Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

I use two monitors and play up to 8 tournaments simultaneously. Try not to surf the web or talk on IM if I have more than 6 tables running. Select 2-3 tournaments to focus harder on...

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

fwiw, i should add that today i felt really focused until right around the 30 minute break. maybe it was earlier, whenever the T9 < KK hand happened. but i felt like i was really keyed in and making good decisions in the flow of the game, picking up the little things that sway close decisions, etc.

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

I'm on a laptop monitor so normally playing 4 tables max, but usually only two or three as I can never find good MTT's around the same time.

I'm generally going to be surfing 2p2 or trying to do some university work / research at the same time if I only have a couple of MTT's running.

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

my most profitable month was when i was playing 10-15 tables starting everything 20r+ 100fo+ from 3pm - 9pm est. (3am local time).

I put in huge volume, maybe playing 30-40 tourneys a session which lasted for maybe 12 hours and made loads of cash. Was fully focused the whole time, loving every second.

This became really draining tho, i would fine that i hated the early few hours where i was playing 15 tables +. I started tilting easily by making mistakes because of too many tables. Tilting early in the session = reciepe for disaster. Over the next couple of months my results were becoming worse and worse and my sessions becoming shorter and shorter as i couldn't maintain my focus.

So i took a break, I've decided not to let what time tourneys start dictate my life also. If i feel like i'm up for playing then i'll play, if I’m not then [censored] what tournaments starting in 5 mins!! I hate qualifiy for a satalite and be forced to play when I’m not really up for it, so I rarely play sats where u have to play the tournament, unless I’ve decided previously that I’m going to be playing then (like the night before or something). With the WCOOP on, if i feel like getting up really early the next day (4:30am or 3am!!!) i'll play one, otherwise i'll just sleep in, its really not worth me getting up so early for a tournament unless I’m really up for it and able to play for hours and hours and hours and hours ;D. I’m even not thinking too much about Sundays anymore, yeah if I’m free I’ll play the big Sundays but its NOT the end of the world if I miss them which is definitely how I felt over the last few months.

I'm also not starting tourneys for more then 3 hours now to help maintain my focus and really care about each mtt i play so that i'm pissed off when i get knocked out rather then "wanting" to get knocked out cause i got so many tables going and tourneys starting (sounds crazy but i felt like this some times).

Just starting tourneys for a few hours gives you the chance to take a break (and eat!), get away from poker for a while then maybe play another shorter session later in the day. I think bond said a similar thing in his well… by the end of a long session I can get so drained by poker thinking that I need like a week or month off, but I sleep and the next day I feel really up for playing poker again. So playing the shorter sessions keeps me in the “up for playing poker” mindset during my session so I play my best.

in off peak times i'm playing those $60 45man turbos constantly and the 18man $50+. to mix in a lower varience form off poker. In peak times i start reg'in for them for the next hour or so after i stop reg'in for normal mtt's. Gives me a few extra tourneys in the latter part of my session, that will finish at the same time as the solitary mtt I’m going deep in.

Playing lots of turbos also keeps the action going in the mundain parts of mtt play (say if u just went out deep in one, and only have a few lowstake earlyish tourneys left).

I also try not to play lower stake tournaments near the end of my session also. Idealy u want to start with lower ones increasing slightly toward the end of the session to maintain interest. This can be done by starting say 50fo+ 10r+ for the first hour. But by the 3rd hour just start 100fo+ tourneys or something.

I dont do anything else while i'm playing apart from chatting in #hsmtt on irc (efnet). If i'm just in a few games its good to chat to peeps about poker and its better to chat with the same group then waste time chatting in the chatbox with randoms also. if i'm in a lot i'll just be awol there.

If I’m not playing many tables at the time (start and end of session) then I’ll concentrate on the few tables I’ve got going fully. If I got 5 or less running then I will db my opponents to try and work out what level they are on. The less tables I’m running the more detailed my note taking is also. As poker is my job, I have to take it seriously so when I’m playing I’m “working” the whole time, trying to get every little piece of information so help me make the correct decision. Sometimes I get lazy, but when I’m most focused I maintain this my whole session..

I use PAHUD, I have also added some extra numbers, attempt to steal %, continuation bet %, fold blind to steal % and fold to continuation bet %. With a decent hand sample these numbers can be useful, but need to be treated with care obviously.

Poker is enjoyable when your playing your best and winning. If your not playing your best due to lack of focus, poor game selction etc etc then it becomes less enjoyable, your results suffer etc etc and a downward cycle continues.

Cash game selection is very important, but mtt game selection is often overlooked. I believe mtt game selection is really important to increase your $/hour, maximising the time your playing the perfect amount of tables while with playing your best at the optimum stake for you. Because of this I’ve spent some time here and there attempting to work out optimal game selection. I’ve even started to try and work out mathematical formula for it, but i get bored of these projects quite quickly, give up and go back to it a few weeks later or something. Also quantifying factors for game selection will prove very tricky. I only spent a few mins on it but heres what I have so far.
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...election-1.jpg

Right I went off on a big tangent in this post, hope its useful for someone.

Pez

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

I either play 9-10 MTT's at a time or I'll play 1-3 MTT's with 6-8 cash tables. I run PAHUD and only really focus in when I get deepish in the tournament. I have a 30" monitor for all my tables and a 21" monitor for 2+2/web surfing.

Some nights I focus more so than others. I think a lot of it just has to do with how tired I am etc. Unlike a lot of you guys I work and have a family so I tend to have a lot of distractions. I don't think it's a coincidence but I tend to run/play my best when my wife takes the kids and goes out of town for the weekend etc.

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

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Unlike a lot of you guys I work and have a family so I tend to have a lot of distractions. I don't think it's a coincidence but I tend to run/play my best when my wife takes the kids and goes out of town for the weekend etc.

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QFT. I can look back at my pokerdb and clearly see which nights my wife was out of town with the kids.

-J

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

I can barely handle 4 tables at a time [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Even with PAHUD. So usually it's just 2-tabling and reading 2+2.

Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

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I think I have an extreme issue with concentrating within the first 1 1/2 hours of a tournament. once the antes kick in, I tend to focus more.

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Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

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We've done this thread before, but since SO MANY more tournaments have popped up in the last 6 months i'm curious how you guys operate now.

How many tables do you play at the start/middle/end of your day? How many monitors do you use.

6-8 seem to be going at any one time, 4 monitors

How much attention do you pay to each individual table? Do you normally have a pretty good feel for each individual players style, or only when you get down to less tables?

Not that much

Do you use PT/PAHUD?
not for tourneys

How conscious are you of your image? How much does it affect your play?

obv my image affects my play

How many things are you doing outside poker while your playing? Things like browsing the net, talking on phone, AIM, watching TV/movie, eating, whatever else.

I surf, I talk on aim a ton, I always watch tv, poker is way too boring for me to focus on it, I'll gladly give up EV to remain sane

How's your focus overall, anything else you want to elaborate on? Feel free to branch out from these questions.


my focus is nonexistant
Cool, thanks

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Re: How focused are you when you play?
 

I play around 16-18 tables at a time, so most of my decisions are instant. I have a Dell 30" and a Samsung 20".
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/5752/p9180009ec3.jpg for my setup (LOVE vitamin water) . I don't use pokerhud and I don't concentrate very much at all. I have an LCD HDTV on the right that you can't see in the pic that is always on when I play. I don't think much concentration is needed in the beginning of tournies, tournies don't really start till the antes kick in. I can't just do 5 tables or I get too bored. Tournies are only really fun during the end stages. I don't really need to concentrate to win tournies really, it's all autopilot except for the end/middlegame, i play as high as the $150 and the $22r and it doesn't take much concentration to be honest. I also try to setup goals for myself, like i hit $20k I will buy a wii, or something like that to keep me motivated. I also have a habit of taking a few days off after I get a big score, I think this could be bad since MTTs are hot or cold. I think a take a break because once I get a big score, you usually just lose for a while, so that could be it. Once i'm stuck though, I want to play alot. That's all I can think of atm.