I’ve been playing quite a few of the new Full Tilt Rush Poker On Demand tournaments this year. I was very keen to play the $24+2 games, but in my time zone they rarely fill up. As a result, I’ve been playing a lot of the $11+1 games, while throwing in a few $4+.40s to increase my volume. Based on this experience so far, I’ve developed a theory about Rush Poker. I’ll give you a little background before explaining what the theory actually is.I’ve spent a lot of time studying at university since I graduated high school in 1989. The first degree I completed was a Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology. Even though my study and career went in a different direction after I completed that degree, the knowledge of psychology I gained is something I’ve carried with me and found extremely useful in many aspects of my life.
I can clearly recall in my second or third year of study, completing a paper about the impacts of television viewing on the behavior of children. A common thought among researchers at the time, was that television programs which contained a lot of fast movement, frequently changing scenery and loud sounds, caused children to slide into a ‘state of heightened arousal’ where they became hypersensitive and agitated. It was hypothesized that this state of being ‘on edge’ can lead children to make poor decisions, display poor behavior and not consider the consequences of their actions.
So how does this relate to Rush Poker? Here is my theory:
"The rapid nature of Rush Poker, with its constantly changing visual environment, causes some game participants to move into a "state of heightened arousal," resulting in them becoming impulsive and not able to control their actions; resulting in poor poker decisions."
So what exactly am I basing this theory on?
The play in the Rush On Demand tournaments seems to be very, very soft. This should be no surprise given the low buy ins and the fact that the short timelines to complete a game appeals to a lot of casual and recreational players. The one thing I have noted though, is that nowhere else have I seen players call off their entire stack with such marginal hands. I’m not just talking about calling off your whole stack with third pair. I’m talking about calling shoves on an AKQ flop while holding 67. So why is this? To go back to my theory, I believe that people are in such a "state of heightened arousal," as a result of the fast movement of the ever changing tables, that once they start clicking the mouse in a hand they just can’t stop. They know the decision is poor, but are unable to control themselves enough to find the fold button.
I have a personal anecdote which I believe supports this theory. Last year, I worked really hard on my multi-tabling. At the start of the year I was on 2-3 tables at a time and eventually I was on 10-12. As a good poker student, I would diligently review my sessions and started to note that often I was calling big river bets or shoves in spots that surprised me. In the light of day I could see that the calls were not good and was puzzled as to why I was making them. Further investigation led me to discover that these calls were coming when I was on my maximum number of tables (10-12). As the session would progress and the number of tables reduced after I stopped registering, the quality of my calls and decisions would improve again. Why? I believe that I was playing too many tables and the constantly fast changing visual environment was putting me in a ‘state of heightened arousal’, resulting in poor poker decisions.
So what does this mean for those of us who play and enjoy Rush Poker? I believe that being able to maintain focus and emotional control, and ensuring that you do not allow yourself to slip into a ‘state of heightened arousal’, is absolutely critical to your success. If you can manage this and the majority of your opponents cannot, then the Rush tables may be an extremely profitable place for you. Good luck at the Rush tables…and just watch your state of arousal.
thearthurdog
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