“If you love something, set it free.” An odd quote to apply to poker, perhaps, but one that has a link into the key secrets of playing emotion-free. In the previous article we took a look at how playing emotionally, especially if those emotions have anything to do with “tilt” or “steam,” can not only hurt your bankroll, but your ability to play the game in general. Now we are going to take a look at how to control your emotions and what some feel is the best kind of poker to play; “Zen” Poker.

Songs and greeting cards are frequent users of the quote “If you love something, set it free, If it comes back, it’s yours.” The attitude behind this quote is very akin to the right kind of detachment you need to play emotionless poker. The above quote never says it will be easy to set something free you love; in fact, it might be the hardest thing you can do. But the implication is if you hold on to it to tightly, if you try by force of will to keep what you love, you end up destroying or hurting it.

The same holds true with poker. You can’t play poker well just by wanting to; luck and the cards don’t respond to psychic probes. Poker is a game of surrender as much as attack; sometimes you just have to let it go. You may not want to “set it free,’ but often it will be the only thing that will keep you from losing your shirt as well as your edge.

Zen play both extremely complex and very simple; the simple part we can cover in this article. To play Zen poker is to set the emotional part of you aside, to allow emotion to slide passed you, regardless of the outcome of a particular hand or run of luck. This applies to good luck and great hands as well, by the way. Getting caught up in a run of excitement because things are falling your way can push your buttons almost as quickly and easily if you are steaming from a bad beat.

In order to play at your best, with your mind working clearly (and consequently making the best out of strong hands and good position, and thereby making money) you must not play emotionally. Set your emotions free, but don’t worry; after the game, they’ll come back to you every time.