Preparing for big live tourney - books on tells, etc?

[Black winter day]

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I have a bit of a background in sports psychology (came close to becoming a professional hockey player). This advice might apply here and I do apply it myself to my own poker playing.

In high level sports, or any similar endeavour, we prepare through training and practice. We want our game to be second nature when the real event takes place. One of the things that has thrown off many a team and individual is to try to incorporate new plays/tactics, etc. too soon.

We all know that to improve our game we need to elevate it. And to do that we need to either become more proficient at what we currently do or add new components.

To keep this short, my advice would be to try not to introduce too many new components to your game, especially if you haven't had a sufficient period of time to work them in seamlessly. New moves may require concious thoughts which can detract from the subconsious which should be running in the background.

Of course this is entirely personal, but if I were in your place I would concentrate more on refining what I know now and being as sharp as possible for the day the tourney starts. I think that's an equally valid method for elevating your game compared to adding new dimensions.

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Great post, thanks.I thought about it as well.

[FISHCAKES]

I read all 3 of the Harrington books and I gleamed alot of good info from them but the biggest help they gave me was giving me some insight into what other players are thinking. I say this because I know alot of players who never read any poker books til these came out and they seem to be playing the game like its the only formula that works. You can use this information against them especially in the later stages of play.

I agree that the Caro book of tells is a little outdated but I would still reccomend it just ignore the reliability %'s and some of the stuff will come in handy. The Navarro book is excellent.

[RarocASP]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a bit of a background in sports psychology (came close to becoming a professional hockey player). This advice might apply here and I do apply it myself to my own poker playing.

In high level sports, or any similar endeavour, we prepare through training and practice. We want our game to be second nature when the real event takes place. One of the things that has thrown off many a team and individual is to try to incorporate new plays/tactics, etc. too soon.

We all know that to improve our game we need to elevate it. And to do that we need to either become more proficient at what we currently do or add new components.

To keep this short, my advice would be to try not to introduce too many new components to your game, especially if you haven't had a sufficient period of time to work them in seamlessly. New moves may require concious thoughts which can detract from the subconsious which should be running in the background.

Of course this is entirely personal, but if I were in your place I would concentrate more on refining what I know now and being as sharp as possible for the day the tourney starts. I think that's an equally valid method for elevating your game compared to adding new dimensions.

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Excellent post! I think this is very insightful. FWIW, back in April, May, and June I was playing extremely well live. I then spent a week studying the caro books and videos to try to add a new dimension to my game. It backfired and sent my game into a tailspin for some time. I think not introducing too many new components to your game right before a big event is great advice.