There is little doubt that Venessa Selbst is one of the hottest players on the No Limit Hold'em tournament circuit today. She recently sat down with Jared Tendler (Author of the Mental Game of Poker and the Mental Game of Poker 2) to discuss various topics, including striving to "play in the zone" at the most important times (but not necessarily all of the time), as well as doing things that will allow her to maintain passion for poker even during downswings, for example.
Source: Pokernews.com. Reprinted with permission.
In particular, Vanessa stresses the importance of taking time off from the game when needed, and keeping things fun, which often involves playing mixed games to switch things up:
For me, it's [about] keeping it fun.... sometimes, I am really tired of No Limit tournaments, not right now because I'm running great (laugh), but... of course when you bust out of Day 1s, [it's not] that fun, and when you play six or seven main events and bust Day 1 every single time, it loses its appeal.
And so in those times I make sure that I am playing more mixed games... a lot of times I'll switch up the kinds of poker that I'm playing... Basically, just making sure that I'm always having fun, and if I'm not, just finding a way to make a change.
Source: Episode #40 of the Mental Game of Poker Radio Show
(click here to access the podcast - also downloadable via ITunes)
Excellent advice for aspiring pros!