Most of the time I am juggling at least a few things at once. Often I am playing a small poker tournament online, helping my son with his homework, and cooking dinner at the same time. I understand when I do this that I am not playing my best, and I accept that I am most likely just donating to the prize pool. This is why you will never hear me suggesting this as proper form.

Still, this kind of multitasking goes on all the time, both at and away from the poker table. <READMORE>When I do this at the poker table, it definitely has a negative impact on my bankroll, so I try to play only games that I can afford to lose this way. If I lose twenty bucks, or worse yet, burn dinner or miss a math problem, it is still not such a big deal.

Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like if we saw this same thing happen on the WPT on tv. I have this weird and hilarious image of Daniel Negraneau’s wife walking up to the table and laying into him. “How come you didn’t take the garbage out this morning? You know my mother is coming over later and I need to clean the house!”

But this lack of focus is far from life threatening in even the most exaggerated circumstances when I do it at home. The real problems come when folks multitask while doing something where a mistake can be fatal. As an example, driving a car leaps to mind.

Every day while driving to work I see folks doing all kinds of other things while driving. I know I am guilty of the occasional burger while I drive, but some things I have seen include: reading a newspaper, putting on makeup, and shaving.

Sometimes these attention-splitting things are done by people who look young enough to perhaps not understand the possible consequences yet. Sometimes the offenders look old enough to be my father. One recent example of what can happen when you lose control while driving happened close to me recently. Both men involved were old and wise enough to know better. The passenger, Jon Corzine, governor of New Jersey was being driven to a photo op by a veteran NJ state trouper.

The official story is that a driver ahead of them swerved and caused their vehicle to have to avoid the swerving car. Unofficial details point to a different scenario. The governor’s jeep was traveling in excess of 90 mph and he was not wearing a seat belt. Also mentioned was the possibility that the trouper was texting a fellow officer back and forth about a supposed love affair when the accident took place. Whatever the truth is, the end result is that both men were almost killed and it is likely that there was some degree of lack of focus to blame.

This is why I put “keeping focused” as my number two thing you should do to improve your poker game. I did not however, wish to disparage those who are able to play many tournaments at once. I have stood marveling at the ability of many young pros to play 8 tourneys at once and seemingly not miss a beat. But for those of my limited capacity, any more than two games at once is serious distraction.

Instead, I am advocating doing everything it takes to get to your best game. Stay focused on the goal and do what it takes to get it. This means preparing well; things like eating right, exercising, and getting enough rest. It also means that nothing gets in the way of you playing your best game.

The phrase “tournament life” is often bandied about. If there is indeed such a thing, then take a lesson from the world outside poker and protect that life as best you can. Poker and driving are similar in that one single wrong decision can spell disaster. Stay focused, stay alert and stay in the game.

Note – this article was typed on a laptop computer while I was also at the final table of a NLHE mtt, doing 110 mph on an old country road while eating dim sum with chopsticks, reading a map, shaving my head, and having unprotected sex with a complete stranger.
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