We set goals in most aspects of our life. Whether this takes the guise of outright goal setting or something more obscure like New Year’s Resolutions, we are a society that thrives on meeting and exceeding goals. Why is it then that so many young poker players forget this penchant for goal setting as soon as they get a deck of cards in their hand? Far too many players think that they can learn the finer points of online poker just by reading a few books and playing a few mindless practice rounds. They forget that they need to set actual goals to learn.
Let’s look at the basics of poker goal setting. Goals need to be challenging, obtainable, and measurable. This means that a new player could set a goal to win one big blind an hour at a $3/5 table. They need to define a set period of time for them to achieve this goal, let’s say three months. The beauty of setting a goal like this is that it gives them something to work for. Creating goals actually helps you to learn how to play because you are constantly dedicated to the learning process. People who set goals like this end up doing much better than people that go with the flow.