Poker Brain
Ever since I started playing poker seriously, I've held the view that poker reveals the way our brain is wired. For example, if we carry a list of cognitive biases with us to a poker session, and tick off the ones we witness in action, we'd probably run through the entire list by the end of the evening. Poker is known to prevent brain-related sicknesses because the brain works better when it's used for critical thinking, although there should be a check on this. Living as a poker player is profitable, especially If you're skilled enough to win games against your opponents, then you'll be making money while keeping your brain healthy. As poker players we have to find every edge possible so here is another one for you. Just read the rest of this article, eat some of the foods and enjoy the everyday improvement. Top ten brain foods for poker players. People who ate one handful of walnuts per day improved their working memory by 19%! As if you needed another excuse to play poker, new research shows that poker is good for your brain. Jeffrey Cummings, a leading researcher in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, has recently released new research showing that playing poker is a great way to drastically decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer’s and other brain-related diseases, typically associated with old age,. We’d found a way to rewire a poker brain. Every single time you have a poker decision, ask yourself, “what is the most important thought here?” I guarantee this simple question will change the way you play. You will be in control.
It’s a commonplace of contemporary competitive sport that the mental game is as important as the physical game. Poker is a card game that has made the transition from recreational pursuit to professional competition, it has become a spectator sport and for the top professionals a lucrative career.
So what distinguishes the amateur from the professional? A study by partypoker set out to answer the question. Six players, two beginners, two intermediate and two experts were observed playing forty minute sessions of Texas Hold’em poker. All the participants wore electroencephalography (EEG) headsets by Emotiv and the data was then converted to colour coded brain maps. The brain activity of amateurs and experts were then compared at key stages of the game.
Deal
When cards are initially dealt is when the amateur is most focussed and their decision making is led by logic. The experienced players, however, are making less mental effort but reaching quicker decisions.
Flop
This is when the first three cards are put out face up, altogether. The amateurs exhibited minimal brain activity but this is the stage of the game at which the experts were most engaged and they spent far more time than the amateurs processing information.
Turn
When the fourth card is dealt, face up, amateurs responded with emotional decision making, whilst the decisions of the experts were dictated by logic and intuition. The brain maps show increased activity in the front right side of the brain for the amateur (an area associated with emotion), but an increase in both sides of the brain for the expert (associated with solving mathematical problems).
River card
Poker Brain Movie
A key phase of the game when the fifth card is dealt, face up. Again, brain maps show a striking distinction between the amateur, whose decisions are the result of intuition and the expert, whose decisions are dictated by logic.
Check
This is the decision to not bet, with the option to call or raise later in the round. It is a meditative phase of the game, but where the amateur is passive and disengaged, the expert brain is engaged in logical, critical thinking, highlighted by the increased activity in the left side of the brain.
Raise
Excitement peaks when stakes are raised but whilst the brains of both amateurs and experts show heightened alertness, the amateur brain reveals much higher levels of emotion.
Call
This is where a player puts into the pot an amount of money equal to the most recent bet. It is a more relaxed phase of the game than the raise but once again the brain maps of the experts suggest a much lower level of emotional activity compared to the amateurs.
All in
Running out of chips while betting or calling is a crucial moment for a player and the brain maps for both amateur and expert are very similar, indicating high levels of engagement and increased emotional activity.
Poker Rainbow Flop
Conclusions
Sports psychologists characterise emotion style in a variety of ways. At one end of the spectrum is ‘the seether’, a player whose anger and frustration bubble beneath the surface and threaten to disrupt the quality of the performance. At the other end ‘the Zen master’, a player unperturbed by the vagaries of play and consequently always able to perform at the highest level. The findings of the partypoker study would support this model of emotions. Expert players did not dwell on bad hands and were led by intuition and logic, over emotion. They demonstrated consistent engagement, self-control and patience, they were not distracted by emotion, frustration or excitement.
Photo Credits
Emotiv headset – from Emotiv
Brains – from partypoker
Contributing Author Bio
Richard Sheppard
Richard is a film, travel and literature enthusiast and freelance writer who has written for a range of online publications.