The chapter begins with a direct question:
If you want more from poker and life… what’s holding you back?
Roe explains that every player who seeks improvement has some internal or external obstacle preventing optimal performance. Rather than judging these roadblocks, the goal is to acknowledge them as opportunities to grow.
3 Acknowledgments Before Beginning
Before identifying obstacles, Roe asks you to accept three truths:
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You want something more from poker and life.
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You have roadblocks currently stopping you from reaching that “more.”
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These roadblocks are not flaws—they’re opportunities to upgrade yourself.
Once you embrace this, you can shift your mindset from defensiveness → curiosity → growth.
The Fundamental Performance Question (Part 2)
Earlier, you examined:
“What are the best in the world doing that I’m not?”
Now you address the second half:
“What am I not doing—and why?”
Most lack of success comes down to three simple reasons:
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You don’t know what to do.
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You know what to do but can’t do it.
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You know what to do but won’t do it.
These map directly into The Four Performance Roadblocks.
The Four Performance Roadblocks
1. Lack of Vision
You can’t reach a destination you haven’t defined.
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If you don’t know what “success” looks like, progress becomes random or impossible.
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Without a plan, map, or understanding of how the best players operate, you drift.
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Many people outside poker (and many inside it) couldn’t describe a clear, actionable path to becoming elite.
Symptoms of this roadblock:
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Unclear goals
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No long-term direction
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Inconsistent effort
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Constantly switching priorities or strategies
2. Lack of Skill
Knowing what to do is different from being able to do it.
Roe uses the example of a random person learning directly from Fedor Holz:
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Even if they understand Fedor’s process, they lack the years of skills, reps, and pattern recognition.
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Vision without skill is fantasy.
Symptoms:
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You understand spots but misplay them
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You can’t execute technically under pressure
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You study but forget in-game
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You don’t yet possess elite fundamentals
Skill acquisition takes time, repetition, and refinement—not just information.
3. Lack of Energy
Even a skilled, knowledgeable player fails without energy.
Example:
A perfectly trained “mini-Fedor” kept awake for 72 hours would perform terribly despite knowledge and talent.
Energy affects:
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Focus
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Emotional stability
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Decision-making
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Tilt resistance
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Endurance
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Discipline
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Confidence
Symptoms:
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Burnout
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Brain fog
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Emotional volatility
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Feeling overwhelmed
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Playing C-game early in sessions
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Inability to follow routines
Roe sums it up:
You know what to do, but you’re too depleted to do it.
4. Detrimental Mental Programs (DMPs)
This is the deepest and most powerful roadblock.
DMPs are subconscious patterns that override conscious intentions.
Examples:
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You know a call is bad → you call anyway.
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You know you shouldn’t chase losses → but you do.
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You fear success → and sabotage yourself when things go well.
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You fear embarrassment → so you avoid +EV aggression.
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You get triggered by tilt → even though you logically understand variance.
Roe highlights a stunning statistic:
Even patients told “change or die” often fail to follow medical advice.
This shows how strong subconscious programming is.
Why DMPs matter most:
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They override logic.
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They hijack decisions during emotionally loaded moments.
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They drive tilt.
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They block the execution of routines.
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They create resistance, procrastination, self-sabotage, fear, guilt, hesitation, or paralysis.
This is the roadblock Roe focuses on most intensely in his private coaching—using hypnosis and deep mindset work to rewrite these subconscious patterns.
Symptoms:
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You repeatedly make the same mistakes
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You sabotage winning stretches
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You tilt in predictable ways
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You avoid studying
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You fear failure or success
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You procrastinate despite knowing better
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Your actions consistently contradict your goals
Summary of the Four Roadblocks
| Roadblock | Core Issue | Typical Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lack of Vision | You don’t know where you’re going | No direction, inconsistent effort |
| 2. Lack of Skill | You can’t yet do what’s required | Technical mistakes, underperformance |
| 3. Lack of Energy | You’re too depleted to execute | Poor focus, burnout, C-game, tilt |
| 4. Detrimental Mental Programs | Your subconscious overrides your intentions | Self-sabotage, emotional decision-making, chronic inconsistency |
Roe considers DMPs the most important because they can sabotage all the others.
Why His Clients Succeed
Roe explains that his most successful clients experience breakthroughs because:
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They identify and clear deep subconscious programs.
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Once these are removed, they can finally apply A-Game systems consistently.
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Their performance accelerates rapidly because the inner resistance dissolves.
This sets the stage for the next chapters, which dig into the mechanics of subconscious programs and how to change them.