Anxiety Blues of Poker
Poker is a card game that involves gambling based on a cards bigger value. Player place a bet into a central pot and whoever controls the "hand" with the highest value ultimately wins.
While poker was already an established and popular card game, it has once again emerged as a popular gambling craze. Aside from the World Series of Poker which is the preferred challenge for professional players, other poker players can choose to play in smaller tournaments, or can even try their hand on on-line poker. Playing on-line may have different environments from the actual feel on a game floor but the rules have remained the same more or less. Even with the lack of a physical chair or table, on-line poker has continued to pull in loyal players all over the world.
Poker is more than just a form of gambling for some players. While it involves cards, poker challenges the faculty of critical thinking and correct timing. To be played in its best winning form, poker must be played by a person who knows the important skill of bluffing. Good poker players know how to control their emotions and facial expressions to develop what is called as a 'poker face'. Those players who easily get distracted by other people facial expressions betray their thoughts to others.
Poker has become such a popular game that it has reached global fame. Popular sports channels now cover these games live whereas in the past it was hard to spot one on tv and cable. Tournament viewing has now become a popular past time for poker players who want to practice their skills not in the actual game but in reading the contestants facial expressions on television. While many players attempt to conceal their facial contortions, one might be able to see a slight change on their faces as they think of the next move or get riled by their own mistakes. Poker players can look agitated, relaxed, nervous, and scared all at the same time.
The winnings of Poker can be as high as several millions of dollars which is why many people consider poker as a high stakes game with high stakes pressures. It is not surprising why players who have not reached the ranks of professionals still suffer anxiety attacks while playing cards. Like most games, people feel anxiety for a number of reasons.
Anxiety in poker games is often seen as a hassle to other players for it causes them to appear bad to the other players. A winning hand may cause a player to look anxious and other players can tell that they may not be holding a winning set.
For world class poker celebrities, the anxiety comes the fear of becoming an "instant celebrity" and the things that come with it. Some players see poker as a full time job while others see it an exercise in intellectual reasoning. For the celebrities, the thought of making poker a full time occupation makes fear and avoid the outcome.
The sudden loss of privacy and the opening up of ones character to intrigue may just be too much for some people who simply want to play the game, free from any exposure and limelight.
Treatment for anxiety attacks have become viable alternatives for those who have been playing poker for a long time. All the anxiety that has accumulated in their systems has now taken a toll on them and as a result, they have to stop and seek treatment. The lowering of ones anxiety level helps players regain their edge and further treatments would eventually be able to treat the wholeness of a person.
To some. anxiety is just a temporary discomfort. For the poker player, it can mean the difference between a loss or a breakdown in a persons overall well being.