High stakes poker mind games "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see". quote Edgar Degas whose 'Ballerina' pastel last sold in 1999 for close on £18 million. Poker is an art form and of cse selling your hand, and its artistry, is no better demonstrated than in cash games. To become a cash king requires more than a big bankroll; it is a journey during which you must explore deep into the next level of your poker mindset to prosper.

"The Mrs" (Alina Salnikova - pictured), who has now adopted the name of "Moneylover", has taken to discussing poker with her best friend, a hypnotherapist. Hypnosis or self-hypnosis, in a form known as visualisation, has been long used by sportsmen and martial arts
Full Tilt Poker practitioners, and indeed by anyone who is seeking the answer to self improvement and winning. To be good you have simply got to feel confident and strong. Who hasn't said "I will win" a hundred times prior to a certain game? If you don't want self improvement, then you are already Doyle Brunson.

So, the next day, "The Mrs" and I continued own heads up poker championship. Last week, she took on Tony G and Phil Hellmuth in a fun game so she already has those names to add to her belt. At Kenwood Café Heads Up Event, I noticed a marked change in her game strategy. She beat me 4-1 which up until then had been a rarity. "It is simple, you have got to believe yourself and trust in your intuition." she reflected in her new found wisdom.

Watching TV that night, poker saw Friedman fluff to a Jamie Gold bluff at the last two tables of the main event at the WSOP. He even named Gold's hand, but he just did not have the confidence to go with his intuition. The top pro's talk of ESP or extra sensory perception; if the belief is strong enough, if you really feel that you have the best hand, then you must follow your convictions. Sensing danger or weakness is an art, if you feel you have learnt that ability, stick to your guns and go for it.

So, she has discovered the next avenue of improving her game, but what is it about cash that so often lets us fall back into the famous "I am here to gamble" quote of Joe Grech? Developing the levels of mental concentration required to be a winning cash player requires belief and self-improvement every game, while paying full attention to the game and your opponents in a detailed general overview.