Concentration

[2Tone]

So my two favorite poker blogs Iggy () and HDouble () both have recent posts about the importance of concentration.

I’m currently working through the 10x bonus on Party, multi-tabeling low-limit 6 maxes trying to see as many hands as I can handle an hour. I’m grinding, but I’m certainly not concentrating.

There was a thread a while ago about all of the different things people do while playing, including watching movies, etc.

So how much of a difference do you think really focusing in on the game makes? A few forum members have had some great wins this year. Were you guys concentrating any more than usual during these events?

[Talking Poker]

I'm sure my multi-tasing costs me something at the table... it has to. But I don't know how to quantify that number.

For some reason, I find playing just ONE tourney or cash game online boring, and I prefer do other things at the same time: watch a movie on my pc, keep up with the forum, email, surf, get a little bit of low intensity work done, pay the bills... that sort of thing.

I've always had a problem sitting around and doing just one thing (especially if it's for recreation and not with other people - like watching tv) because for some reason, it makes me feel really unproductive. I feel like I should be doing something more important. So I do my tv watching while I'm doing other things as well... or to wind down a bit late at night after playing too much intense poker. I haven't "read" for leisure in years. It's simply too expensive. I should be playing poker or working instead.

This goes way back to my childhood, btw.... as a kid, my mind would wander if I was doing JUST my homework. I would be sitting there miserable, thinking about all the things I would rather be doing. If I had the tv on and was half watching Cheers (for example) while doing my homework, it was no problem. I guess years and years of that made me turn out like this.

Now that I've rambled on forever, back to the topic at hand. What my lack of "poker concentration" costs me is reads on the players at my table. But if you think about it, it helps me too... by not allowing myself to get bored, I don't loosen up my game prematurely (far too many people do), and I don't overanalyze specific situations and make bad decisions. I always pay attention when I'm in a hand, of cour se... it's the in between hands where I tend to drift off a bit. Does the negative outweigh the positive? My guess is yes, but like I said, I don't know how much. I imagine it depends on the game. For limit cash games for example, unless I am so distracted that I am making errors (this has happened to me before, but it's extremely rare), I don't think it hurts me at all. Limit poker is more about playing like a machine than getting fancy with big reads on your opponents.

Two more notes to finish off this ridiculous rambling post:

1. When I play in live games, I do concentrate on the game - a LOT. I guess because I know it's not practical for me to be doing anything else, I have no problem staying ultra focused.

2. When I won my Aruba satellite, I was playing in another MTT at the time too (and posting here). I didn't think I'd realistically have a shot at the Aruba one (162 players, 1 winner), so I hardly paid any attention to it until I was out of the other one, hours later. Only when we were down to the final two or three table range did I really give it my full attention.

[Aequitas58]

I think this is a good post. Here's what I think.

While playing poker, I don't do too much more than play poker. I'll usually have my instant messenger open, I might peruse a few forums, but other than that, I'm not watching movies or TV at all.

For me, poker is broken up into two categories: ring games and tournaments.

Ring games are beatable by monotonous, standard, routine play. I'm not playing high limit 6-max or NL, so I don't need to be tricky. As you always say, simply playing good hands hard and "not" getting cute is a winning strategy for low limits. I recently switched from playing NL to L, so I don't feel as "robotic," especially at the 6M tables. Either way, I'm not heavily concentrating on one table.

Tournaments on the other hand require much more concentration for me. I'm constantly making player notes and watching the action just to figure out my opponents tendencies. It's amazing how much information is available to you if you take advantage of it. I don't like multi-tabling MTTs for that very reason AND I don't even like multi-tasking while playing MTTs. (Then again, that's my favorite form of poker, so I guess I'm enjoying it more as well.)

Is concentration NEEDED to win a higher levels? I dunno, I'll let you know when I get there. I can say that it depends on the person. Last week I was talking to a high-limit player. Here's what he had open:

$30/60 O8
Stars Stud8 MTT
Stars NLHE (or PLHE?) Satellite to WCOOP

How can you possibly play like that? Who knows.

One day.

[BrianSwa]

as for tornies go do you guys open the other tables during the torney? Watch the chip leaders?

[Aequitas58]

No. Why watch the chipleader? If you're going to watch someone, it should be the guys to your left and right - and then everyone else at your table. Worrying about how much the chipleader(s) have will just make you rush into playing hands when it's not needed.

[BrianSwa]

yea but if you watch the chipleaders and other players if you get moved to their tables you will have info on how they play. I think you can watch both and still play fine.

[lightfungus]

I only play NL, so I find really concentrating gives me quite an edge. For that reason, I also never play more than 2 tables for that reason. However, I find myself getting off track and doing other things. Sometimes I do ok, but sometimes I know I dont make as much as I could. Also, I like focusing, it makes me improve my game and its poker at its best. I would say focusing in NL gives me 20% more profit per session, at least. If you get a read on someone, sometimes you can take him down much easier (one of those min buyin guys) and this is where the money is at. Fungus's 2 cents.

[Talking Poker]

Wow... that's impressive. Mixing ganes is one thing I do NOT do. I try not to even mix limit with NL, as they are so different.

BTW, when I play Stud, I concentrate on it fully. I think you have to, or you are going to be missing out on some very important information (what cards were folded, namely).

[Defendant]

I find that if I am in a stimulating environment (i.e. at home) I CANNOT concentrate on one thing. Example?

Trying to study at home...oh man the XBox is right there, or the computer to play some poker.

So, I study in the lab, little to no distractions...problem solved (I might run a reaction or something like that, as long as it doesnt take up my whole attention, but thats where we get back to the distractions).

So, the less distractions, the easier it is to focus on one thing. Problem is that when youre playing online poker, the fact that youre sitting at a computer with an active web connection provides plenty of distractions (how easy is it to just open up the browser and surf around?). So I really dont know if I can extrapolate my schoolwork solution to online poker...

Defendant

[humpty99]

I can say with absolute certainty that I play much better when concentrating. Like Aeq said, if you watch the players at your table, there is tons of info. I can pretty accurately peg most players in the first 20 minutes or so. With a little digging, I could also prove that my win rate is much much higher when my kids and wife are in bed. I sometimes play when they are all up, and have much worse outcomes. In a SNG, if I get heads up I normally win. When the kids are around, I always seem to get 2nd instead of first. My son is smacking the TV, my oldest daughter is punching my youngest daughter, etc. etc. Just too much going on. I have tried playing two or three at a time and I absolutely despise it. Just doesn't feel like I am making the right decisions as often.

I have my computer running through my 62 inch TV. When everyone is asleep, I will split the screen in half with TV on the left and poker on the right. I can concentrate on poker when I need to, and TV when I don't. Its like heaven..... maybe just because its quiet for once.