Jared’s incisive show goes beyond tactics and results to focus on mindset, emotional control, and sustainable high performance.
Drawing on his experience as a poker player, meditator, and mindset coach, Alderman examines how proper balance and mindset is the real edge at the table and beyond.
For the closing ‘The Interview’ for 2025, PokerOrg reached out to Jared for a mindful and wide-ranging chat on the workings of the inner game of poker that actually moves the needle.
Watch the full episode above now or check below for links to the audio podcast.
Big decisions are hard
Alderman cuts to the chase when asked how players should navigate decisions that are going to be difficult, especially when you know you’re going to get many of those tough spots wrong.
“My first piece of advice is to lower the bar on what you expect to happen in those tough, big moments.
I think people are trying to have some kind of foolproof method for their thought process during these spots, which can actually increase the amount of pressure you feel in those moments.
Secondly, there are generally two reasons we're in the tank during a bid decision. There is the 'we don't know what to do' reason. Then there’s the -- we know what to do, but we don't know if we can bring ourselves to do it."
“When these moments occur when faced with a big decision, I lead people through a process known as R.A.I.N."
- Recognize: The first step is just to be able to recognize, ‘Okay, I'm under pressure, I don't know what to do.
- Allow: Allow this thing to be true, ‘I don't know what to do. It's going to be stressful, and just allow that.
- Investigate: Investigate it, semantically, as to what that feels like in your body, and how you feel it.
- Nurture: And then lastly, nurture it. Figure out what it is and how you can soothe yourself to say, ‘It's okay. There are going to be spots where I don't know what to do. I don’t need to be perfect, and that's okay.’
“The moment your nervous system calms down, you're actually put in the best position to make a creative decision."
“I want people to know that just because you're making a creative and insightful decision, it does not mean you're going to make the objectively right one every time."
“And then in the other example, where you know what to do, but you don't want to do it. It's the same thing."
"You're going to have some pressure leading you not to want to do the thing that you feel like you should do."
"It could be because you think you're going to look dumb. It could be because you think it's a huge deviation from what you think is correct."
"But either way, calming your nervous system is going to allow you to work best in line with your instinct on what you think is best when faced with making a tough decision.”
The Interview — Jared Alderman
Highlights from our exclusive in-depth conversation with Jared include:
- How can we remain calm in high-pressure decisions
- How big poker spots in poker are not a linear problem, but a creative problem-solving task
- Why a meditation practice is a valuable tool for every player
- How learning how to grieve and letting go is essential in poker
- Finding the wisdom and value in failure
- Jared’s journey from high-stakes player to a sought-after high-performance mindset coach
- Learn to be more mindful and present while playing
- How to execute your best game as a recreational player
And much more…
Watch Jared Alderman’s full exclusive interview with PokerOrg in the video above or listen on Spotify or Apple podcasts.
Check out more in-depth interviews with some of poker’s biggest names below, including Chris Moneymaker, Kristen Foxen, and Daniel Negreanu.
