X<\/a>, detailing several mental health struggles he has encountered during his long and storied career.<\/p>\n\u201cIn 2019, I was voted by my peers in a CardPlayer magazine survey to be the best player in the world\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that I was painted as \u201cthe best\u201d, there was no margin for error. Despite everything I had accomplished, I was no less fragile. How much longer can I keep tricking people into thinking I\u2019m so good when I know how big my mistakes can be?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chidwick further revealed some aspects of his journey toward healing to deal with the mental health issues that arose while competing at the highest levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis message is for anyone who feels trapped in the darkness. I\u2019ve lived through times that felt unbearable \u2014 where the idea of peace, or connection, or even a quiet mind felt impossibly far away. If you\u2019re in that place right now, I want you to know: it can get better. You\u2019re not broken. You\u2019re not beyond help. Keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Stephen Chidwick opened up about mental health struggles in a post on social media. <\/p>\n
Omar Sader<\/p>\n
The\u00a0vulnerable and courageous post from Chidwick is worth reading from start to finish, offering insights into the mind of one of the best in the game and his ongoing journey to balance.<\/p>\n
That his post was met with such overwhelming positivity from the wider poker community is a testament to both the power of his message and his qualities as a human being.<\/p>\n
\u2018Isolation can be dangerous\u2019<\/p>\n
The reality is that many poker professionals will, at some point, face debilitating mental, psychological, or emotional health challenges during their career in the game.<\/p>\n
Brad Ruben is a five-time WSOP bracelet winner whose openness about his own struggles has fueled his commitment to mental health advocacy; beyond the felt, he has mentored players, supported those facing challenges, and hosted charity events benefiting combat veterans with PTSD.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter causing a fatal car accident, I carried the weight of that trauma for years. The guilt and shame often pulled me into depression, and at my lowest moments, I wrestled with suicidal thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI later realized I wasn\u2019t only living with PTSD \u2014 I was also experiencing moral injury, a fracture in my sense of integrity. Alongside that came anxiety, self-doubt, and emotional volatility, all of which poker magnified through its swings, long hours, and isolating grind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause my situation was public, I\u2019ve been able to speak about it openly rather than bottling it up \u2014 but many players don\u2019t have that outlet. Too often, they fight their battles in silence, and isolation can be dangerous because we\u2019re not meant to heal alone; true recovery happens when we let others in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game reflected the very pain I wanted to bury, but in doing so, it also gave me a lens through which to face it. Poker has shown me that real strength isn\u2019t in hiding what we feel, but in confronting it honestly and leaning on each other for support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf sharing my story helps even one player realize they don\u2019t have to carry their pain alone, then that\u2019s worth more than any win I\u2019ll ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Brad Ruben carried the trauma of a car accident “for years.”<\/p>\n
Hayley Hochstetler<\/p>\n
Finding balance<\/p>\n
\u2018Mental health\u2019 is often boiled down to a single diagnosis or a defining label; a better way to look at it might be as an all-encompassing sum of our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and the ongoing pursuit and practice of habits and choices that lead to good health.<\/p>\n
The consequences of neglecting mental health in poker can be devastating, draining the love of the game, wrecking finances, triggering depression, straining family and friendships, and, at the most extreme, leading to suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n
Mental health is a complex interplay of factors that contribute to overall well-being, encompassing emotional, cognitive, and psychological health. This is primarily determined by a player\u2019s ability to cope with the constant uncertainties of a career in poker, as well as daily life. It\u2019s a balancing act best approached with acute self-awareness, as proper mental health isn\u2019t simply the absence of illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At its core, good mental health bestows resilience \u2014 giving players the strength to realize their potential at the tables while still finding purpose, balance, and fulfillment beyond the game itself.<\/p>\n
If success in poker involves optimization \u2014 of mindset, study, practice, and focus \u2014 then spending time on your mental and emotional well-being is essential to becoming the best player you can be. And more importantly, the best, happiest version of yourself.<\/p>\n
As our series on mental health in poker continues, we\u2019ll look more closely at players\u2019 coping mechanisms, how they deal with misfires during their struggles to remain healthy, and the practices and stories of resilience that players are cultivating.<\/p>\n
Check back soon for more.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling with mental health issues, help is available.\u00a0FindAHelpline.com<\/a> can connect you with professional support services in almost any country in the world, while the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available within the USA by dialing 988 anytime.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI\u2019ve lived through times that felt unbearable\u2026\u201d \u2013 Stephen Chidwick \u00a0 Success in poker is acutely measured by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,84,393,394],"class_list":{"0":"post-110423","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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