This is something I wrote for a player who was struggling. Here is my advice to anyone who feels like they cannot win, and that it is hopeless to even try.

Take 7 full days off starting tomorrow. Do whatever you love best. If you are good at bowling, go to a bowling alley and tell yourself that you are going to bowl the best game of your life. <READMORE>

If you are good at running, sprint down your street as fast as you can and tell yourself that you are the fastest runner that God ever created.

Hell, if you're good looking - go look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are the most beautiful man that any women could ever dream of!

The point of these things isn't to make you laugh about how silly they are. The point of the exercise is the build up your confidence in other areas other than poker.

I wanna tell everyone a little more about who I am in real life.

I am a confident young guy who walks like I deserve to be where I am. I tell myself everyday that I DESERVE to be successful. I tell myself that I DESERVE to have a lot of money, because I am smarter than the average bear. I DESERVE to be looked at with respect. I deserve it because I am a good person, and good people DESERVE to be rewarded for what they do.

Now, that might sound a little cocky or stupid - but believe me, it is absolutely imparitive to becoming a winning poker player. Why do I win? Because I think I am the best player at my table at all times. Am I? Possibly, but in a match between players in a game that combines skill, strategy, cards and luck - I honestly and truly believe that confidence is the overriding factor to determine one's success in the long run.

You also must consider the fact that in poker - there are swings. The only problem with these swings is that the down swing has an ending, and that ending is $0.00. The up swing is everlasting - the number is infinite.

This is one of the reasons why goal setting is so crucial to winning poker, or any kind of success for that matter. When you hit the ground, it is almost impossible to go any further. But when you shoot for the moon, the sky is the limit.

If you are playing poker with $100 - what kind of goal are you shooting for? Are you trying to turn that into $1,000,000? Are you trying to turn it into $105? You need to have tangible goals set for yourself. If you plan on playing again, how about trying to use a system (I recommend the SNG challenge, www.gidders.com) to aim for goals?

I cannot tell you how good it feels to achieve goals, especially when it has to deal with money that wasn't yours before, but now it is. Man, does it ever feel good to say "I won $100 today by playing a game of cards."

And so what? You read about somebody who won $10,000? Big deal. That's them. This is you. You are the only one who is important - it is up to YOU to decide what kind of financial goals you have. Maybe you want to turn your $100 deposit into $300. And than you can re determine your goals from there. The point is, if you're shooting for a number that doesn't exist - than the only number you're gunna be seeing is $0.00. That I can almost guarentee you.

From the sounds of it... you are looking for anything to help get you out of a rut. Believe me, you are not the only one. Over 95% of players are losing players, and that number is probably even higher. Get 1,000 people in the same room together who play internet poker - and you'll probably only have about 20-50 guys who actually turn a profit. You CAN be one of those guys.

Here is something that I would recommend for anyone who is looking to turn the ship around. Looking to steer it in the right direction. Looking for that piece of something that has been missing all this time. It's probably within you.

When you look yourself in the mirror - tell yourself that you deserve to be a winning player. You are the best player at any table you sit down at. You are a fucking shark, and everyone should fear you. You are going to rip these punks up, and spit them out. They don't even belong at your fucking table, man.

You're going to remember that poker is a game of wins and losses, and sometimes that your good hand will lose, and sometimes your bad hand will win. You're going to realize that this is the nature of the game. You're not going to fall into that trap of complaining about bad beats, because you know how detrimental this is to your overall poker development, and you know that is the last thing you want.

You are also going to remember this, and remind yourself of it whenever you become discouraged - because you know that bad runs are the nature of the game, and you have the mental ability to turn things around in your head. The cards will always be the same 52 cards, and they aren't out to get you, believe me.

"Bad beats will happen - I know this. I will not become frustrated when I lose a hand. I understand that losing is a huge part of poker. I will do my 100% best on every single hand that I play, to try to make the most correct play. If I am unsuccessful, I will not become dispondant, upset or depressed. I will focus even harder. I will dust myself off, and try again. And again.

I will never quit learning about poker. I will focus hard on taking in everything I possibly can about the game. I will watch, read and listen to any and every bit of advice I am given. Most of all, I will become a winning player - because... I deserve it.

"God give me the wisdom to know what I can control and cannot control, and the wisdom to tell the difference."

Good luck to everyone who is struggling - and know that you can turn it around.

You derserve it.

-gidders </READMORE>