One of the advantages of online poker is that you don’t have to contain your emotions. There is no one to react to your hysterics or to read your nervous ticks. You don’t have to hide or be ashamed to express your feelings. You can swear, pray to God, laugh like a madman or cry like a girl, and there are plenty of things you can break or try to break without having to pay a fine (that is, if you are playing online at your own place).

The only thing you want to leave alone is the computer. People and pets sharing the apartment with you will have probably learned by now that they better stay away from the serious poker player. Anyone who hasn’t learned yet is fair game.

While it is clearly an advantage, it may turn on you and effect your mental health. It is widely believed that containing your emotions is not good for a person or as a player. The belief is that the more you depress the expression of emotion, the greater the likelihood that the pent up frustration will effect your decision making and possibly lead to a decline in your mental health.

Recalling their negative feelings of “flashes of anger”, “blind rage” or even going “totally berserk” many players admit guilt. They like to point to the Japanese experience where rubber dolls are given – representing management- and employees use these to alleviate their feelings of frustration.

One needs to remember, however, that Japan is a culture radically different from ours, and hence very possibly with psychological make up that is radically incompatible with ours. Moreover, despite the rubber dolls and the liberal views in relation to porn and simulated violence, Japan still has some of the most appalling suicide statistics in the world, especially in its middle class marketing sector.

So, when viewed through this lens, the soundness relieving our pent up frustration on inanimate objects can be called into question. Indeed, many trials lean to the conclusion that the violent expression of frustration is not a stress reliever, but the exact opposite.

It seems not unlikely that any rational person realizes that the actual cause of frustration remains untouchable and this may only exacerbate the frustration while the mechanical pounding of a rubber bag only encourages rage, rather than lift stress. Moreover, when the person expects to feel better after the procedure instituted by his superiors but the relief does not come, the person is likely to be even more frustrated.

When this is applied to the poker player, it means that while the player who is experiencing complicated and intense irritation and anger is now distracted from the game itself, likely to a greater degree than if they had chosen to suffer in quiet. Our sense of purpose is disrupted by fear and creativity is negatively impacted by great joy. Indeed, any disproportionate emotion (not to be confused with deep concentration) is intellectually debilitating especially in relation to the activity involved.

Containing anger created during a game, as opposed to those life frustrations such as lack of appreciation or a rocky love life, should be looked upon generally as a positive. Treat it as way to make a player better, teaching poise and general discipline. Controlling the anger may take some practice at first but with time it should become easier and result in improvement to your health and career. If it is not working, take a break, quit that one disastrous game, or in the extreme, even stop playing on line poker for a time.

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