Top 10 poker goals for 2022

With the New Year upon us, it is time to make some poker resolutions and try to make 2022 really count. For poker players, the matter of motivation and goals always plays an important role, which is why I wanted to tackle the best poker goals you can set for yourself moving into the New Year.

The truth is that the online poker world has ample opportunities for all types of players, whether you are a micro-stakes grinder or a live tournament aficionado.

I thought of everyone while compiling this list, so I am sure you will find at least a couple of goals that you may want to meet in 2022, regardless of your preferences in poker.

Get involved with some live tournaments. (photo by Flickr)

10. Play Your First Live Tournament
If you love watching televised poker tournaments like the WSOP and EPT and imagine yourself sitting at the tables with the big boys, the next year might be a great time to try it yourself.

So if you have not had a chance to play much live poker beyond your home games thus far, 2022 is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and get involved with some live tournaments.

The big live events I mentioned may be beyond your price range but fear not, as there are plenty of lower-stakes live events that will give you a very similar experience.

Today, you could play in a tournament with just a $100 buy-in and still get a great structure and multiple days of action.

If you hope to someday compete on the EPT, starting with smaller events and building your way up is the way to go.

The experience you will gain from playing in these lower-stakes events will be priceless once you finally are sitting with the high-rollers and competing for the big bucks.

Worst case, the tournament will cost you a few hundred bucks, and you will get a great experience. Best case, you could win and even start up a live tournament career with your winnings.

9. Dedicate More Time to Studying
Whether you like to admit it or not, poker is a skill game that takes a lot of understanding, practice and experience to be good at.

Simply playing the game is not good enough if you want to beat good players, and you will need to study and get better yourself before you can actually win at the higher stakes.

In 2022, I recommend making it one of your poker goals to spend at least a quarter of your time dedicated to poker on studying. Ideally, you might even want to spend half of your poker time studying and just half playing.

I am not saying you have to do this for the whole year, but spending a good chunk of time studying over the first few months could pay massive dividends in the latter part of the year.

8. Learn GTO Poker Strategy
You may not understand how it works just yet, but all the big boys are starting to apply GTO at least to some degree into their games, and it may be time that you do so as well.

While game theory optimal poker strategy is not necessarily the best in every poker game and format, learning its basic principles will make you a better poker player, guaranteed.

If you plan to move up the stakes in 2022 and play against more competent players, taking some time to delve into the world of GTO poker is certainly a good plan.

If you do not know where to start, you can visit mypokercoaching for training tips, and as you find yourself facing better opposition, understanding GTO will give you a better fighting chance.

7. Maintain a Solid Tournament ROI
For tournament players, volume is quite important, but maintaining a good ROI through the games you play is equally essential.

Since rakeback and similar rewards play a much smaller part in your profits than they do for cash game players, I highly recommend focusing on your ROI over your volume.

If you are playing multi-table tournaments, anything above 15% ROI should be considered good, but if you are in the lower-stakes, you may want to aim for at least 30%.

Try to make it a goal to end the year with a good ROI for the stakes you are playing and see how much volume you can put in while maintaining that solid profit margin.

6. Play 500,000 Cash Game Hands
If you are a cash game player, you know that volume is one of the most important things that many players struggle with.

In 2022, you may want to finally take poker seriously and set yourself with some strong poker goals. This is why playing half a million Texas Holdem poker hands is a good plan for the year if you want to take that big leap forward.

To reach that goal, you will need to play approximately 42,000 hands each month, translating into about 1,400 hands per day.

How realistic is this? Well, that depends on how serious you are about poker! If poker is your main profession, reaching 1,500 hands per day should not be too hard at all.

If you decide to put in some longer sessions on weekdays, you could even take weekends completely off from poker or take the time to put in some extra study sessions.

5. Move Up the Stakes
More than a few players I’ve met over the years have been stuck at the same level of poker for years, either too afraid or simply not good enough to move up.

If you can see yourself in this group, don’t beat yourself up, but think about making 2022 the year you decide to make it your goal to finally move up.

This may mean you have to put more time into studying poker or simply more time into playing hands and making enough profit.

In either case, 2022 may be the ideal year to move up the stakes, with live poker coming back, poker in the US at the brink of a revolution, and plenty of new opportunities just beyond the horizon.

Try making it a goal to see your bankroll significantly increase in 2022. (photo by Flickr)

4. Build Up That Bankroll
Many poker players have struggled with maintaining their bankrolls and pushing it in the right direction for prolonged periods.

Sooner or later, most falter and decide to cash out a chunk of their bankroll or take an unrealistic shot at high-stakes that’s doomed for failure.

Instead, try making it a goal to see your bankroll significantly increase in 2022 without taking unnecessary shots.

Put in the right volume, keep playing your best game, and forget about cashing out your winnings after you have a good session.

Remember, if you can keep your bankroll growing now, you will be able to play in games where you can win a lot more and much faster in the future.

3. Qualify for a Big Live Tournament
Live poker is officially back, and while there are still some occasional hiccups in the schedules, there will be plenty of opportunities to play on the big stage in 2022.

Once again, online poker sites like Pokerstars are offering a wide range of qualifiers for live tournaments such as EPT, WSOP, and more, and this could be the year you finally sit at the big table.

Live tournaments are the best chance you have of making it big in poker overnight, and while this is not necessarily a good main poker goal to have, there is nothing wrong with giving it a shot.

Try to make it a goal to qualify for at least one major event this year, and play as many qualifiers as you can afford and get the time to play in. It may just change your entire life!

2. Work Hard on Your Mental Game
The mental game may just be the weakest point of most poker players. For that reason, you should make your mental game your absolute focus in 2022.

Study how to maintain composure, when to quit games, and avoid tilting in difficult situations.

You will not achieve perfect mental balance at will, but you could become much better at doing so over time if you actually dedicate some time to it.

Not only will working on your mental game help your overall results, but it will also keep you saner and more passionate about the game if you are not constantly stressed out and tilting over bad beats you have suffered.

1. Have fun
Perhaps the most important poker goal you could set yourself in 2022 is to have fun while playing poker and always remember to enjoy the game.

Whether you play it for a living or not, poker is still just a game, and you need to remember that every step of the way.

Poker is meant to be fun and enjoyable for everyone, and taking it too seriously will mentally drain you, affect your results and level of happiness.

Remember that the bad beats and the good runs are all a part of the game, and enjoy poker in 2022 in a way you never have before!