1. Pause to breathe. Before an important action — a deep breath and count to five.

2. Assess fatigue. Every couple of hours, ask, 'How fatigued is the player from 1 to 10?' If above 7 — increased control of emotions.

3. Anchor phrase. A short reminder of the game’s goal, bringing the focus back.

A professional is distinguished not by the absence of emotions, but by the ability to notice and regulate them before they take over the game.

Micro-recoveries: how not to 'drift' to the end

In a long session, a player often gets only 5 minutes of break at the end of the hour. How these pauses are used directly affects the state by the 7th–8th hour of play.

The most typical mistake is reaching for the phone and scrolling through the feed: it feels like rest, but attention continues to be overloaded.

Let's understand how to use free time that arises during the session: 

In the break — 5 minutes:

1. A glass of water. Dehydration by 2–3% already reduces concentration.

2. 10–15 simple movements — shoulder stretches, neck turns, squats. This will help to accelerate blood flow and provide oxygen to the brain.

3. Fresh air. Open a window or step out onto the balcony — a 'reset button'.

Between hands — 30 seconds:

1. After a heavy pot — a short release: blink, relax shoulders, take a deep breath.

2. Before an important decision — a 2–3 second pause to exit autopilot into awareness.

Mental setups: hidden scripts that drive the game

During session analysis, attention is usually focused on strategy, but often the final action is dictated not by the range, but by a mindset:

'I'm unlucky' → increases focus on the negative, any coincidence seems like confirmation.

'I must recover' → leads to aggressive, unjustified decisions.

'I can't afford to make mistakes' → creates unnecessary tension and stifles thinking.

The problem is that mindsets work unnoticed until they are brought to light.

Recommendation: record automatic reactions during and after the game. Write down 1–2 thoughts that most frequently surfaced in the session. The very act of observation diminishes their power and restores control.

Conclusion: resilience is a system

Phrases like 'tired', 'unlucky', 'lost it' — are just the tip of the iceberg. At the base, there is almost always one mechanism: the resources of the body and brain are depleted, and mindsets and emotions take over.

A professional is distinguished not by talent, but by a system in which mental resilience is composed of several elements:

1. Physiology: sleep, nutrition, movement.
2. B-game: honed automatisms that maintain level under fatigue.
3. Emotional regulation: noticing fatigue and emotions, not 'fighting' them.
4. Micro-recoveries: use the five minutes of breaks for the body and attention, not for social media.
5. Thinking: observe automatic reactions, which often have a stronger influence than theory.

Mental resilience in long sessions is not a 'superpower' or an innate talent. It's the result of a systematic approach. When a player builds it step by step, a key hand in the ninth hour ceases to be a test of 'luck' — it becomes a task for which they are fully prepared.

The FunFarm team helps players build such a system: from physiology and micro-breaks to enhancing B-game and emotional regulation.

Apply to hone not only gaming skills but also to cultivate unparalleled mentality.