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).

One word of caution … your computer is off limits. As for people and pets who share you living space, surely they have already learned to maintain a safe distance when you are involved in serious poker play. If they fail to do so, that’s their misfortune.

While this advantage seems to be a great boon, it has the possibility of turning against you and having a negative impact on your mental health. There is a belief shared by many that the containment of our strong feelings is bad for us both as a person and as a player. The thought is that the more you down play the expression of your emotions the more those feelings build until they begin to influence your judgment and eventually lead to total stress out.

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.

Viewed from a rational position one concludes that the real cause of our frustration is not alleviated, and indeed may be further advanced by the repeated pounding of a rubber bag — the pounding encouraging anger rather than easing the stresses. Further, when the relief is not evident as a result of implementing the method imposed by his superiors, even greater frustration is likely to be felt.

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.

To be able to contain anger (and we are not talking about “swallowing” lifetime frustrations like unfulfilled love or lack of appreciation) during a game should in fact be better and teach the player some discipline and poise in general. If it takes some effort at first, it should become easier and better for your health and career with a little time. If it doesn’t, it is possible to take a break, quite the one worst game of your life or even stop playing poker altogether for a while.