With the year wrapping up soon and players sure to be totaling their year’s work, I wanted to discuss goals in poker. In most professions or industries, people will set numerical goals or figures they’d like to hit. Either annually, quarterly, or even monthly, a person may say I’d like to sell X number of units, make X number of dollars, or close X number of deals. In poker it is not so simple.

Due to the luck element of the game, there is no guarantee that a player’s work will be rewarded with success. Therefore, when I’m setting poker goals, I am always going to be setting process-oriented targets instead of results-oriented ones.  

What Is the Difference Between These Poker Goal Targets? 

The difference between process-oriented and results-oriented goals is quite easy to explain within the context of poker. Think of the process as parts of your poker life where you have complete control. Which tournaments you play, which poker cash games you choose, where you play, how many hours you study – these sorts of elements all fall under the umbrella of process. And while there may occasionally be extenuating circumstances that stop you, most of the time a player is in control of these decisions.  

Results-oriented goals are quite simple. I want to make X number of final tables this year, I want to be ranked X in the world, I want to win X dollars this year. While these types of goals are more fun to make, I urge players not to stress out about achieving these goals, as ultimately they are out of the player’s control.

Winning poker tournaments or booking cash game victories is always the goal, but we cannot force that outcome by sheer will. There is always going to be an element of variance that dictates how these situations play out in a given year.  

Why I Prefer the Process

Focusing on the parts of the game that you can control has always given me peace as a player. Not being results-oriented is one of the first things up-and-coming poker players learn along the way. All we can control is showing up, how well we are prepared, and how well we execute. After that, the chips will fall as they may (pardon the pun). 

So let’s break down those three parts of the process and how we can set goals.  

1. Showing up. This is also called volume in poker. How many hours or how many tournaments are we going to play? Usually based on past years or data, taking a moment to assess how you felt about your volume of play last year can be valuable. Were you burnt out and played too much? Had more in the tank and could have played more? Use your intuition to set a goal on what the magic number is for the amount of sessions, hours, or events you’d like to play in a year. 
2. Preparation. This is an interesting one. In today’s age of poker, obviously most players’ minds go right to poker study when thinking of preparation. Setting a goal for hours of review, study, or practice is a smart goal for many players. However, while this is certainly a big component of most players’ preparation, it is not the only piece. There are also the intangible components of being ready to play for each session, both mentally and physically. Poker can be a draining and exhausting endeavour, and a player needs to be properly prepared by wanting to play and be there, as well as taking care of their body. 
3. Execution. Arguably the hardest part of the poker process is how we set goals on execution. How do we make sure that we perform to our maximum potential in-game and put our preparation to good use? Personally, I’ve always set expectations on how many errors or poor decisions I will make in a day of poker. While none of us can expect to play perfectly, and being gracious with yourself can be an asset to a poker player, we also cannot accept repeated poker mistakes session after session. Being able to objectively self-assess your play and evaluate the magnitude of your mistakes is one of the most crucial skills a player can have. 

2026 is a New Year

Closing a year as a poker player and entering a new one brings a fresh start and new hope to players. So while setting goals this time around, feel free to make a few fun results-oriented goals, but don’t forget about the process. With the proper process, you can achieve the results without even noticing.

Start your poker journey at BetMGM and register now for legal online poker play in NJ, PA, and MI. Use the one-time poker welcome bonus, valid for new players only.