Wanted: advice/exercises for building mental poker endurance

Lheticus

Lheticus

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So, I was doing pretty well in a CarbonPoker knockout last night, but I was completely spent after 3 hours of play, started getting sloppy, and wound up not doing much better than min cashing. In the CC freeroll after that, I somehow chipped up immensely early on, only to give all of it to someone with a comparable stack because I just couldn't come back and be all there.

Mental endurance for me is a far greater problem than I ever realized. If I keep attempting cash games too, this will definitely be an issue as well. Can anyone help?
 
pigpen02

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Simple solution is to stop playing in less than 3 hours. I find that I can't concentrate for much longer than several hours. There is always something else physical I can do for a while and maybe get back to poker after I have rested my brain. Plan around scheduled things like the CC freeroll.
 
Lheticus

Lheticus

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Simple solution is to stop playing in less than 3 hours. I find that I can't concentrate for much longer than several hours. There is always something else physical I can do for a while and maybe get back to poker after I have rested my brain. Plan around scheduled things like the CC freeroll.

If I'm going to go pro, I can't just limit myself to three hours. LIVE tournaments may have more breaks, but they're far more brutal than one four hour online event. What you suggest isn't a solution, but giving up.
 
pigpen02

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Your original post didn't say anything about going pro or live tournaments. If you want to go pro and can't concentrate for more than 3 hours I suggest you give up.
 
Lheticus

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Your original post didn't say anything about going pro or live tournaments. If you want to go pro and can't concentrate for more than 3 hours I suggest you give up.

Well, you're one heck of a downer. I want to train my brain so I can concentrate for longer. That kind of concentration isn't something that people are born with and if you're not you're shit out of luck! That kind of attribute is a myth. It CAN be learned, EVERYTHING can be learned, I'm looking for a good method how.
 
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I suggest playing on "shifts", this is what i used to do when I played for my meals, what I mean is play the max you can play for you it seems 3 hours.. when you start playing poorly take a break maybe an hour or so then go back playing... repeat till you get the time you need, although each time you go back you probably will burn out a little faster, I could get 8 hour days in like this without much problem, were if I just played straight through, I would get antsy and burnt out..
 
BluffMeAllIn

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The key to figuring out why you lose concentration is going to determine what you need to do to improve it. Are you getting tired, bored, unfocused.....why do you think you are getting this way?

Maybe take the 5 min break and step away from the computer.

Were you playing another game and maybe took a beat and got tilted even if you didn't feel you were?

On the "It CAN be learned, EVERYTHING can be learned", not exactly true......If I didn't inherit the ability to fold my toungue into a V shape then it can't be learned..........some people just physically cannot do certain things....but yes when it comes to something that is within the possibility to control mentally or physically whatever might be the cause then yes it can be improved upon.

In my experience, it takes experience and you sometimes have to push through if its just a concentration thing then no method to improve it will help unless you can first realize why exactly you are losing your concentration..........just like tilting, figuring out why we tilt and resolving those issues will provide a more permenant resolution than a bandaid method of just helping combat it.

Lately I started putting on headphones to help me battle through being tired when I'm playing, as in physically/mentally just wanting to fall asleep but its early by my usual standard and find some music helps me focus but again its just a bandaid since the cause of it was because of having a busy week at work and being up earlier in the mornings than usual due to another out of the ordinary item during the week.

It's like a weed (and not the good kind) to get rid of them for good you need to get to the root and remove it :D or it will just keep comming back even if it takes a bit longer it will still be there working its way to the surface again.
 
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I like to listen to music while I play, I also snack on fruit and nuts. That helps keep my concentration up as the hours go on. Spotify is worth it's 'weight' in diamonds for me. :D
 
Kenzie 96

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Like most things, practice, practice, practice, set a time limit, pay attention to your focus & concentration & gradually increase your time. I'm assuming your talking cash. Like any job, proper rest, diet, exercise, will pay off.
 
pigpen02

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Well, you're one heck of a downer. I want to train my brain so I can concentrate for longer. That kind of concentration isn't something that people are born with and if you're not you're shit out of luck! That kind of attribute is a myth. It CAN be learned, EVERYTHING can be learned, I'm looking for a good method how.[/quote

You said you were going to go pro. Changing careers is a big life change. Some people need a kick in the head so they can be SURE that is what they want. If you look at my downer and say, "Hey, that is not true. I really can concentrate for more than three hours." then maybe the career change is possible. If you look at it and say, "Yeah, maybe I better improve my current career instead and play poker for fun." then I have helped you reach a better lifestyle for you. Whichever path you take, best of luck.
 
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Hi Friend

It's difficult. Here is my advice. From 5 years playing regular poker my tournament play is pretty solid so that MOST decisions require little to no thought. By folding 90% of my hands (all garbage) and playing fairy basic poker- good hand BET, no hand - FOLD (Or bluff then fold if called).... If you are playing on a sort of auto pilot and only using your brain for the tough or important choices or saving it for the crucial end of the tournament, then you won't burn out as much.

Just my opinion thanks and good luck.
 
Havik

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So, I was doing pretty well in a CarbonPoker knockout last night, but I was completely spent after 3 hours of play, started getting sloppy, and wound up not doing much better than min cashing. In the CC freeroll after that, I somehow chipped up immensely early on, only to give all of it to someone with a comparable stack because I just couldn't come back and be all there.

Mental endurance for me is a far greater problem than I ever realized. If I keep attempting cash games too, this will definitely be an issue as well. Can anyone help?[/QUOT

A great way to train is to play Video games lol. Play tons of video games and every 30 mins stand up walk around. You can also listen to music to pass the time. Setup a dual monitor and watch tv while you play poker or browse the web. You don't need to read every single hand perfectly especially at the start of a tournament. Just play ABC poker and you will be fine. When you reach the end of the tourney you can use your mental energy to focus on the game
 
CSVidal

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Good Tip !!!

I suggest playing on "shifts", this is what i used to do when I played for my meals, what I mean is play the max you can play for you it seems 3 hours.. when you start playing poorly take a break maybe an hour or so then go back playing... repeat till you get the time you need, although each time you go back you probably will burn out a little faster, I could get 8 hour days in like this without much problem, were if I just played straight through, I would get antsy and burnt out..

That's what I do to keep my focus from beginning to end of my sections. Usually start after breakfast 9am after a pause between 12h and 13h for lunch back between 14h and 15h and take until the end of the session.
 
teepack

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It's like anything else. The more you practice it, the better you will get at it. You just need to keep playing. When you make a deep run in a tournament, do you start to get bored? Do you have a real, 40 hours per week job, or are you just playing poker in the hopes that you get a big score so you won't have to get a real job? Do you do any kind of physical exercise regularly?
 
STL FAN

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Here are some ideas that might help but everyone is different. To help build mental muscle, it is similar to weight training; for example, the body and the brain will build up a plateau or tolerance from what is being taught or trained. To help combat this unlike weight training there are only so many effective, creative ways to shock the muscle but poker offers many different ways to help build mental muscle.


To help with training narrate, illustrate, a journal about your session, track important information related to where, when, how, and why this affected your session, grade your sessions, the trick to building mental muscle is honesty, without it all of your thoughts well have no conviction.


What this does is it allows the brain to be shocked just like the muscle and after all the brain is a muscle for building. Yourself, and the brain are now put in a positive environment that is conducive for mental improvement, as a comparison to weight training because of your thoughts being engaged with the learning about yourself as a new focus about the game.


The new focus, on your new found honesty will lead to the right emotions for the brain to focus and learn new, revist old information alike to be used better, properly than your previous sessions. This allows a person to fix their own leaks, understand tilt better, as a couple of examples. An inchworm affect will happen from fixing the leaks in the backend of the game then forward thinking to your “A” game.


For this to help the person has to have passion, otherwise, true self-reflection about your sessions to help learn will not be achieved, it is similar to when a person first found poker the passion to learn, get better, and even build the brain mentally can be achieved; this can also help with enduring longer sessions productively. However, it is up to each person to figure out what they are looking for when it comes to any area of improvement, what works better for one person may be completely wrong for another. Glad to have met you and good fortune on your journey.
 
Marcwantstowin

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So, I was doing pretty well in a CarbonPoker knockout last night, but I was completely spent after 3 hours of play, started getting sloppy, and wound up not doing much better than min cashing. In the CC freeroll after that, I somehow chipped up immensely early on, only to give all of it to someone with a comparable stack because I just couldn't come back and be all there.

Mental endurance for me is a far greater problem than I ever realized. If I keep attempting cash games too, this will definitely be an issue as well. Can anyone help?

Hi Lheticus

I believe we have played together a number of times on here at CC freerolls etc. Anyway I think you have hit the nail on the head, (so to speak) yourself ~ I was completely spent after 3 hours of play! The reasons for this can be many, but I would suggest you look at a number of things, including - the number of tourneys you are playing a day, how serious you are taking those tourney's (i.e. Do you treat each tourney with the same respect, try as hard in each tourney?). To improve your resiliance and endurance I would suggest to trying to relax better when you are not playing. Try to set yourself up for each session with a degree of formality, make sure you have a meal before or try to have a shower - to refresh yourself, make sure you have plenty of nourishment close to hand. Have your cigarettes close to hand, (if you smoke of course!!). All sorts of preparation before you start playing will take less away from you and give you more energy to concentrate.


Hi Friend

It's difficult. Here is my advice. From 5 years playing regular poker my tournament play is pretty solid so that MOST decisions require little to no thought. By folding 90% of my hands (all garbage) and playing fairy basic poker- good hand BET, no hand - FOLD (Or bluff then fold if called).... If you are playing on a sort of auto pilot and only using your brain for the tough or important choices or saving it for the crucial end of the tournament, then you won't burn out as much.

Just my opinion thanks and good luck.

I also think that Stephen has a strong point, playing ABC poker, so sticking to the rules (you make for yourself!!), will help you in not having to deal with anything unusual all of the time.

Hope I have made a bit of sense and gl in the future..........:D:D:D
 
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