Quantity or Quality?

Dunc8b

Dunc8b

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During the past couple of months I have reduced the amount of poker I have have been playing quite significantly. I am now only playing a couple of evenings a week and only a few games.

I have noticed that my game play has improved. I have been playing more sit n gos and am finding I am getting ITM more often than I used to. I also tilt less often :) My play fund isn't growing much (or shrinking too much) and I am no longer topping it up once a month like in the past.

Strangely, I find playing during the week to be a better time than weekends to get a better game experience.

This morning I read a thread that was mainly suggesting that as a "new" player you should be playing lots of games for the experience. I'm probably "new" as I've only been playing for about 18 months and all online.

The question is:- Can you play too many games? Too many a week for example.

I think I was playing too many games because I wasn't reflecting on the bad hands and just moving on to the next game ASAP. Now I play less I am reviewing what went wrong more often.

What do you think?
 
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Rational Madman

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If you play poker to let off steam after a hard Day's work then absolutely you can play too much bad quality poker.

I you play to profit and remain emotionally attached only to pot odds, position, opponent's range and bet sizing then you will find that greater quantity does not decreased the quality as long as you remain awake (energy drinks help)
 
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TheBull953

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Quantity is important, since it really gives you a feel for the game, which is impossible to gain solely from practice. Taking time away from the table to review hands, read books/articles, and discuss on forums is equally important. Once new concepts are introduced it's important to practice and get a feel from them. Rinse and repeat as needed.
 
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colbear

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Quantity is important, since it really gives you a feel for the game, which is impossible to gain solely from practice. Taking time away from the table to review hands, read books/articles, and discuss on forums is equally important. Once new concepts are introduced it's important to practice and get a feel from them. Rinse and repeat as needed.


I agree you need both quantity in the beginning to turn to quality in the end . You can have both . You can also have to much sometimes . I also have been playing way to much lately .Different stakes different game types just to stay active as i'm stuck at home for 7 months now finally getting a little active again . I have been seeing my game go downhill as this goes on . I've mostly moved to smaller stakes and changed to just have fun and let it go for a while . If I lose a little at the small stakes ok i stayed amused . I'll get a little more serious when I have a life outside of poker again and worry a little more about the quality then
 
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Roger1960

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I did that for a while myself and had just as good a result. I actually took the time to see that it wasn't a "bad beat" that got me knocked out of a tourney after studying what I had done in relation to my betting scheme. I did 't bet enough to make his draw hurt, I did bet a little too much to make it worth his while to stay in.
 
Mycetism

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It's an interesting question ! I believe that as long as you love to play it's fine. So I'll go with quality !
 
wilpinsi

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I always see players saying they will play poker for 20 consecutive hours, I believe the best is quality, not quantity, less matches, more profits, more focus to win
 
el_magiciann

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its always quallity > quantity
 
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AKbadboyAK

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There is a situation that I always see in my game when I play with many tables to, my amount of my game becomes very bad it seems that variance more when I play few screens my game improves of more I become more focused and the results are the most possible then I will opt for the quality so I have more success in poker.
 
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Machidon7

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During the past couple of months I have reduced the amount of poker I have have been playing quite significantly. I am now only playing a couple of evenings a week and only a few games.

I have noticed that my game play has improved. I have been playing more sit n gos and am finding I am getting ITM more often than I used to. I also tilt less often :) My play fund isn't growing much (or shrinking too much) and I am no longer topping it up once a month like in the past.

Strangely, I find playing during the week to be a better time than weekends to get a better game experience.

This morning I read a thread that was mainly suggesting that as a "new" player you should be playing lots of games for the experience. I'm probably "new" as I've only been playing for about 18 months and all online.

The question is:- Can you play too many games? Too many a week for example.

I think I was playing too many games because I wasn't reflecting on the bad hands and just moving on to the next game ASAP. Now I play less I am reviewing what went wrong more often.

What do you think?

You need to mix in some studying between your playing sessions,but when it comes to playing every player has his own level of comfort with how many tables,how many hours he can play optimally -you just need to find yours.
Your focus on each table will be directly proportional with the number of tables you play.
In the end the main goal playing this game is to make money ,not playing n number of tables.
 
BlackJesus

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While your example is rather extreme passiveness, yes, the less games you play, the better results tend to be. This should be no surprise since you can pay more attention to detail.

Yes, you can play too many games. In fact, I prefer 3-4 games simultaneously. And I quit immediately as I become tilty.
 
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Thenightrain

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Sounds like you've found the right balance. I'd be interested to know if you increase your quantity after a month or so how the results change.
 
makisaa

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The best is to play systematically, every day a number of tournaments in a logic and stable rythm.
 
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Rational Madman

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The best is to play systematically, every day a number of tournaments in a logic and stable rythm.
Cash games rather than tournaments will be a better type for a systematic approach.
 
thetick33

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for sure disagree. Quantity beats variance. I play 4-5 sites and up to 12 rooms as im grinding for the day etc.. Often playing games for fun but when im serious and grinding im in the process 100%. Also agreed you have to study more or each day.... did you play right get in right the best you could hope for etc.. did you make moves that didnt work out but should have?

Mostly were you consistent? I played 9 events yesterday im freerolling moneyed 3 for like 35.00 total was ok day but lost when went for chip leads in last two games. I was ahead made right moves didnt work out:(

yet was not in the money either event just outside of and that bothers me but im aggressive and if/when can get chip leads I do it cause i run the bigger stacks very nicely:)
 
eberetta1

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You have to do what is right for you. Poker can be like alcohol, what is right for one is too much to handle for another.
 
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CallmeFloppy

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One of the questions to ask is when you were playing a lot, were you staying engaged in the action. You are likely playing better because you more focused on the game. When you played a lot, it is easier to get bored, then passive and not catching the things that separate a winning session from a losing one.
 
Kenzie 96

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Without quality, ie. focus, quantity means little.
 
Sil3ntness

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I think quality > quantity. Especially when it comes to hand volume. If you are playing too many tables to the point that you are not even thinking it can be hazardous to your growth as a player. Unless you are 100% confident that you have an edge with numerous tables I would cut down on volume.

So quality is always good, but you do want to have SOME quantity. So if you can play 2, 3, 4 or even more tables and still make good judgement calls then play as many as you can handle while making quality decisions!
 
Dunc8b

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Thanks for replying everyone, even vitalicharniak - I used Google translate :)

An interesting range of replies. I think I was expecting something different.

In the past i have tried to play multiple games/screens but my laptop isn't the best hardware for this. I also found myself not giving each game the same attention and would always crash 'n' burn in at least one of the games i was playing.

Now I think I am ready to play more during the week, or maybe have a "poker weekend" once a month. Maybe see you at the tables in the coming months.
 
TeUnit

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maximizing your hourly win rate should be your focus
 
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marakhovskii

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I think that not always a large number of gaming sessions leads to a good result, you need to find the optimal rhythm of the game
 
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