They Not Like Us

14 WSOP bracelets and 5 rings.

That’s how much hardware was at my initial table draw for the $1,500 PLO bomb pot WSOP event last summer.

Among the players?

6-time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus. Certainly not someone I was excited to see from an EV perspective, but it was an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

At that point last year, I’d been deliberately working on being more present at the table for awhile.

I was pretty good at it.

Both at being present with myself, as well as sensing what was going on in the people around me.

What did I notice about Jeremy?

He was very, very present the whole time. 

And it seemed effortless.

Whether he was in a hand, watching the action, or having a conversation – he was just there, having the experience. Never zoned out, stuck in his head, or stewing on something that happened.

We’re all wired a little differently.

At the time, I wasn’t sure if Jeremy had put effort into learning to stay present with his emotions, if he had a natural ability to do so, or if he was able to set them aside while playing (as many others in the high-roller scene are able to do). But, I certainly know presence when I see it.

Today, that question was answered.

He was just setting them aside.

In his tweet today, he talked about how muting his emotions was affecting the rest of his life, and he was starting to feel numb. Learning to feel and give them attention was showing immediate benefits.

It’s really not complicated. 

And things can go quickly once you’re doing the right stuff.

At the moment, this isn’t the most popular stuff in poker.

The biggest mindset coaches are still very much stuck on things like ‘injecting logic’, and thinking and talking their way into high performance.

But now some of the best players in the world are coming around to this.

It might be another five years until these practices are fully mainstream.

I’m glad I got in early though.

It’s so much better on this side.

I’m playing better than ever, winning more, and I’ve never been happier.

If you want to learn these skills so that you can perform at your best, both in poker and life, hit me up here:

For now, it’s one of the biggest edges you can get.