almost every morning i am in a zombie state playing fake online poker

john kane · #1 06-16-2007, 06:57 AM

I play a lot, roughly 30-35 hours a week 7-8 tabling. If I've been playing in the evening I'll play till midnight/1amish and go to bed 1.30am.

I usually wake up around 9.30am. However, from around 8.30am to 9.30am when I am in a semi-dream I keep playing 'hands'. like i can see the online tables in front of me, and trying to make decisions, whether i should slowplay etc. This has always been happening to me when I play intense the day before.

It's getting ridiculous, like previously when I woke up I had to spend a few seconds working out that I couldn't of been playing on my laptop so I hadn't won/lost that money.

This morning, I had to try as hard as I could to wake myself out of this state, becuase I realised in this zombie-like state that although I could of had internet connection, I had not logged into my account and so whatever I had won wouldn't be credited. I therefore managed to wake myself up out of this state.

I think it is having a real impact on the quality of my sleep, it's hard enough when you play 4,000 hands when your awake, but then to have your sleep affected as well, kinda drives you mad.

Maybe it the same when you have a normal job. I remember a couple of weeks ago I was having dreams about how I had to do coursework and revise for my exams. I'd then wake up and have that awesome feeling of 'sweet, I've actually finished my exams' but again it took a few seconds to work that out.

anyone else have similar problems?

with the online poker, it is not a deep sleep dream, it is when at times I can sense myself in my bed, yet I'm still playing these hands. However, there is no logic to them, there is no obvious blinds or anything. Sometimes I can even decide what the flop, turn or river is so I hit my hand (wish I could do this in reality).

interested to know, does anyone else ever goes through this ordeal?

joop · #2 06-16-2007, 08:52 AM

You are playing way too much. Cut down on the number of hours you put in... I consider myself a high volume player, but 4,000 hands a day is just crazy. Playing more than 30hrs/wk is also asking for trouble... just like you seem to be experiencing - burnout. I would take a week off, then come back fresh.

Obviously you should be waking up fully before playing, go for a walk, drink some coffee, whatever you have to do. Conversely, playing within 1hrs of going to bed/sleep isn't a great idea, either.

joop

Lucid1 · #3 06-16-2007, 10:35 AM

I've been playing "professionally" for 3 years+ now and this happens to me in periods when I play a lot.

I've had the same happen to me whenever I've had periods where I've been into any other computer-related activity for longer periods of time.

(Like a couple of months ago I played a lot of Command and Conquer 3 for a few days, and suddenly it wasn't poker I was "playing" in my mind in the mornings, but c&c [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I've talked to others who have the same experiences, so I think it's a pretty normal reaction to heavy multitabling for hours (or any kind of other computer-related task that requires "uber-micro" [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

The sensation is even stronger if I've been out drinking the day before, and then laying semi-conscious in bed the morning/day after.

This stuff goes away whenever I take a break for a few days, though.

Also it seems like it has gotten less intense now than it used to..

Maybe my mind is starting to get that there's no point in using energy on fake poker when I'm not really that interested in that game anyway [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Rainclouds · #4 06-16-2007, 12:47 PM

I have the same as OP and I'm only playing about 10 hours per week. But I just dream about what I'm interested in, whether it be poker, my music, or boobs. I also mess up any logic.

I remember from one dream that I wanted to go to some place, and I had a navigation system to plan the best route. One route was 65s and the other was KJo, and I chose the 65s route because the KJo had too much reversed implied odds so I could get stuck in traffic. Seriously.

recallme · #5 06-16-2007, 01:01 PM

Being a europe i playmost of the time during the night (i start my session at 0 am and play till 4 am) and sometimes have just 3 hours to sleap before i go to my civil service( sh i have to do instead of army). I have these state often before i sleap!
I think it`s normal but it hurts the sleaping quality.

AbZurrrd · #6 06-16-2007, 05:41 PM

[ QUOTE ]
...when I am in a semi-dream I keep playing 'hands'. like i can see the online tables in front of me, and trying to make decisions, whether i should slowplay etc. This has always been happening to me when I play intense the day before.

[/ QUOTE ]Happened to me too and to I seriously thought I was getting nuts. I've played up to 11 hours of cash games a day, and experiencing what you do is totally normal.

I may sound lame but the easiest way to get rid of it, besides reducing the number of hours, is simply to do something else before you go to bed. Stop 15-20 mins before, and watch an episode of Family Guy or your favorite show, or read (but don't read HOH or SS2). That 15 min break just before sleep will leave your mind quit poker, at least a little. Like when you trying learning your lessons at school by reading while in bed, so they can "get" into your head easily.

AbZurrrd · #7 06-16-2007, 05:45 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I remember from one dream that I wanted to go to some place, and I had a navigation system to plan the best route. One route was 65s and the other was KJo, and I chose the 65s route because the KJo had too much reversed implied odds so I could get stuck in traffic. Seriously.

[/ QUOTE ] NO WAYYYYY. What'd you w/ route 66? Only play it for set value when the traffic is insane?

Rainclouds · #8 06-16-2007, 07:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I remember from one dream that I wanted to go to some place, and I had a navigation system to plan the best route. One route was 65s and the other was KJo, and I chose the 65s route because the KJo had too much reversed implied odds so I could get stuck in traffic. Seriously.

[/ QUOTE ] NO WAYYYYY. What'd you w/ route 66? Only play it for set value when the traffic is insane?

[/ QUOTE ]
nice one [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

govman6767 · #9 06-17-2007, 01:24 AM

At least it's something you supposedly enjoy doing imagine all the people who DESPISE their jobs that go through this day after day until the moment of our deaths

PunterSThompson · #10 06-17-2007, 02:50 AM

One of the purposes of sleep is to process all the things you did during the day. By going through the hands in your sleep you become a better player.

Something to help that was mentioned already is to spend some time before you sleep doing something non poker related. If you read something intellectually stimulating it may help guide your dreams.

Also, these kind of states happen whether you play poker or not. I get these kinds of things when ever I go on long hikes.

Regards, Stuart