Tunnel vision -- how to avoid it?

[dumpy620_84]

One of my biggest failings in Hold'em is that I'll get tunnel vision, and stop looking for hands that might beat mine. I've done this in B&M casinos (and it is usually expensivee) and I did it here last night.

I called into a cheap pot (.10/.25) with Ac3s. Flop came something like
245 all clubs as I recall, or something similar to that.
So I'm sitting with:
straight.
nut flush draw.
straight flush draw.

Yee-haw. So it comes down to me and this other player both making pot-sized raises and calls. I miss all but the straight

but make a call on the river anyway, figuring to push my opponent out of the pot. Completely miss that there is now a pair on the board and lose to a boat. Oops. Complete donk play, or $8 poker lesson depending on how you look at these things.

Other than practice, any tips for not getting so caught up in my own hand?
Or is it just a clueless n00b thing that you get over?

 

[Reducto]

I've certainly been there myself. Sometimes you're card dead for so long that when a good hand finally hits you want to believe it's unbeatable.

What's helped me is to learn to recognize this feeling. I try to make a habit of always trying to decide what a big bet or call from someone might indicate and what hands might beat me. When I'm in that bad state it feels like I hit a wall when I do that - my brain just won't consider the negative outcomes.

That's when I know it's time to get away from the hand and leave the table for a while. I know my odds to win that hand are low and going on tilt after a loss could cost me much more.

 

[left52side]

I used to do that all the time,
Have gotten used to reading the boards carefully to avoid it.
I look at all the possibillities on the board before I even focus on my cards to much.
I like to know where I stand at all times.