Your tips to stay concentrated playing hours of tournaments?

[weezy1312]

i have noticed that lately almost 70% of my tournaments starts really well some of them i am in the top 10 for one hour and more , then after 2+ hours of play , i make poor choices , i easily shove with medium hands it becomes torture to me and end up tilting even with an average stack , it might be related to the fact that i stopped drinking and smoking lately and it got me in such an 'aggresive' mood , is there any tips for playing long hours of tournaments ? how to keep your cool and not loose or get too tired and just give up. tricks to be more relaxed maybe ? do other players have such problems ?

 

[acidburnfx]

This is a frequent question here in the forum. Breathe, slow and deep and focus your attention on your breath. In times when you are close to losing control, empty your mind and pay attention to your expiration rate and inspiration. This will help you to keep calm.

 

[monstr999999]

five minutes watch a cartoon or listen to your favorite song...
:elefant:

 

[Ovuvuevuevue]

I think it's definitely an acquired skill and one of the most important aspects an excellent poker player needs to master. The truth is that poker is slow and boring. You fold most hands and need to think very critically when you are in a hand. This is especially true for live poker so we should be really grateful for online poker

I listen to music and maybe have a stream in the background to look at while I wait for good hands. This keeps me entertained because I'm not devoting all my brainpower into the game. I get bored easily so focusing on more than one thing at a time keeps me ironically more focused on what I'm doing if that makes sense.

 

[Dejange]

Tips I could give, as I love to play long mtt's and somehow managing to get ITM of large % of these (however still not big cash next to my name ) are:
- Try to control the Table - it means not only your play and action, but also how others act - how you could exploit them, how you could exploit any hand where you are still in.
- Be prepared to fold a lot, but always watch your opponents, watch and identify what range they use, how they act in different situations. This you will use later for your success!
- Watch your stake size compared to the average size. If you are below the average - tighten up your range, if over - widen the range accordingly.
- Smoke and some drink is not a problem, unless if it is overdose

The most important is to keep calm, to be prepared for 7 - 8 hours game mentally. If you have to do something before possible finish of mtt - do not register at all!
If you loose a big pot and get shortstacked - it does not mean the tourney is finished for you - play short stack strategy and wait for the hands you could revive :top:

 

[Nr98]

i have noticed that lately almost 70% of my tournaments starts really well some of them i am in the top 10 for one hour and more , then after 2+ hours of play , i make poor choices , i easily shove with medium hands it becomes torture to me and end up tilting even with an average stack , it might be related to the fact that i stopped drinking and smoking lately and it got me in such an 'aggresive' mood , is there any tips for playing long hours of tournaments ? how to keep your cool and not loose or get too tired and just give up. tricks to be more relaxed maybe ? do other players have such problems ?

My nr. 1 tip for long tournaments: evening during the first levels, make use of the breaks. Walk a bit, get some drinks etc. If you actually stand up from your computer, it keeps you more focussed later on.

As for not having any discipline in the later levels. Remember the value of payjumps, try to continue to play rationally. Because remember, the longer you survive the more money you win. It's a bit of an open door, but sometimes you need to remind yourself of this.

 

[Minus272c]

My nr. 1 tip for long tournaments: evening during the first levels, make use of the breaks. Walk a bit, get some drinks etc. If you actually stand up from your computer, it keeps you more focussed later on.

I totally agree
Use the breaks, get some water in your head, and also keep your brain hydrated.
Its very important to be hydrated when you have to make good desicions.

I also stopped smoking a month ago - they say live longer when not smoking.
True, it have been the longest month in my life
Chewing gum was the answer for me, it keeps the tilt away

 

[Serjo600]

No important how u get top place, i think if u want just play, and game like u can win.

 

[duson]

Take the breaks, always. Walk away, get something to drink, stretch. Don't stare at the screen waiting for the break to be over.

 

[VMVarga]

Mental stamina is sort of like physical stamina; you need to be taking care of yourself and staying in shape in order to be able to concentrate for as long as you need to during a big online tournament. Live tournaments might be multiple days, but they usually do not go past eight hours a day with longer breaks than online games. But it would be a good idea to stay fit and eat healthy in any case.

 

[Zvezda kz]

i have noticed that lately almost 70% of my tournaments starts really well some of them i am in the top 10 for one hour and more , then after 2+ hours of play , i make poor choices , i easily shove with medium hands it becomes torture to me and end up tilting even with an average stack , it might be related to the fact that i stopped drinking and smoking lately and it got me in such an 'aggresive' mood , is there any tips for playing long hours of tournaments ? how to keep your cool and not loose or get too tired and just give up. tricks to be more relaxed maybe ? do other players have such problems ?

I have similar problems, but not 100%. At three o'clock my attention begins to dissipate. And the problem is not in the basic theories, but in moments of skill, you often do not take into account small nuances.
All of the above in the comments does not help. I am also looking for help with this.
Entering the alpha game helps a bit, the problem is that it is not always possible to enter this state.

 

[weezy1312]

maybe multi tabling tournaments at the same time is better than playing single tournaments all day long ? less hours in front of the computer = less fatigue and tilt ?

 

[mariale_1990]

This question is very frequent, I am the kind of person who thinks that each player should look or know how to recognize that keeps him focused, because I can tell you: listen to music, stay in a very quiet place, or I can tell you avoid the noise, the music, etc, I especially like to listen to music (sometimes), talk to my friends while I play, but as I say what I do to concentrate it may not work for you, try to try things that you feel comfortable with

 

[PharCyde007]

Tips

I somtimes watch movies in smaller buyin tournaments, larger ones i listen to music so i can keep an eye on betting patterns and people who seem to bluff and bully alot. :star:

 

[playinggameswithu]

Stop following all the hands it will wear you out. Just follow the hands that are shown/go to show down.

 

[BobZock]

I listen to music and maybe have a stream in the background to look at while I wait for good hands. This keeps me entertained because I'm not devoting all my brainpower into the game. I get bored easily so focusing on more than one thing at a time keeps me ironically more focused on what I'm doing if that makes sense.

That is why netflix exists! Need just another monitor. !

 

[whiskers77]

That is why netflix exists! Need just another monitor. !

I need a monitor at all, stiill.
I am still sitting with my laptop here, but sometimes it really bothers,
because of this small screen...

 

[pirateglenn]

My advice is take regular breaks, even if it means you miss an orbit of cards after your BB, also look at your environment where you play, keep hydrated, ensure supply of fresh air into room, sometimes i tune out with music but the key is to be relaxed...

 

[SantasPoker]

I agree with several other people, but personally, for the first few hours of any tournaments I will distract myself with other things, youtube, movies, music etc etc... and if i find myself in a deep run then I turn those things off, or pay more attention to that table so can I can play better. Don't invest so heavily early on when their is alot more variance, table movement and players being moved. Later when things calm down is when you want to focus, IMO of course.

 

[Poker_Mike]

i have noticed that lately almost 70% of my tournaments starts really well some of them i am in the top 10 for one hour and more , then after 2+ hours of play , i make poor choices , i easily shove with medium hands it becomes torture to me and end up tilting even with an average stack , it might be related to the fact that i stopped drinking and smoking lately and it got me in such an 'aggresive' mood , is there any tips for playing long hours of tournaments ? how to keep your cool and not loose or get too tired and just give up. tricks to be more relaxed maybe ? do other players have such problems ?

You can lengthen your attention span. It takes a LOT of work and actually feels like it hurts your brain. But in fact that discomfort is your brain re-organizing to increase attention.

And, stop shoving with medium hands....lol

Aggressive mood? Only you can ignore it. Stick to your preflop range.

Still not working? Stay with tournament structures that work for you. Why re-invent the wheel for yourself?

Don't torture yourself....forgive yourself.

Maybe after an hour you just don't want to play anymore. And that is ok.​

Use the sit-out button when it gets very bad. Better to stand up and walk around and blind out for a little while than to donk off your entire stack. That is my opinion.

Good luck !

 

[01461958]

hours and power

my experience ...when you fell that way....play sit and go games

 

[pancho_1954]

I usually like to listen to my favorite music, to be in very quiet places, I make the most of the breaks of each tournament and another thing that I always do is that if the tournament has a long registration time, I do not register from the beginning, I wait a while prudent so I am not so much time sitting playing and I do not waste chips at the start of the tournaments

 

[weezy1312]

thanks for the tips everyone, very much appreciated , ill make the best of it)

 

[neverbluff]

I like having this on in the background sometimes to help keep me focused. It helps a little bit, but I think the biggest thing is constantly putting in longer hours so you get used to it.

 

[mjarom21]

Def find myself wondering off after a few hours of play. The think that works for e in concentrating on every player and his moves and timing of bets. Just making notes and constantly looking for a little advantage to possible future hands.