DO you MULTI-task while playing MTT

[dbchristy]

I know this question has been brought up before but I missed the thread. DO you multi-task while paying poker. I most all the time HAVE to have two games going, in addition to studying poker, watching live pro payers on youtube, and ocaassionally some Nintendo Switch (ACNH) I know this has to be hurting my game, and I can remember a time, when I totally focused on the game I was in. Now thats HUDS are common, and they give you all the info on player, when some good cards catch my eye, Its hard to sit and watch everything that happens when you fold hundreds of hands in a 10 hour MTT Id like some feedback, and wonder if this truly hurts you game. I do feel my game has gotten worse, and re-reading Brunson Super System atm. Thanks Christy

 

[GeckoAA]

For the most part if I just play 2-4 tables and at the same time I do fine. Now if I decide to play poker and then also multi-task other items such as those you listed, then my attention span just cannot keep up with all the different types of media, and it does hurt my game for sure . If I play only two tables, I can knit as long as I’m familiar with the pattern I’m knitting.

 

[buckaclown]

I try to limit the games I'm in to 6 or less. It's puzzling to see some players in like 30 tournaments at once...

 

[azforlife]

Sounds like you're doing way too much! Already hard to play while watching a Poker stream which requires loads of attention, maybe watch Teletubbies or something instead? If you've anxiety while playing, pick up meditation or just a simple tip I have a pretty shell in front of me under monitor which I maintain a frequent stare with especially when I feel like I'm overthinking.
Sorry if this sounded judgemental a bit, but it's also something I suffer with. I used to play chess on the side until I deemed that an impossible task. I'd say over 70% of your attention needs to be on the table, from the moment you Buy In to the end of your run!

 

[filippfilm]

I know this question has been brought up before but I missed the thread. DO you multi-task while paying poker. I most all the time HAVE to have two games going, in addition to studying poker, watching live pro payers on youtube, and ocaassionally some Nintendo Switch (ACNH) I know this has to be hurting my game, and I can remember a time, when I totally focused on the game I was in. Now thats HUDS are common, and they give you all the info on player, when some good cards catch my eye, Its hard to sit and watch everything that happens when you fold hundreds of hands in a 10 hour MTT Id like some feedback, and wonder if this truly hurts you game. I do feel my game has gotten worse, and re-reading Brunson Super System atm. Thanks Christy

I am sitting for a good game, multitasking is not necessary. You need to play a maximum of 2-3 tables with good concentration and distraction. There are little things in poker where everything is decided in one particular hand and you can simply miss these subtle moments by being distracted.

 

[dbchristy]

Thank you ALL for your coments. Today I did just that, Played 3 games at once, and focused on them all. Final Table the 1k finished 3rd. Back to the basics.! ood luck on the felts!

 

[fundiver199]

Multitabling and multitasking are two different things. When you decide to multitable, you are ideally trading off some ROI for a higher hourly winrate. Or at least thats the theory. Multitasking on the other hand is definitely a drag on ROI. And to be honest I also do it sometimes. I mean after 3-4 hours of an MTT session, it can get kind of boring. So especially if I am still nowhere near a final table, I might start to do things like reading news articles, watching Youtube or posting in CC forum. Not ideal but its the reality of being a micro and low stakes grinder

 

[jay_nemi]

I really try to not have anything else going when I'm playing poker - I like to have a few of my kids fidget toys (a stress ball and a ball pop thing) nearby to stop the urge to click around or do other tasks. I think it helps with focus!

 

[TheIpS]

In my case, мultitabling takes place within reasonable limits, for example, in the early stages of a tournament, I can play up to 4 tables. I see action on all four tables, and I do not miss out on profitable situations. But multitasking makes my game worse. I am distracted by other things, and constantly miss interesting actions of other players that could give me any information about their game. I pay attention to the table only when it comes to me.

 

[ph_il]

i multi-task all the time when i play, but i do approach poker very recreationally and don't care to sit and stare at a screen. i don't multi-table very often because most mtts i play are at different times. i might be able to multi-table during a special event going on when more games are available, but i only stick 2-3 max.

as far as multi-tasking, i can be doing anything from watching tv, playing video games, browsing online stuff like reddit or cardschat, folding clothes, cooking, or maybe a combination of things. i don't look at my poker screen until i get the notification that it's my turn to act so i probably only spend ~25% of my attention on poker, ~75% on something else. i know this is not the ideal way to play, but i guess it works for me. like i said, i'm purely recreational so it's no bother if i go on a few downswings or things don't go my way.

if i'm being completely honest, i've had much better results playing like this than i did when i was fully involved in all my games, reading tons of books, studying religiously, etc so, theres that. and i'm nothing great at the game either, so it's not skill. or maybe it is, but just a little bit. it's probably more of my approach to the game. i'm more laid back when i play, don't over think situations, don't care about results, and just keep plugging away getting it good, not worrying if doesn't work out.

 

[popstani]

Most of the time I play 4 tables, or more, but if I do something else while playing poker, like watching some movie or tv show, I don’t do more than two tables.

 

[mina271]

It is difficult to say whether this or that makes the game worse because every person is different where one has trouble concentrating when he does something on the side, the other person can only concentrate properly when he does something on the side. you have to watch yourself and if you notice that the game suffers if you do something else on the side then you shouldn't keep doing it. sometimes you don't have a choice and you have to do something else on the side, for example if you are a mother, have small children and have to run a household, in such a situation scheduling is also very important when you play.

 

[nuttea]

I know this question has been brought up before but I missed the thread. DO you multi-task while paying poker. I most all the time HAVE to have two games going, in addition to studying poker, watching live pro payers on youtube, and ocaassionally some Nintendo Switch (ACNH) I know this has to be hurting my game, and I can remember a time, when I totally focused on the game I was in. Now thats HUDS are common, and they give you all the info on player, when some good cards catch my eye, Its hard to sit and watch everything that happens when you fold hundreds of hands in a 10 hour MTT Id like some feedback, and wonder if this truly hurts you game. I do feel my game has gotten worse, and re-reading Brunson Super System atm. Thanks Christy

By constantly switching the brain, it takes on what neuroscientists call switching costs. Every time we switch attention, our brain has to reorient itself, exhausting our mental resources. Many studies have shown that having to switch between just two tasks can significantly increase cognitive load.Because of the overhead of switching, multitasking almost always reduces the efficiency of any single task. This is not big news, but what happens to those who multitask from day to day? If you are always in this mode, does it make you more efficient?Typically, the brain adapts to repetitive tasks or stimuli. But in this case, the brain's response is not. Constant multitasking makes our brains less efficient.

 

[mariale_1990]

I usually do many things while I play, but it depends on the importance I give to the tournament, if I do not want anything to distract me, and there is also something that affects me a lot and that is if it is something I want to do on the laptop while playing a tournament Sometimes my laptop goes a little crazy if I'm playing poker stars and I want to open a browser or something like that then I just focus on the tournament.

 

[LetterRip]

Sometimes, often I like to play more than one table to avoid boredom tilt. Occassionally I'll have a movie on or be reading a website off and on. It depends on how good a read I already have on players at the table. An unknown table I'll try to have high focus, but if I already have the style of the players dialed in then I might do something else. Sometimes I just go through and clean up player notes - simplifying multiple notes to an overall read, or changing old notes to use my new abbreviations.

 

[lcid86]

Yep. Anything to keep me from getting bored and playing too many hands. Play multiple games, watch TV, read a book, listen to music, etc.