Poker Articles

In my last article, I went into depth about how tilting can ruin any poker session and then acknowledged ways to manage the many road bumps we all encounter.  In simple terms, when playing on tilt you are fully distracted from playing your best and need to immediately remedy the situation to avoid losses.  While many players might have learned how to manage their tilt better, they could still be playing with some common distractions every time the sit down to play.  These distractions can add up to a lot of bigger losses, missed opportunities, and ultimately a smaller bankroll.  So now maybe it’s time to see what you could be doing to be more focused at the tables?

Over the years I have seen many nuances that hinder the abilities of all poker players.  Anything that takes your mind away from the current hand you’re in leaves you with less information about your opponents and more guessing on how to play against them.  It is pretty clear to see how any edge you give up, by not being completely focused on your game, can only add up to more and more mistakes.  Some of the things that need to be eliminated when playing can be simple to point out but not so easy to follow.  Below are some common ways poker players distract themselves from playing their optimal game.  Ask yourself how many situations like these you encounter while playing, and then do your best to stop doing them!

1.  Talking on the Phone:  Being on the phone during any session can only hurt your game.  When your spouse calls you to talk about their day or your friend wants to talk about their e-checks cash out, it only leads you further away from picking up tells and betting patterns while at the table.  Try your best to at least put your cell phone on silent.  When you do get an important message from someone, you can easily give them a call back during your next break.  Remember that when you are playing for a lot of money, a phone conversation should not be the priority!  

2. Watching TV:  You might be a big sports fan or huge movie buff, but when you’re in a tournament, try your best to put the TV shows off until you’re done.  There are too many things going on in any tournament, so watching something interesting on the tube will easily take up too much of your attention.  TV can be a good way to make poker less “boring” to some, but in reality those watching TV are just trading “EV” for a more pleasant time while playing. 
 
3. Surfing the web:  Another “vice” that many online poker players have is surfing the web during their sessions.  Of course it is easy to see how looking at the front page of Yahoo! or watching the latest videos on YouTube won’t help you exploit your opponents, but still many players find themselves reading the latest gossip online rather than fully watching their games.  The internet never goes to sleep so try to save the surfing for when you have free time.

4. Playing too many tables:  We all here about players who 14 table cash games, and while they might be well trained enough to not be distracted, it certainly should not be common practice to play more tables than you are comfortable.  While trading the “EV” of playing extra tables for theoretically more BB’s/hour is not a bad strategy, you really need to know what your true BB/hour rate before you just assume it will be more with 8 tables than 2.  For the average player, the distraction of playing extra tables can really add up to a lot of avoidable mistakes.

5. Allowing enough time to finish a tournament:  This might seem like a no brainer, but I bet we have all signed up for a tournament knowing that if we make the final table it will interfere with plans for later in the day.   The best thing to do is always leave enough time to win the tournament so it doesn’t overlap with something later that will cause you to be fully distracted by the time constraint.  Nothing is worse than the pain of trying to play while your significant other is yelling at you to get in the car for your special dinner reservations.  Don’t you love the reaction you get when you say, “Honey, I know that we need to meet your parents in 15 minutes, but you see, umm, I am still in that one poker tournament and there are only 12 people left!  So yea, I haven’t really made any money yet, but if I can make the final table I could possibly win a lot! So can we wait like maybe an hour or so?  Why are you getting so mad?” 

The whole idea behind the power of focus is to not do anything that will distract you from “zoning in” and playing your best.  A distraction is anything that steers you away from watching every hand, recognizing every bet, and remembering every action.  The situations above are just some of the many examples that can completely take away your focus.  While it might not seem like a big deal to watch a little TV or hang out with your buddies during a session, remember that those distractions are costing you a lot of money in the long run.  Being completely focused every time you play is the only true way to bring your “A” game.  Next time you are in bad run or think your down on your luck, ask yourself if you are playing with any distractions and do your best to completely eliminate them.