Why You Are Sabotaging Your Poker Career

Yesterday, during a session inside my Poker Athlete program, one of my students opened up about something that struck a chord.

He told me, “When I’m losing, I always tell myself the same story: here we go again, I always mess up.”

And once that thought takes hold, it spirals: “Why bother trying? I’ll just mess up again.”

You can imagine what happens next. His motivation drops, his focus slips, and instead of playing the level of poker he’s capable of, he drifts further away from it.

But heres the thing: none of this was actually true.

He doesn’t always mess up. He plays really well most of the time. But the story in his head was holding him back more than any bad beat or downswing ever could.

That’s the danger of beliefs.

So let me ask you: what stories are you telling yourself that are holding you back?

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Today, I want to show you three things:

• Why these beliefs are so dangerous for your poker career.

• A simple three-step process to dismantle them.

• How to plant new beliefs that will actually change the way you show up.

Because if you can master this, you won’t just improve your mindset—you’ll unlock a level of consistency that most players never reach.

Why Stories Are So Dangerous

Think about it like this: the stories you tell yourself are like the glasses you wear to see the world.

If those glasses are tinted with the belief “I always mess up,” then every mistake looks like proof. Every downswing feels inevitable. Every win feels like luck that won’t last.

Over time, these beliefs don’t just describe your reality—they create it.

They become self-fulfilling prophecies. You hesitate, you lose confidence, you stop showing up fully. And poker punishes hesitation.

That’s why learning to change your beliefs isn’t just “mental game work.” It’s a core performance skill.

The Poker Athlete Skill: Belief Upgrading

Inside the Poker Athlete framework, one of the first things we work on is self-awareness of your beliefs.

Here’s the three-step process I teach my students.

Step 1: Identify Your Old Beliefs

Start by writing them down. What are the stories you repeat to yourself in tough moments?

• “I always mess up.”

• “I’m not cut out for high stakes.”

• “I'm not good enough.”

The first step is just seeing them clearly.

Step 2: Challenge Them

Now, ask the question: “Is this always true?” Look for counter-evidence. My student realised that no, he doesn’t always mess up. In fact, he plays really solid most of the time. The story simply wasn’t accurate.

Step 3: Create New Beliefs

This is where change happens. Once you see the flaws in the old story, decide what’s actually true and useful. For my student, the new belief became: “I’m capable of seeing thing through.”

That one shift alone changed the way he approached his next sessions. Instead of being dragged down by every error, he started to see them as part of the process, not proof of failure.

Now if you are more of a visual learner, you way want to check out my latest Youtube video where I take you through each of the phases in the diagram below.

The Tree Analogy

When it comes to changing your beliefs, there’s something important you need to know.

It isn’t a one-time fix.

Your old beliefs are like the deep roots of a massive tree. They’ve been growing for years. Becoming aware of them is just the first step. If you want to remove them, it takes consistent effort.

At the same time, your new beliefs are like freshly planted seeds. You can’t just drop them in the soil and expect them to be fully grown by tomorrow. You’ve got to water them daily.

Every time you repeat your new belief, act on it, or find evidence to support it, you’re watering that seed. Slowly, it develops roots of its own. Over time, the old roots weaken, and the new ones take hold.

This is why upgrading your beliefs is not just a mindset hack, it’s a daily practice.

Think about it like training your body in the gym. You don’t build strength in one workout. You build it by showing up, rep after rep, until it becomes second nature. The same is true for the roots of your mind.

How to Start Today

Here’s what I recommend:

• Write down your beliefs about money, poker, yourself and the future.

• Challenge them by asking, “Is this always true?” Look for specific counter-examples.

• Replace limiting beliefs with a new belief that is both true and useful for your long-term goals.

Then, make it a daily game. Keep your new beliefs on a sticky note by your computer. Read them before every session. Look for evidence that supports them. Every time you do, you’re watering that seed.

It may feel small, but this is how real transformation begins.

Final Thoughts

Most poker players think their results are held back by strategy, variance, or luck.

But if you look closer, you’ll find something deeper: the stories they tell themselves.

The wrong beliefs can keep you stuck at the same stakes for years.

The right beliefs can unlock levels of consistency, confidence, and resilience that make you unstoppable.

So don’t let old stories run the show.

Identify them. Challenge them. Replace them.

And then nurture your new beliefs daily until they grow into the roots of the player you want to become.

Adam