What is C-game in Poker?

Introduction

Every poker player has experienced it: the session where nothing clicks, every decision feels off, and emotions start to cloud your judgment. You’re not just running badly. You’re playing badly.

Welcome to your C-game.

It’s the version of you that shows up when focus disappears and discipline breaks down. And if you don’t learn to recognise and manage it, your C-game could become the biggest leak in your strategy.

Defining C-Game in Poker

C-game doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. It’s a relative performance standard, unique to each player. For an elite professional, their C-game might still beat low-stakes games. For a recreational player, their C-game could be full of fundamental misunderstandings.

In simple terms, your C-game is the worst version of your poker game. It is a mental state where emotions, fatigue, or distraction dominate, and your decision-making suffers.

It includes everything from strategic errors to mindset failures, and usually leads to poor results and regret after the session ends.

Common Characteristics of C-Game

1. Emotional Decision-Making (Tilt)

When emotions take over, logic takes a backseat—this is classic C-game behaviour.

• Calling just to ‘get back’ at someone: You make calls not based on odds or reads, but out of revenge or irritation.
• Bluffing angrily after a bad beat: Instead of resetting mentally, you try to force a win out of frustration.
• Going on autopilot when frustrated: You stop thinking through hands and just click buttons without intention.

2. Strategic Abandonment

In C-game mode, your well-practised strategy vanishes, replaced by erratic, unplanned play.

• Deviating from ranges for no reason: You play hands you’d never normally touch just because you’re tilted or bored.
• Playing too loose or too tight: You overcompensate by either becoming too passive or overly aggressive.
• Ignoring position, stack sizes, and opponent types: Critical information is overlooked, leading to poor situational awareness.

3. Disengagement

C-game often begins when your focus slips and you mentally check out of the session.

• Rushing through decisions: You stop taking the time to evaluate hands properly and make snap judgments.
• Browsing your phone or multitasking during play: Your attention is divided, making you miss key reads and actions.
• Not tracking action or pot size accurately: You lose track of bets, stack sizes, or who’s in the hand, leading to blunders.

4. Mental & Physical Fatigue

When you’re tired, both your emotional control and decision-making ability suffer dramatically.

• Playing while sleep-deprived: Lack of rest dulls your thinking, slowing down analysis and reaction time.
• Feeling mentally drained or zoned out: You start to zone out, unable to fully engage with the game dynamics.
• Pushing through long sessions with low focus: Instead of quitting when you're exhausted, you continue, playing suboptimally.

5. Ego-Driven Mistakes

The need to prove yourself or protect your image at the table is a fast track to C-game.

• Trying to ‘outplay’ someone just to prove a point: You take unnecessary risks just to one-up an opponent.
• Making big hero calls or bluffs just for the adrenaline: You’re chasing the thrill, not making +EV decisions.
• Refusing to fold because you ‘don’t want to look weak: Pride gets in the way of correct folds, costing chips and composure.

Scenario of a C-Game Session

Let’s say you’re a mid-stakes player who just suffered a brutal cooler. Your aces cracked by kings all-in preflop.

You feel anger creeping in. You open the next few hands too aggressively. You barrel the turn without thinking through your opponent’s range. You start calling river bets out of curiosity or frustration. You switch tables, hoping for a better “run.” You check your phone with your hands. You forgot to take notes. You lose three buy-ins more.

This entire downward spiral is your C-game in action. It’s not about one mistake. It’s the accumulation of a poor mindset and decisions stemming from internal chaos.

Why Identifying Your C-Game Matters

Most poker players spend a lot of time studying hands, watching training videos, or discussing strategy. But if you can’t identify when you’re mentally off-balance, you’ll leak money no matter how good your knowledge is.

Understanding your C-game helps you:

• Minimise emotional damage: You can stop when you realise you’re not thinking clearly.
• Analyse effectively: Post-session reviews become more accurate when you identify mental mistakes.
• Grow as a player: Recognising your weak spots allows you to target your personal leaks, not just theoretical ones.
• Protect your bankroll: Most downswings are worsened by poor play, not just variance.

A-Game vs B-Game vs C-Game

Here’s how the three levels compare:

How to Minimise Time Spent in C-Game

You can’t eliminate your C-game, but you can reduce how often and how long you’re stuck in it. Here are actionable strategies to do just that:

1. Build Self-Awareness

Use post-session journals to document moments where you deviated from your plan. Ask:

• “Why did I do that?”
• “Was I tired, tilted, distracted?”

Over time, patterns emerge, showing what triggers your C-game.

2. Mental Warm-Ups

Treat poker like a sport. Before a session:

• Review key concepts
• Take a few deep breaths
• Set session goals (e.g., ‘stay focused for 90 minutes’)

3. Set Rules and Boundaries

• Use stop-loss limits: Walk away after 3 buy-ins lost or 2 hours of poor play.
• Avoid late-night impulsive sessions.
• Use timebanks or timers to pause and reset your mindset.

4. Mindset Training

Read books like:

• The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler
• Peak Poker Performance by Dr. Tricia Cardner

These help develop emotional regulation, resilience, and self-control.

5. Avoid Autopilot

Review each hand with intention. Ask yourself:

• “Why am I betting here?”
• “What is my opponent likely to have?”
• “What is my goal with this action?”

Even in low-stakes games, this practice sharpens your in-game awareness.

No poker player is immune to their C-game. Not even the best in the world. The key difference is that elite players recognise it quickly, contain the damage, and recalibrate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between A-game, B-game, and C-game in poker?

A game represents your top form. You are focused, confident, and technically sound. B-game is your middle ground, where you’re functional but not flawless. C-game is your bottom line. When you are emotional, erratic, and disconnected from a solid strategy. These labels are tools to help you stay accountable and improve session by session.

How can you tell you are playing your C-game?

Common signs include playing too many hands, betting emotionally, ignoring basic strategy, feeling rushed or frustrated, and making impulsive decisions. If you find yourself not thinking through hands or chasing losses, you're likely deep in your C-game.

Can you completely eliminate your C-game?

No, but you can raise the level of your C-game so that even on your worst days, your play remains structurally solid. Through mental training, better habits, and routine reviews, you reduce the frequency and severity of C-game performance.

Conclusion

Your C-game may not show up on your best days, but it determines how much you lose on your worst. No matter how skilled you are technically, long-term success in poker depends on how well you manage your mental game and emotional control. Learning to recognise the signs of poor play, building habits to prevent tilt, and raising the level of your C-game are essential for becoming a consistent, profitable player.