Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
Team Full Tilt’s Mike Matusow is clearly one of the most outspoken personalities in poker – and one of the most talented. While his past antics have ranged from entertaining to offensive, his performance over the course of this year’s WSOP has been nothing less than top-notch in terms of behavior and performance. Over the last month, he’s earned his third career bracelet, made the final table in the $10K Omaha Hi/Lo Split event, and cashed in the $1.5K HORSE. Even more impressive, he’s been extremely mellow and focused on his game.
If you’ve watched any recent interviews, then you know what I’m talking about. Not only is Mike keeping his head and wits about him, he’s legitimately relaxed and positive. Recently, we had the chance to discuss his newly found calm and find out what it is that’s “levelled him out as a person and a poker player.” Here’s what he had to say about luck, staying calm, and the true power of positive thinking:
Do you believe that you create your own luck in poker?
It used to be that I didn’t believe that, but I do now. I know that if you believe that you’re going to be unlucky, then you’re never going to win. If you always believe that you’re going to win – even if you don’t – you’ll always bring a real positivity to the situation. That will make a big difference. So yes, I do believe that you make your own luck.
How important do you think that positive thinking is?
Speaking as someone who people probably considered the most negative person in poker two years ago, to a person who is now one of the most positive people in poker, I believe that it’s everything. I mean, I’m working out and running every day, and always thinking – telling myself – that I’m going to win, no matter how much I’m down. I no longer think that the card on the river is going to beat me; the card is inconsequential. If you don’t even think about being beat, it makes a huge difference. If that card does beat you, you just recognize it and take it as a part of the game and come back the next day with a positive attitude. That’s what I’ve learned to do over the past three months.
Along those lines, how do you handle the swings and keep them from getting to you?
Recently, I’ve read a lot and listened to tapes on the power of positive thinking, and I’ve learned how to take the negativity and turn it back into a positive. Then your frame of mind is clear and things don’t bother you. It’s taken some work, but I’m level as a person and as a poker player now. I think that’s helped me more than anything in playing at the level that I’m at now and have been throughout the series.
What kind of advice would you give to someone to make sure that they’re in the right mindset to play?
My best advice is that, first of all, you have to be on the right sleep schedule. That’s one of the reasons that I’ve taken the last three or four days off. After I won the tournament, I was up until seven in the morning with interviews and everything. This meant that I was sleeping until 9 o’clock at night, and that’s just not good. It’s taken me that long to get back on a schedule where I am waking up at 9 or so in the morning, getting ready, running for 30 minutes, and so on. I’m also trying to eat well – it’s tough to eat well during these tournaments. But at least I’m keeping up with the exercise and doing the right, positive things. That’s the most important thing: keeping perspective and a solid positive attitude.
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