Almost every poker player hits a point where they feel stuck.

Stuck at a stake. Stuck in inconsistency. Stuck wondering why they can’t quite become the player they know they could be.

A few days ago, on a quiet walk, I had an insight that made something click — not just for poker, but for every area of your life.

It’s simple, but it explains so much of why players plateau… and why some break through.

I was so excited that I uploaded a Youtube video on this topic right away, which you can watch it here.

But I also wanted to write it out properly, because this shift is too important to miss.

Let’s get into it.

A quick note before we continue:

If you’re serious about taking your poker performance to the next level, applications for The Poker Athlete Program are now open.

This is my signature mindset and performance coaching program where we work together to train the eight core skills that separate elite players from the rest.

The program will be starting the first week of the 2026 so you can have your best year ever.

Your Story Controls Your Ceiling

Here’s something that most players never realise:

You’re not experiencing “reality.”

You’re experiencing the story your mind has created about reality.

A story about:

• What stakes you’re good enough for

• What kind of player you are

• How confident you feel

• How you handle adversity

• What your future in poker looks like

Your mind takes your past, your assumptions, your fears, and it packages them into a clean narrative:

“This is who I am as a player.”

And without noticing, you begin to act according to that story.

Not according to your potential. Not according to your skill. But according to the narrative you unconsciously accepted.

This is the hidden ceiling that holds most players back.

I now want to take you through a three step framework for how to break it.

Step 1: Become Aware of the Story You’re Living In

Every player has a story, but not many take the time to examine it.

Start by asking yourself:

“What is the story I’m telling myself about my poker career?”

Write down the beliefs you hold about:

• What stakes you can play

• Your bankroll

• Your consistency

• Your ability to move up

• Your future in the game

At first, it will feel like you’re simply “describing reality.”

But stay with it.

The more you unpack it, the more you’ll notice something:

You’ve been living inside one version of events, not the only version.

This is version 1 of your story. The story you’ve been acting out up until now.

And once you see it clearly, you realise something powerful:

Most of it is just a story.

And stories can be changed.

Step 2: Change the Way You’re Looking at the Story

Once you shine a light on the story, the next step is to shift your perspective.

Most players see their career through a very narrow lens.

Lets say you've been stuck at 200NL, you might believe:

• “500NL is too tough for me.”

• “I always burn out.”

• “I’m just not consistent enough.”

• “I don’t have the mindset for high stakes.”

If you hold onto these stories, you will stay stuck.

So what other way could you view your situation?

Well at some point, you couldn’t beat 10NL.

Yet you got better. You studied. You learned and beat the level.

At some point, 50NL felt “too tough.” Then it wasn’t.

It took you three shots to establish yourself at 100NL, yet you kept going.

So why would your growth suddenly stop now?

It didn't. That’s just your mind’s story holding you back.

A powerful shift happens when you start looking at your situation through a wider, more accurate lens:

“I’ve improved before, so I can improve again.”

“I’m not failing, I’m in a growth phase.”

“I’m not stuck, I’m figuring things out.”

Most of your “problems” aren’t actually problems.

They’re framing issues.

Change the frame, and the problem dissolves.

Step 3: Alter the Script by Creating A New Identity

This is the part that can transform your poker career.

Awareness shows you the story.

Perspective reframes it.

Identity rewrites the script.

Every moment there is a fork in the road where you get to choose which version of yourself to show up as:

• The version of you who is scared to fail

• Or the version of you who takes a chance

• The version who avoids higher stakes

• Or the version who is preparing to beat them

• The version of you who isn't good enough

• Or the version who is getting better every day

You really do get to choose which version of yourself you want to be.

Start by asking yourself:

“Who do I want to become as a poker player?”

“And what would that version of me do today?”

Not in theory, but in action.

Then choose some small things you can do that align with this new identity:

• An extra 30 minutes of study

• A consistent warm-up routine

• Going to bed early so you are well rested

• Playing fully focused

Identity changes through micro-alignment, not grand reinvention.

You become the player you want to be by acting like them today, in small ways.

Over time, you stack enough wins that the new identity becomes who you are.

You Get to Choose a Better Story

I know I’ve made this sound simple, and the insight is simple.

But the work that follows is not.

Seeing the story you are living in is one thing.

Learning to step out of it, reframe it, and then align your identity with a new script…that’s a much deeper process.

It takes awareness, reflection, repetition, and guidance.

But here’s the part I want you to take away:

You don’t need a new life. You need a new story.

A story you choose consciously.

A story that expands your ceiling instead of tightening it.

A story that matches the future you want to move toward, not the past you happened to live.

And when the story changes, everything changes:

• your confidence

• your performance

• your decisions under pressure

• your ability to rise through the stakes

This insight is the starting point, but it’s only the beginning.

If you’d like me to guide you through the deeper work behind this — the identity shifts, mindset foundations, and performance habits — I’ll be taking on a new group for my 8-week Poker Athlete program in the new year.

Inside the program, we go far beyond concepts and actually build the inner game needed to become the player you know you can be.

If you’re ready, you can apply for one of the spots here.

I’ll reach out from there with the next steps.

For now, take a moment to reflect:

What story have you been living in?

And what story do you want to live next?

A new chapter of your life starts here.

Adam