How can I force myself to stop and think?

[GrumpyB]

I’m still just a beginner (played my first online game 4 months ago), but after the first horrendous month, followed by the purchase and study of the 2+2 books ‘The Theory of Poker’, ‘Harrington on Holdem’ (vol 1,2 and 3) and now ‘Texas Holdem Theory and Practice’ I have made huge progress and I’m no longer anything like as fishy. But sometimes [often?] I still stink!

My approach, for now, is to learn as much as I can as fast as I can. I’m playing at a level I can afford to loose [I’ve got a real job to pay the bills] so I don’t have to worry about my bankroll, and I stick to one table so I can try and concentrate on one thing at once to build up my experience.

For long stretches I do quite well. I follow all the moves, even in hands I’m not playing, and over the last 16,000 hands [yes I know, not enough to be significant] I have averaged a win rate of 6BB/100 – but that would be much, much better if it weren’t for the one hand per 100 where I don’t stop to engage my brain. I spend an hour watching everyone else and shouting “he’s got you beat, dimwit” at the screen, and then as soon as I’m in a hand it’s just too hard to think so I rush through it to give my brain a rest and *boom* - bye bye chips.

So the real question here is did any of you guys start of with this kind of problem, and have you any ‘tricks’ to help you slow down and pause for reflection for a moment while that counters ticking down so you don’t just insta-click a really dumb move?

Here’s a great example of what I mean. Something I’m really not proud of, and my very first hand history post, so please be kind on this dumb beginner.

OK, I’d been playing this 0.12/0.25 Texas Hold'em (No Limit) table for about 50 hands, and it was extremely tight, passive. Or maybe it just seemed that was as I’ve only just moved up from 0.05/0.10 – where any suited picture card seems to be enough to get half the folks all-in against any raise. But earlier in the evening I saw one of these guys take home a pot of 0.75 with pocket aces. He’d open called from middle position, brought the two blinds with him, and went to showdown without a single raise.

Meanwhile I was getting nothing. The only way I’d got my 25.00 buy-in up to 31.99 was by playing position, raising x3 behind any two earlier limpers, with any two cards, and then folding to any post flop raise or betting half the pot. Nevertheless my table image was still probably very tight (playing between 2 or 3 hands out of every 10) but aggressive (I never entered a pot without a raise or failed to raise a hand with position on limpers.)

Then this happens (with what I thought as I went along…..

***** Hand 740892917 *****
0.12/0.25 Texas Hold'em (No Limit ) - 04 September 2007 00:00:39
Turbo TH 97 (Real /Cash Game )
Seat 1: cucopop (10.12)
Seat 2: _Vrax_ (32.54)
Seat 3: grumpyb (31.99)
Seat 4: keni34 (11.89)
Seat 5: jeges1975 (23.30)
Seat 6: JoqiPoki (28.05)
Seat 7: pulpitis (14.67)
Seat 8: Adrian_ (22.96)
Seat 9: mad cyril (26.58)
cucopop post SB 0.12
_Vrax_ post BB 0.25
** Deal **
cucopop [N/A, N/A]
_Vrax_ [N/A, N/A]
grumpyb [Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]]
keni34 [N/A, N/A]
jeges1975 [N/A, N/A]
JoqiPoki [N/A, N/A]
pulpitis [N/A, N/A]
Adrian_ [N/A, N/A]
mad cyril [N/A, N/A]
*** Bet Round 1 ***
grumpyb Call 0.25

Yeah, look at me – UTG with QQ and I just limp in! I know, I know, I should have gone for a standard raise [3 to 4BB] – but that would just have scared all these passive players away and I was getting bored. I WANT SOME ACTION!!!! And it was my first limp of the night - honest!

keni34 Fold
jeges1975 Fold
JoqiPoki Raise to 0.50
pulpitis Fold
Adrian_ Call 0.50
mad cyril Fold
cucopop Fold
_Vrax_ Fold
grumpyb Call 0.50

Great, I’ve hooked a couple he-he !

*** Flop(Board): *** : [J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]]

OK, two hearts for a possible flush draw and J 9 giving some straight possibilities, but I have an over-pair to the board so I’d bet around three-quarters of the pot to avoid giving pot odds …

*** Bet Round 2 ***
grumpyb Bet 1.75
JoqiPoki Fold
Adrian_ Raise to 3.75

What the f…! He’s not supposed to do that. Disengage brain – go into ‘mines bigger than yours’ mode

grumpyb Raise to 7.25
Adrian_ Call 7.25

stop it!

*** Turn(Board): *** : [J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]]
*** Bet Round 3 ***
grumpyb All-in 24.24

That’ll teach him to mess with me!

Adrian_ All-in 15.21

Oh 4 king hell! Grumpy. Redirect blood back from dick to brain.

*** River(Board): *** : [J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]]
*** Showdown *** : Rake: 2.30 Total Pot: 44.49
cucopop Fold Win: 0.00
_Vrax_ Fold Win: 0.00
grumpyb [Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]] Pair of queens Win: 0.00
keni34 Fold Win: 0.00
jeges1975 Fold Win: 0.00
JoqiPoki Fold Win: 0.00
pulpitis Fold Win: 0.00
Adrian_ [2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]] Three of a kind, deuces Win: 44.49

Yep, of course – I knew that. And now I remember the mantra ‘big pots for big hands’ and is QQ a monster hand on this board? No. Or “Don’t bet on the river unless there are (1) hands you can beat that will call or (2) hands that have you beat that will fold.” Is that the case here? No. So why, why, why did I do it?

So that's the question. I've read the books and I think I understand - but how can I force myself to stop and think before, and not after, I click?

[Rek]

Give youself a penalty for every dumb move you make (e.g. a poke in the eye with a very sharp pencil)

You will soon learn

[FooSH]

Don't be too hard on yourself. Every player makes dumb moves now and again. I'd say 3 or 3 times a session I think "[censored], shouldn't have done that" as soon as I clicked. As long as you realise the error, it dosen't affect your winrate much at all. The worst mistakes are the ones you don't realise your making.

As for the hand (apart from pre-flop), its fine. An overpair vs a set on a drawing board is getting stacked a high % of the time.

[ QUOTE ]
“Don’t bet on the river unless there are (1) hands you can beat that will call or (2) hands that have you beat that will fold.” Is that the case here? No. So why, why, why did I do it?

[/ QUOTE ]

You bet the turn and were right to do so. AJ/KJ/Ahxh/combo draws are all good possibilities, and there are so many cards on the river that could suck out or kill your action.

[Cernunnos]

"Yeah, look at me – UTG with QQ and I just limp in! I know, I know, I should have gone for a standard raise [3 to 4BB] – but that would just have scared all these passive players away and I was getting bored. I WANT SOME ACTION!!!! And it was my first limp of the night - honest! "

you want some action - raise more hands preflop and vary the size of the raise, if they are that passive, make sure you win more than your fair share of the other pots,

and if you are that bored-desperate for action add another table!

[Mazzinger]

I used to have that problem when I played live games. Play on impulse. What I usually do is write in the palm of my hand something like..."take it easy", "look at the board", etc. Every time I look at my cards I see the little notes. It has helped a lot. If you’re playing online you can always put a post- it note on the monitor.

[oddsock]

Don't keep your hands on the mouse and speak out loud the reason for the move you are about to make.

[Rek]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't keep your hands on the mouse and speak out loud the reason for the move you are about to make.

[/ QUOTE ]

Especially if you are playing at work, in a library or an internet cafe.

[raze]

Understand that if you don't slow down and think, people who DO think will be way ahead of you in terms of success and skill, and you're going to find yourself unable to progress past micro-stakes.

[GrumpyB]

Thanks guys, I've calmed down now but I've taken my hand off the mouse and got a sharp pencil ready, just in case.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Don't keep your hands on the mouse and speak out loud the reason for the move you are about to make.

[/ QUOTE ]

Especially if you are playing at work, in a library or an internet cafe.

[/ QUOTE ]

Boy, gotta love that answer!