150 – Ana Marquez – Inside the Mind of Ana
Summary:
This week’s guest is Ana Márquez, a professional poker player from Spain. She began playing poker during her time in college, initially playing cash games in Atlantic City. Before she joined Americas Cardroom in 2022, she was a member of Team PokerStars as well as Team 888poker. Ana has been ranked as #1 poker player in Spain and won $2 million in live tournaments.
Having been successful in many tournaments, her highest cash prize to date is $445,000 by finishing third in the Partypoker Live Millions Vegas Main Event at the Aria Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
As a true professional, Ana does not only work on her technical game, but is also focused on her mindset routines to execute on the highest possible level.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
[01:05] Welcome to the show…
- 02:12 Ana goes over how she got into poker.
- 04:12 “I really love strategy. I actually wanted to do my master’s degree in military history and military strategy.”
- 5:06 Ana explains how she really enjoyed the book Super Systems and did her thesis on Poker history, Tournament poker history.
[07:22] “I love tournaments. It’s the excitement, the competition, the adrenaline”
- 08:30 Stephen asks, “How did you find playing in a live a proper tournament? Did you find that an easy transition to make? Or some people struggle with the mechanics?
- 8:17 The subconscious part of our brain is designed to look out for danger. It’s not doing something wrong, but is only doing what it was told by evolution.
- 10:55 “You never completely overcome the problems of habit-change, but you can accept that there is a process.”
- 12:08 Stephen thought that he was in control over his own mind, until he started working with Elliot. He adds that we are significantly controlled by our subconscious minds and that he sees Hypnotherapy as a modality which can address that.
[12:00] The biggest challenges of being a professional poker player. “Finding a stability, balance. Those were definitely the toughest one.”
- 12:07 “A lot of traveling and tunnel vision living in different countries.”
- 12:20 “I like my social life and it was also hurting”
[16:24] Ana goes over her routines and her tools that she brings on the road to perform at her best.
- 16:55 I carry in my in my suitcase some workout equipment to workout in the room as well as going to the gym.
- 17:04 Bringing her own food, like my snacks and scheduling the day to fit everything in.
[22:30] Ana explains how she will keep growing as a professional poker player.
- 23:04 “Hacking my routines and doing what works for me.”
- 26:07 “I as soon as I started working on my mindset. Yeah, it was crazy. Like how many things I had in my head that I didn’t realize they were there and that they were stopping me. They were stopping me from doing better. So yeah, that was definitely an aha moment.”
Wrap up—Thanks For Checking Out This Episode Of The Mindset Advantage Podcast!
Key Learning Points:
- Biggest challenges when turning into a professional poker player was finding balance and stability.
- The more relaxed you are the more you are able to think clearly.
- Keep trying all different things until you find what works for you.
Contact/Resources
Get The A-Game Poker Masterclass
Free Poker Mindset Audios on Youtube
Free Primed Mind Primers on Youtube
Interested in working with a Mindset & Performance coach on your poker game? Send a message to support@pokermindcoach.com and our team will work to find the best option for you.
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