Mental Leaks
Mental leaks are the limiting beliefs that destroy your winrate. They're not technical mistakes, but false beliefs that trigger tilt. Example: "AA should always win" → bad beat → rage → tilt → lose 10 BI.
Poker Toolkit helps you identify, analyze, and resolve your leaks with a structured framework + tracking.
Why Track Your Mental Leaks?
Without awareness of your leaks:
- You repeat the same mental mistakes
- You don't understand WHY you tilt
- You have no strategy to correct it
With structured tracking:
- Clear identification: you name each leak
- Understanding: you analyze the origin and why it's wrong
- Solutions: immediate fix (injection) AND long term
- Measurement: you track occurrences and see the reduction
The 3-Step Framework
1. Leak Description
- Title: Short name (e.g., "AA vs 22 expectation tilt")
- Description: Situation + your reaction + impact on your game
Example:
"When my AA loses to a small pair in preflop all-in, I rage, I bang on my desk, and I play on autopilot for 10-15 minutes."
2. Logical Analysis
Three questions to break down the leak:
Behavior: What false belief causes this leak?
"I believe AA should win 80%+, so I SHOULD win this hand."
Origin: Where does this belief come from?
"AA is a ~80% favorite, so my brain expects to win."
False reasoning: Why is it wrong?
"80% ≠ 100%. Losing 1 in 5 times is NORMAL and statistically expected."
3. Solutions
Temporary fix (injection): True phrase to repeat immediately.
"It's 1 of the 5 times I lose with AA. The other 4 times I win. Normal variance."
Long-term fix: Deep mental change.
"Fully accept variance as part of poker. Process > outcome."
Why it works:
"The injection reminds of the statistical truth and short-circuits the emotional reaction."
Visual Summary
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. DESCRIPTION │
│ "AA vs 22 expectation tilt" │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. ANALYSIS │
│ Behavior: "AA should always win" │
│ Origin: "80% = I expect to win" │
│ False: "80% ≠ 100%, losing 1/5 is normal" │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. SOLUTIONS │
│ Temporary fix: "It's 1/5, normal variance" │
│ Long-term fix: "Accept variance" │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. TRACKING │
│ 01/01: severity 4/5 (rage 20min) │
│ 01/15: severity 2/5 (light annoyance) │
│ → Progress! │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Tracking Occurrences
For each leak, track occurrences with:
- Date: When the leak triggered
- Note: Description of the occurrence
- Severity (1-5):
- 1: Trigger felt but managed immediately
- 2: Annoyance, recovered in 1-2 minutes
- 3: Notable frustration, affects game 5-10min
- 4: Clear tilt, affects game 20-30min
- 5: Total tilt, affects entire session
Usefulness: You see your progress. Severity decreases → the leak is resolving!
When to Mark a Leak as "Resolved"?
- 5+ consecutive occurrences at severity 1/5
- Or no occurrence for 3+ months
- The trigger no longer causes a notable reaction
Never delete a resolved leak: Archive it. It's your history of victories!
Free vs Premium
| Feature | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| View existing leaks | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Create new leaks | ❌ No | ✅ Unlimited |
| Edit leaks | ❌ No | ✅ Unlimited |
| Add tracking entries | ❌ No | ✅ Unlimited |
| Archive/Restore | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| AI Coaching accesses leaks | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Integration with AI Coaching
AI Coaching can:
Create structured leaks:
- You: "I tilt after a bad beat"
- Coach: Structures the leak (behavior, origin, false, fix) and creates it
Remind the injection:
- You: "I just lost AA vs 22 and I'm raging"
- Coach: "Here's your injection: 'It's 1/5, normal variance.' Repeat 5 times, 10min break."
Track occurrences:
- You: "I tilted after a bad beat yesterday"
- Coach: "What severity?" → Adds the entry automatically
Analyze progress:
- "Your AA vs 22 leak: 01/01 severity 4/5, 01/15 severity 2/5. You're progressing!"
Concrete Use Cases
Player Who Tilts After Bad Beat
Leak: "Bad beat expectation tilt"
- Behavior: "I believe I deserve to win favorable spots"
- Temporary fix: "I had X% equity, I'm in the Y%."
- Long-term fix: "Detach decision from outcome"
Tracking:
- Week 1: 3 occurrences, average severity 4/5
- Week 4: 2 occurrences, average severity 2/5
- Week 8: 1 occurrence, severity 1/5 → Leak being resolved!
Player Who Revenge Trades
Leak: "Loss recovery revenge trading"
- Behavior: "I believe I must recover my losses immediately"
- Temporary fix: "These BI are lost. Only the long term matters."
- Long-term fix: "Accept losses as part of the game"
Protocol: If -3 BI, mandatory 20min break + reread injection
Player Paralyzed by Fear
Leak: "Decision paralysis perfectionism"
- Behavior: "I must always make the perfect decision"
- Temporary fix: "It's EV+ long term. That's enough."
- Long-term fix: "Accept imperfection, focus long-term EV"
Usage Tips
Creation:
- Start with your 3 most frequent leaks
- Be specific: "AA vs small pair" > "bad beat"
- Test the injection: it should calm you down
Tracking:
- Add entry immediately after each occurrence
- Be honest about severity
- Also note successes (severity 1/5 = victory!)
Resolution:
- A leak takes 1-3 months to resolve
- Use coaching for reminders
- Cross-reference with Levels: leak triggered = C-Game → stop
Related Pages
Your mental leaks are the silent thieves of your winrate. A single untreated leak can cost you thousands of euros per year. Identify them, structure them, track them, resolve them.