Boredom a tournament players worst enemy and how I avoid it.

[roger perkins]

How often have you played a hand that you shouldn't just because you haven't seen a hand in a long time? Boredom often leads you to poor choices. I have found the more occupied I am the better I play. Right now I'm playing a tournament, playing xbox, watching Hulu in the background and taking time to write this. I have found it easier to fold marginal hands if my mind is occupied with other things to do. This may not work for everyone and in a live game I wouldn't do anything but pay attention, but in a live game I have what the players are doing. what they are talking about and the reads I can make to keep my mind busy. In conclusion a mind is a terrible thing to waste so don't waste it on a 7Q suited UTG just because you are bored.
P.S. Everything is paused when I'm in a hand.

 

[roger perkins]

Come on somebody tell me I'm crazy

 

[DizzyDeb717]

I'm the same way. I'm always doing other things during the tourny. I tend to go on loooooooong dead card runs, and it IS more tempting to call marginal crap if you're bored.

 

[terryk]

I have plenty to keep me occupied with 2 toddlers running around all day,,,, :fight: youtube and CC helps also,,,

 

[abpoker]

I feel like you're right, but I don't think you should be. I feel like ideally, we would be able to focus on the game entirely, and be able to pick up on how the other players play hopefully. But obviously, that's easier said than done. I do feel like it probably becomes more important to pause that movie, and pay more attention the deeper get though.

 

[daniel e hodge]

I typically will play in a super micro (or mid micro) sit n go while im in a MTT just for that reason.

I swore off multi table playing a while ago but after suffering from the table boredom you mentioned I decided to amend my rule. With 2 tables going on theres just enough to keep you engaged. Watching player tendencies, flop/turn/river patterns, and even analyzing past hands with the hand history feature should keep you engaged. Just dont miss too much table action.

 

[lcid86]

I watch TV and try to have 2 games going. Works fine online, but it gets me in trouble at live games. Find myself getting bored if I don't play a lot of hands live.

 

[roger perkins]

I watch TV and try to have 2 games going. Works fine online, but it gets me in trouble at live games. Find myself getting bored if I don't play a lot of hands live.

At live tables I like to listen to what the players are saying to each other. It's not always about poker or the tournament but listening to what they say and how they say it gives me a better read on them.