How to play long hours without going on tilt?

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pokernutts

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I consider myself a pretty solid poker player but It seems Im only good for a few hours then I get bored, lose focus and make stupid moves that I KNOW are not good for my game.

I have no idea why I act this way.

I have learned to take breaks when or before this happens.

What I would like to know... is there some type of meditation or something I can learn so that I can play longer hours and make more money?

At this point it seems I'm only good for 3 hours of play a day.

I could make so much more money if I could play more hours. :(
 
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Flsnookman

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Eat lots of fruits, avoid soda and coffee. Pastas are also good energy food. If that doesnt work just play for an hour or so then hit the yayo. Joking,do NOT hit the ya, but really avoid sugars and caffiene as they will make you crash. Good luck.
 
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kaispen

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That familiar to me too, you are just like me :D Just a moment ago, after few hours playing in tournament, I bored and then played careless, not very long time from that, I lost all my chips, over 50000 :S
 
TrailerPark

TrailerPark

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Usually i have my bong within reach and when i feel my blood pressure raising because of some donk calling my all in against my AA And they have 7 10os and they hit two pair on flop and kill my AA i slowly reach over pick it up light it up and pull,exhale then wait a min.then move on to the next game:)
 
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kaispen

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Hehe, TrailerPark that sound very good, maybe everyones should try that out, and relax little bit :D
I have lost many times with AA, and to so weak hands, it is really frustrating.. But that's what it is poker, never cant know what going to happen :cool:
 
Kenzie

Kenzie

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I can relate... deep stack tournaments bring out the bad player in me after 4/5 hours.

My patience is usually pretty good but I still find that long grinding sessions are tough, especially when I have other stuff to do, like study.

The only things I try to do during every session is get away from the computer long enough to give my eyes a rest and always have water near-by... not Red Bull or Monster, you'll only feel worse once the buzz has worn off.
 
Yoshimiii

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That's why I don't play tournaments, after about 2 hours I cba and get bored or want to do something else and end up shoving junk. Whereas with cash games I just take breaks every 2 hours and come back refreshed.
 
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blast126

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I rarely play tournaments because I don't have enough time to play for 10 or 12 consecutive hours.
I already have some long runs on tournaments, about 7 hours when I get top 250 on tournaments with more than 4000 players, I was able to keep focus during that time.
 
D

dead homie

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this is the opposite for me, the longer i play the thighter i get and more patient. expecially in tournaments when the blinds get higher
 
XXPXXP

XXPXXP

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take a break every 1 hour and get your brain refreshed...

no way to playing 12 or 20 hours without rest day by day, month by month!

even cars or other equipment needs tune-up after looong hours of using....not to say human body/brain....

LOL
 
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rocksolidron

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i find it i do same thing so try not to play more then 4 hour sessions good luck
 
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Cooking

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Prepare yourself for the long journeys, have a healthy life eating well and try to do exercises everyday. Work your mind too doing something you like, like yoga, going to the beach to relax..
 
Vyp3r_MI

Vyp3r_MI

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Usually i have my bong within reach and when i feel my blood pressure raising because of some donk calling my all in against my AA And they have 7 10os and they hit two pair on flop and kill my AA i slowly reach over pick it up light it up and pull,exhale then wait a min.then move on to the next game:)
I have been known to do this, haha.

I recommend taking a short break every couple hours. Some people have been saying 'avoid caffeine', I'm not quite sure if I agree with that, I love a cup of coffee during a session and I feel like it does improve my play if only marginally. If I lose a few big hands or buy-ins, I usually just walk away from the computer because I start tilting and making ridiculous tilt plays.

Good luck!
 
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DunningKruger

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I consider myself a pretty solid poker player

You're actually pretty terrible at this game.

So am I. So is pretty much everyone, save for maybe an extremely small percentage of people in the world who still have a lot to learn even though they're not that bad. By taking the ego out of poker and realizing just how far we still have to go, I feel we work that much harder to elevate our game and more importantly we don't let pride morph into tilt when we feel we should be doing better than we are.

If you're a prideful player then at least use it to your advantage. I suppose for some it's what drives them. You can't however consider yourself a pretty solid player if you inevitably lose focus and start donking around. The next time you feel the urge to do that, tell yourself you're better than to allow that kind of thing to happen. Imagine a solid player you look up to looking over your shoulder and you don't want to embarrass yourself. That kind of poker game is for the gambol junkies and the fish. If you really can't maintain your focus in spite of that then open up the play chip lobby where that kind of nonsense belongs. :)

It seems Im only good for a few hours then I get bored, lose focus and make stupid moves that I KNOW are not good for my game.

People who can legitimately play with the goal of making the best decisions possible and not worry about money won or lost tend not to suffer from this issue. What you can try is mark down the amount of time into your session where you know you're making bad decisions (and then stop obv) and next time you play just to go longer before you have to mark it down again. Make that your goal to try to break your record or w/e each time. I don't know. Just a random idea.

What you talk about can be helped and can be fixed but it requires a conscious effort, and some time. It doesn't exactly go away on its own.
 
Makwa

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You're actually pretty terrible at this game.

So am I. So is pretty much everyone, save for maybe an extremely small percentage of people in the world who still have a lot to learn even though they're not that bad. By taking the ego out of poker and realizing just how far we still have to go, I feel we work that much harder to elevate our game and more importantly we don't let pride morph into tilt when we feel we should be doing better than we are.

If you're a prideful player then at least use it to your advantage. I suppose for some it's what drives them. You can't however consider yourself a pretty solid player if you inevitably lose focus and start donking around. The next time you feel the urge to do that, tell yourself you're better than to allow that kind of thing to happen. Imagine a solid player you look up to looking over your shoulder and you don't want to embarrass yourself. That kind of poker game is for the gambol junkies and the fish. If you really can't maintain your focus in spite of that then open up the play chip lobby where that kind of nonsense belongs. :)



People who can legitimately play with the goal of making the best decisions possible and not worry about money won or lost tend not to suffer from this issue. What you can try is mark down the amount of time into your session where you know you're making bad decisions (and then stop obv) and next time you play just to go longer before you have to mark it down again. Make that your goal to try to break your record or w/e each time. I don't know. Just a random idea.

What you talk about can be helped and can be fixed but it requires a conscious effort, and some time. It doesn't exactly go away on its own.

well said... :ridinghor
 
left52side

left52side

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As mentioned before.
Patience is a key in tournament poker play that can last any number or long hours.
I myself being mostly a live tournament player these days,bring lots of wholesome snacks.
water,headphones a my ipad to surf around on internet like you tube or whatever.
I usually will not watch movies or surf web until I do get a decent read on the table and set my image.
It acctually seems to help me more by not paying as much attention,as silly as it seems.
 
Arjonius

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I suspect that at least to some extent, you might be undermining yourself through a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. Thinking your attention wavers after a few hours increases the probability that it will. You might benefit from working on recognizing the early symptoms whenever they occur. You may find they happen at different times depending on various factors.
 
N

Novify

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Are you bored? It's a bad sign! Poker does not like it, I think! It is impossible to play if there is no interest!

My advice to you, if you play in tournaments, play several tournaments at the same time! Playing multiple tables more likely to get the best cards! In addition, this game develops attention and the ability to quickly make a decision quickly!

I wish you good luck!
 
S3mper

S3mper

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I' wouldn't reccommend this but... I play/played competitive halo which you would sit in front of the tv forever kinda like poker only tv is exchanged with a computer I myself do NOT use or have ever used it but most (99%) of the top pros and about (75%) of other competitive gamers used adderral which is used for ADD-ADHD it improved focus and would allow you to play for hours or days lol ask a doctor if you should or can take it but warning Adderral is kind of like speed... Also there are poker energy drinks and drinks like 5 hour energy i dont know if they work or if they are like adderal in which your extremley focused on what your doing. Again ask your doctor not your local drug dealer
 
bushy_lufc

bushy_lufc

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I can sometimes have the same problems! I like the reply about avoiding sugars! I suppose it would be right to say healthy body, healthy mind but if you're running deep into a tournament that is later than you expected sometimes an energy drinks or a coffee may help or on your break to go stand outside and stretch your legs!!

If you are grinding cash or mtt's all day then try to have a 1 hour break part way through your day, in that break eat will drink a lot of water maybe even go for a short walk just make sure you avoid the computer for a while!
 
feffy

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just plenty of rest before the tournament, sometimes get up and walk in between
 
R3DRANG3R

R3DRANG3R

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i'm more bored in the beginning with the low blinds lol. its frustrating when you get a big hand and you win like 50 chips.
 
xmarus91

xmarus91

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It sounds like you need to take breaks.. Poker is best played when your minds clear just take a break when you feel like your playing bad watch a movie and comeback.. Poker becomes a job when you play hour after hour and make your brain wabble
 
Tinie107

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The early parts of tournaments are what i find the most boring, i almost always enter turbo's aswell as sometimes i just don't have the patience to sit and fold for 2 hours before the blinds get big enough to be worth while raising. If playing long hours puts you on tilt though imagine constant bad beats :p
 
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