The situation: surrounded by a table full of poker players whose skills and behaviors are unknown, you realize you need to be very focused in order to win. You try a technique known as "Talking It Out," where you verbalize your thought process, review the available information, and display and discard actions until you come to the right decision. The rest of the table, besides thinking you might be a few cards short of a full deck, takes advantage of your verbalizing and cleans the table with you. Obviously this technique is not the right one to use in a live game. However, playing online is the perfect place to try it out, and keep your focus razor sharp along the way.

Talking it out is a technique that is favored by many online poker players, especially those who have a mind that tends to wander easily. Speaking your thoughts reinforces them. It is like a single tree in a field of flowers; the mind and the eye are both drawn to it, focusing on the tree. When you verbalize it makes the mind consider what it is you are saying, sharpening your mental vision on the task at hand.

The mind is a powerful machine, and it exists in part to solve the problems and puzzles that you, and life, present it. When you ask yourself, "now why would this player raise me when checked before me and called after me three times already?" your brain immediately starts an attempt to answer the question. It reviews the situation, considers the possibilities, and presents you with an answer. This entire process takes place subconsciously, guided by the conscious mind focused by your question.

Live games can benefit from this technique, too, but limited to talking to yourself in your head. Speaking out loud may be a more powerful form of this technique, but it could land you in trouble with the guys in the white coats.