Bad habbits while playing online poker

Alright this thread is about all the bad habbits you do while playing online poker. (not the nasty things you do either!)

My bad habbits, esspecially on FT is that I always check the tourney info and see how many places are left, and how I'm doing. I probably shouldn't do this?? I guess its good to know.

Like right now I'm posting this while im playing in a pretty big tournament lol...I should be paying attention. I also google alot and play on the internet, when I probably shouldn't, it distracts me. Sometimes I find though if I am doing something else while playing poker online I do better. Maybe its because I'm not getting bored with the slow play??

One night I played a tournament while trying to play Guitar Hero......That was a bad idea! I placed, but not as high as I could have. I had to keep pausing the game to call or fold, my time kept going all the way down and it would beep and remind me what I was doing!

What do you guys do that distracts you while playing online?

Habbits = cousins of Frodo

Some times I'm at to many sites playing to many games.

One of the worst distractions I have is my messengers, If I want to play serious poker I have to ignore or not sign in. Posting while playing is another downfall. I'm reading an interesting thread like a story and get caught up in it and forget i'm in a game, and like stated it has to pop up to remind me. (I guess I'm not to serious then and not getting reads on my opponents that way).

It depends on the buy in for me and how much is going on, I'm a multi tasker, distractions don't bother me much. But on some occasions when I'm deep in a mtt it can be quite annoying.

I know the chat on poker sites can be distracting to most, as I've seen it. People telling off each other and getting under each others skin. I also Ignore as I've seen it so many times it don't bother me no more.

I also have to stop googling

Absolute worse for me is playing more then one table and not moving them away from each other and calling a huge bet with 2,7 or such, because the other table pops up while calling a huge bet with AA or something something.

I tend to be quite disiplined whilst playing poker online. However, if I need to fetch something (say the post arrives, or I want to get a can of coke from the fridge or something) I'll dash to fetch whatever I need without "sitting out". I usually make it back in time (I wouldn't go to the bathroom or make a coffee or anything without sitting out) but the delay must annoy the other players!

I did the exact same thing 2 days ago, but the poker game popped up in the middle of the One (metallica) solo so i thought id finish the solo, then i ended up forgetting about the game and got blinded out of tourny. Never going to do that again.

I recently began to post on cc a lot more while playing cash games with people i already have notes on, and just want to play a solid tight game and just play premium hands so im folding a lot.

I also practice poker chip tricks between hands since thats what i do at the casino, so i may aswell keep my routine the same.

Man i have a lot of distractions, since i also listen to my mp3 most of the time while playing (live and online) and also have the tv on most of the time with an action film on which you dont really have to listen to, just watch

HAHAHA, what a great post to start the day

I tilt, extremly quickly, but i've manged to controll myself as of late

bad habbit : playing poker

I'm a bit surprised to see so many people do all kinds of things (surfing the internet, watching TV etc.) while playing poker online. Unless we're talking play money games, I don't quite see why you'd ever want to distract yourself.

I play several tables, but that's part of my gameplan. I don't answer e-mails, or play games or anything. I wear closed headphones but never have any music turned on because it can distract you and even change your playing style. For example, when listening to loud metal music you'll play differently (also true when driving a car btw).

So what is my bad habit? Berating bad players I'd say. I've been trying to stop this and have been successful to a point, but sometimes I just can't help but explain to my opponent what a terrible play he just made.
It's called "tapping the aquarium" I believe, and hopefully I'll get it under control entirely. It happens rarely these days but it still happens.

Along the lines of what Chris said... I play better when I don't distract myself (by say reading a certain forum while I'm playing...)

I find I just don't have the discipline to stay focused on a single table online, so that's the single biggest reason I multitable. I can pay attention to 2 or 3 tables alot more closely than I can to one.

I find that if I'm distracted doing something else, then I act more quickly when its my turn to play and tend to make less mistakes.
I guess that because I am already occupied, I am less tempted to play marginal hands.
But then, I play mostly freerolls, so if I do make mistakes they are not very costly.

hahaha crap, I didn't even notice that!

Personally, I think doing other things at the same time is good for ones' online game. Once you can chat, check mail & watch a ballgame while you are winning online you can then think about multi tabling.

I resemble that remark

My bad habbbbbbbit is losing focus in the later stages of the game and/or getting involved in a hand that I dont need to be in.

I have a healthy chipstack, way above average. Maybe in the top 20s with about 100 players left. I'll raise with a hand like 99 and get a caller on a board showing an A, 7, 5. Im in position and bet to the check. I keep the aggression on and end up losing 3/4s of my stack on a stupid play that knocks be down to around 80th place in chips.

Or I'll get hyper aggressive on a draw and not hit when I could just fold and still be in good position to make it deep.

I often call a lot of big river bets on boards that can beat me. Especially if Im the aggressor and then I get bet into.

I sometimes dont know when to let off on the aggression.

silly stuff like that.

I would disagree and pretty strongly.

If you aren't keeping an eye on tables you aren't keeping an eye on what other players do in hands you aren't directly involved in. I think it's important to keep an idea of how often certain people bluff/or might be bluffing (say raising the button) and what are they showing down? (Don't lie, if you are checking email and doing who knows what else you aren't checking the HH every time you tab back to the table).

Besides you will miss out on *how* they bet. Just because it's online doesn't mean there aren't tells. A lot of people have timing tells on their bets that you will only pick up on if you are paying close and constant attention.

maybe different people are different, but to me if you are doing something else that causes you to miss out on an edge that's money you are losing.

my bad habit

I don't know if it makes me play worse or distracts me, but I'm always watching TV and browsing the net whilst playing poker.
I just cant sit and play one table, it just bores me, so I'm probably too impatient to play live. I usually play at least 4 tables, any less and 50 hands seem like forever.
I guess i should pay more attention though.

There was this one time where I was playing at PokerRoom and wasn't paying attention with how my windows were laid out and mistook my hole cards between tables. I completely missed the board on one table but thought I flopped top two pair! That was on just one occasion because I was going to fast while multi-tabling.

Other than that one freak instance, I usually get distracted by messenger, email and random surfing. It really takes its toll after awhile especially deep in a tourney. Been trying other things to keep focus, but I find that I don't do enough to keep awake or concentrate.

I usually play with my chips while playing though...just getting ready when I go to play live or just go out in public. Friends look at me funny when I'm playing with chips while walking outside or inside while studying.

When I get a good hand my tail wags
and I chase cats

ive found that i was playing too many tables at one time.. i cut back so i could concentrate better on the ones i was playing on.

Bad Habbit = A really low cut dress worn by a nun.

I smoke, alot of weed.

I also listen to music loudly, it helps me focus to be honest. chris says loud metal makes u play different, i dunno, perhaps it is true ill test it.

I tend to get bored while playing just one table. I have started multi-tabling, but I also seem to do better when I am doing more than one thing (ie surf the internet, playing freecell, or other things). This keeps me from getting bored during the tourny I am playing.

Playing when I know I am not completely ready to focus...

No one has said "drinking beer" yet?

my worst habit is playing poker.

While I'm sure higher limits demand more attention, at the lower limits I play at for now, no one is really trying to mix it up. I use PAHUD for the stats on aggression, playable cards (VP$IP is IMO the most important stat to use because it indicates range preflop), etc. Obviously I miss if they'll chase draws w/o odds, but then again about 99% of the players at those levels do. I just recently moved up from 4 to 6 tables at once and found out I can handle it pretty easily. Now although my per-table profit may be more when single tabling, I don't think I could make a higher overall profit (ie 6 times per table profit) just single tabling. Oh and I listen to music, helps either get me ready to play or calm me down. I think it helps.

Bad habit? Chasing losses. I think I've gotten past that, haven't done it in the past few months, but I used to do that every time and although once in a while I'd make it back, I'd always end up busting.

my worst habit would have to be trying to play at different sites at the same time gets real hectic sometimes

i agree with almost everyone elses posts..I have the same habits like searching for upcoming events while playing multi tables while my yahoo and aol IMs are almost constant.but...my worst habit is playing the later games and settling once i place in the money.I think i play to show rather then to win.secondly ive noticed i have to be in the right mood to play well.if i am at home...2kids and a wifey...and im trying to play and have a conversation with someone i will donk it up more often then when actually needed.never play mad!!!!!good luck at the tables

i tend to watch things like High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark, sometimes its quite inspiring ( ) but sometimes i lose focus and suddenly find my freeroll, or 5c 10c table not as interesting as a 500k buy in show!

i found that paying attention all the time to the table can help but i get moved around so much that it doesnt matter....surfing the web is just there to do you cant help it your not in the hand so you do something else so that your patience doesnt run thin...and you end up getting too aggressive and bluff!

i think watching tv and getting into it, cuz then i totally dont pay atention to wats going on...i figure focusing on just the game is best, but 1 day i was playing an online game at the same time and i played 2 MTT and played really well in both...i jus knew my position and my cards and didnt try to make bold or dangerous plays preflop, and played somewhat aggressive on the hands i did play and it worked out really well, i barely had n e info on n e of ther players at my table but still didnt hurt me surprisingly...

other than bad habits that some of the guys mentioned, one of mine is chatting to much with the people at the table and lose focus on whats going on.

This is my main bad habit.That and drinking rum.I do pretty good until I have over 8-9 beers.Then I start making crazy ass calls or missing my turn while I'm pissing every 5 minutes.

Another thing that kills my ROI is playing while I have my kids running around me.I find myself answering questions I don't know while missing some of the deciding factors in the game.