© January 23, 2009
By Leonard Finkel

Sharper Focus + Reduced Stress + More Energy = Improved Poker Performance

Q-Link Technology Brings its Success Story to Poker

 I've seen reams of pages from clinical medical studies detailing health and wellness benefits of wearing Q-Link. Research at theUniversity ofCalifornia-Irvine, Imperial College at London, University of Vienna’s Institutes of Cancer and Environmental Health plus many independent clinics convinced researchers of Q-Link’s effectiveness. I've spoken to scores of everyday people with remarkable stories of improved physical being and recovery. I've interviewed dozens of PGA Tour golfers including the likes of Ernie Els, Davis Love III and Mark Calcavecchia, who set the all time low tournament score the week he initially put on a Q-Link pendant.

But that's not what this article is about. While I will fill you in on some of these details, I'm going to discuss how wearing a Q-Link will improve your quality of play at poker and therefore improve your results. That means winning more and losing less. Clarus Products International, maker of Q-Link, is introducing their products to the poker world at the 2009 World Series of Poker. While there is no documented evidence of improved poker performance to date, there is detailed evidence of their success in the world of sports and competition, especially golf, the company's previous primary focus.

Winning poker is really about making sound, informed, correct decisions. What poker player wouldn't be thrilled to be blessed with a sharper, heightened focus and the ability to maintain composure in stressful situations? At the highest echelon of golf, that's exactly what Q-Link has delivered to hundreds of the worlds top touring pros, including Allen Doyle, who finished first on the Senior PGA Tour money list in 2001. “I don’t know why Q-Link works, and I don’t care,” said Doyle. “I do know that it is a boon to my game by helping me stay calm and focused. Since putting Q-Link on, I’ve consistently finished in the top 10.”

 While increased energy and endurance might not seem all that important in a cash game (though it is, especially in a longer session), it is vital in tournament play, even more so in multi-day events. Long, grueling 12 to 14 hour sessions, can take a heavy toll on the body and lead to making tired, poor decisions at the poker table. Results from other arenas where Q-Link is present directly correlate to poker. Jure Robic, 2008 and four-time Race Across America champion relates, "After I started wearing Q-Link, I soon noticed improved endurance, faster regeneration after many hours of trainings and easier focusing on positive thinking. I also feel better when I am not training, so I feel very confident for the top competition challenges." Five-time Austrian Marathon Champion Max Wenisch states, "Since wearing the Q-Link I can really make the most of my energy potential. My concentration, condition, recovery and sleep are much better. I feel balanced, fit and energetic."

Historically, products such as these use anecdotal information and user testimonials to back up their claims. For this reason, Clarus reached out to MedSource LLC, an independent testing and Research Company in Williamsburg Virginia to properly structure testing and document changes as a result of using their product from a clinical perspective. Originally involved in the development of modalities to enhance Olympic Athletic performance, MedSource CEO Ray Gagne had worked for decades with Olympic athletes and professional sports franchises. To evaluate the physical performance of athletes, Ray designed and patented a series of innovative technologies to monitor strength, range of motion, cognitive and cardiovascular performance.

Q-Link Challenge - Poker & Golf

 At first, Gagne was skeptical of Q-Link claims but agreed to create golf specific parameters and do the testing. First stop was the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show (Q-Link was awarded Best New Product in 2005) and Gagne admits he was stunned by the results. Testing covered a range of parameters including cognitive flexibility, physical strength and motor skills. Players and other show attendees who participated in the testing showed significant improvement across the board in all categories. These results helped shape an online test version, the “Q-Link Challenge”, which anyone can take from their own computer to measure their cognitive performance before – and after wearing a Q-Link product.   MedSource is currently designing a testing protocol geared specifically to poker. The Q-Link Poker Challenge should be ready by August. As opposed to the general Q-Link Challenge, the poker version will also measure improvement in mental acuity and memory.

Q-Link technology was developed in conjunction with scientists at Stanford and theUniversity ofCalifornia. At the core of product performance is Sympathetic Resonance Technology which clarifies the body’s energetic system and enhances its ability to cope with the debilitating effects of a variety of stressors, including EMF which the inventors say are everywhere - from computer screens to cellular phones.  “Many of us have felt the field created when a musical tuning fork is struck,” says Seth Ross, Director of Q-Link Marketing. “Picture a table with hundreds of them. The nearest tuning fork begins to resonate sympathetically with the next one and so on, until all of them are resonating. The field has now strengthened to a significant degree, though only the first was struck. Our bodies are made up of 75 trillion cells, and each can be imagined as a tuning fork in the sense that each cell has a frequency. If you picture yourself made up of many tuning forks instead of cells, Q-Link is the powerful tuning fork that has been struck. Imagine how the effect would spread throughout your body.”

 We've all heard descriptions about being in that mystical place of peak performance called "the zone." There are those that believe that the chief component of the zone is a lack of stress. Anything reducing stress will help you get there more often and stay there longer. PGA pro Calcavecchia added, "I think the Q-Link really just kept me in the zone and allowed me to keep making birdies and at that time break the all-time PGA Tour scoring record."  The great thing about Q-Link is that it applies to anything you do in life – work, play, sleep… even poker.

Want to take the Q-Link Poker Challenge?

If you’re interested in trying a Q-Link, want more information or review the medical and scientific studies or take the Q-Link Poker Challenge, go to Q-Link Poker or call 800-246-2765. Q-Link pendants and bracelets now come in several models starting with the standard acrylic pendant in white, black or blue ($99.95). Other items include a range of products in titanium, stainless steel, silver and gold ($129.95 -$999.95). The company offers a 90-day, money back guarantee with a lifetime warranty.