Problems w/ making snap decisions

[1st and 15]

I am a fairly successfull full time player who is back to MTTs after spending most of 2006 12-screening SSNL. My main leak (by far and away) is that sometimes I will make decisions in the snap of a finger w/o thinking, almost knowing what I'm doing is -EV and always immdediately regretting doing it right after I hit the button. I know this sounds like such an easy thing to fix, so flame me if you will, but I can't seem to get past this. I've been a successful pro for more than a year and my biggest leak is some non-poker related nervous tick (I also have this problem in real life situations).

FYI - I have already had multiple talks with myself about having identified this problem and the subsequent need to eliminate it. That, and I can be bothered to the point of sleelessness when these mistake are particularly egregious. Please help me out psychology.

[BrokenArrows]

I had this problem when i was starting out but i was only 2 tabling at the time.

I just took my hand off the mouse until i had decided on a course of action. This slowed things down for me and prevented snap decisions.

Dont know how your going to fix it 12 tabling you dont have the luxury of taking your hand off the mouse. Too much clicking to be done.

[Poker_Ace]

I do not know the answer, but I hope somebody does. I do this A LOT. The example that sticks out in my mind was at my home game -- had KK in mid position, re-raised early position 3x BB raiser, tight player who deals at some of the underground games here in town re-raises all-in and I INSTA-CALL (hey, I have KK!). This hand happened months ago, but I still remember it, not because I was wrong to call with KK (though I might have been), but because the thought of folding never even rattled around in my head, not even for a second. I would feel better if I had thought "hey, this guy might have AA, but he also could have AK, QQ, or JJ, so I will call."

I try to think about this hand when I know I should think about a hand before acting, but it is easier said than done. Good luck.

[SplawnDarts]

I understand this a little bit. I think it's worse online, and especially multi-tabling (did you really say 12 screens????) but it happens live too.

I made it a "rule" of play that anytime I'm about to make anything but the most trivial of decisions, I stop and consider some alternate line for about 5-10 seconds. For example, if I'm about to raise AA under the gun in a tournament, I spend maybe 10 seconds considering the value of instead limping into a raise and trapping some money. I quickly check the relevant factors to determine which play is likely better (in the AA example, this would be the percentage of pots my late position opponents raise on a steal). 95% of the time, I decide my first instinct was right, and 10s later make the play. But sometimes it looks like the alternate line may really be better. In those cases, I go into the tank and make a really well-thought decision.

Solved my problem. I'm not sure you have enough time to do that online if you're multi-tabling though.

[Hoopster81]

[ QUOTE ]
I do not know the answer, but I hope somebody does. I do this A LOT. The example that sticks out in my mind was at my home game -- had KK in mid position, re-raised early position 3x BB raiser, tight player who deals at some of the underground games here in town re-raises all-in and I INSTA-CALL (hey, I have KK!). This hand happened months ago, but I still remember it, not because I was wrong to call with KK (though I might have been), but because the thought of folding never even rattled around in my head, not even for a second. I would feel better if I had thought "hey, this guy might have AA, but he also could have AK, QQ, or JJ, so I will call."

I try to think about this hand when I know I should think about a hand before acting, but it is easier said than done. Good luck.

[/ QUOTE ]

???

You had KK

[Hoopster81]

[ QUOTE ]
is that sometimes I will make decisions in the snap of a finger w/o thinking

[/ QUOTE ]

this is fine, your play should be largely automatic by now

[ QUOTE ]
almost knowing what I'm doing is -EV and always immdediately regretting doing it right after

[/ QUOTE ]

this is not fine, and for me is a sign of tilt

[SplawnDarts]

[ QUOTE ]


???

You had KK

[/ QUOTE ]

Way to get to the bottom of matters [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[zPro]

Too many tables are forcing you to think fast. Drop down to 6, this should allow you time to think. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[omaha]

The calling of KK is interesting.

I literally had a player, yesterday, who limped with QQ, and basically check called a few bets, and won it. The table had a discussion and it was his opinion that QQ wasnt really a good hand, because 'it was only queens and too much trouble falls on it when an a or k flops'

SO, lets say THIS player rr you ten times the pot, and you have KK. The nit either has AA or KK. And he will have AA more than KK by a huge margin.

I am learning my lesson by trying to slow down. I normally try to push the pace - not sure why, but i am really going to slow down. Heres why.

$20 rebuy, mtt live.

About the tenth hand. I have j10 off in bb, 3 callers.

Flop a j 10, i pot, 1 caller.

Turn j

I bet about half pot, previous caller folds.

I (stupidly) remark how i had a full, and was hoping he had a st8.

He tells me he did indeed have the straight, but saw i was so keen to get my chips in the pot.

I think its the kill phill book which says to do the same moves all the time. ie take four breaths, count to ten, whatever, move your chips to the centre the same way, then stare at the middle.

I am trying to do this, but i do get caught up in the moment, after all, we are playing cards to let our hair down, arnt we?

SLow down, slow down, slow down.