Avoiding burn out?

How do you avoid burn out. I tend to get bored playing mtts after a while. Do not really like the grind of cash games. What do you do to keep it interesting?

I play short sessions now compared to what I had done historically. I rarely play for much more than 60-80 mins at a sitting. Keeps me fresh and focused when I am playing, and healthier all around.

The obvious downside is I don't play a lot of MTT's right now. When I do.. they pretty much have to be Turbo's.

For me this has been the best solution. Trying to find something to "occupy yourself" when playing poker is just a road to sloppy unfocused play. Other than accumulating VIP points, I think it's -EV.

I also try to get outside and walk often, and have taken an interest in Yoga and meditation/deep breathing. All this helps keep the body strong and clear the mind, which is super important.

For me, poker isn't a grind because I only play when I feel like playing, not as a fallback when I feel like there's nothing else to do. Of course, this does require having enough other interests so that I have other options.

Arjonius said:

For me, poker isn't a grind because I only play when I feel like playing, not as a fallback when I feel like there's nothing else to do. Of course, this does require having enough other interests so that I have other options.

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Yeh this is pretty much a good rule to follow. When you play simply because you are bored and aren't into it, it becomes grueling and can be boring.

Taking breaks is nice, whether it be few hours, days or weeks.

How many tables/tourneys do you play at once? I had the boredom initially at 2 tables, waiting for shmucks to act etc. Moved to 4 which is the max I can comfortably do with my current screen. This has helped for cash games.

I like to have a few tourneys going when I play them. So 1 big tourney and some micro ones also. Keeps things interesting.

i agree with hashtag,it keeps me occupied so no time for bored em. i also ad some music.lately work has kept me so busy im freesh and ready to play when i get the chance .4 tables,music,a cold one = relaxation and fun filled day for me.....

sleep

playing a lot of hours all day everyday will lead to burn out sooner or later. So the most important thing according to me is to have a good 7-8 hours of sleep. Because you will start to make mistakes if you play with a tired mind. When you sleep all that you have learned gets like a implanted in your brain or memorized and the brain also rests so that the next time you play you are ready to learn new stuff and use the experience so that you make less mistakes.
Also eating healthy and some exercise is good for a healthy mind. So avoid cutting sleep hours because that's the most important thing.

A few good tips in here, thanks guys. I need to try shorter sessions more often and try not to play when I am bored.

Shorten your sessions and play all format. Do an hour of a cash game one night. The next night play a Sit-n-go. Then the next night do a turbo MTT. Then take a night off. Then play a bounty sit-n-go. Just mix it up a bit.

Shorter sessions= less burnout

I actually understand what your saying a lot. I like to play poker in the morning for a few hours while drinking coffee.
I have had remarkable success with this, as I am more alert in the morning, my environment is quiet, and the coffee serves me well.
If I try and play at 10pm on a Saturday night I generally find myself down a few buy ins at 3 in the morning, confusing spades with clubs and trying to figure out how that donkey called my 3barrel with 2nd pair.
the lesson to be learned is that extended sessions destroy your profit. Placing a timer, and possibly a stop gap for losses, are both effective methods of being disciplined.
Like I said, I used to have 8 hour sessions and by the end I would actually be thinking I was value betting flushes when I had clubs and not spades

Just play when you feel motivated, simple as that.

i play when i have the feeling to play poker accordingly otherwise i dont play, luckily i usually have the good mood so i can last a mtt for 4 hours

Make a daily schedule and give yourself plenty of breaks. If you get knocked out of your tournaments take an hour off, go for a walk.

Keep hydrating all the time as well. Listen to music. That kind of stuff.

I have bit of a standard schedule.
Starting the day opening internet to read the latest news, pokerstars blog and sometimes some cardschat threads.

As for poker the day almost ever starts with a $2,20 NL 2-7 sd tournament.
Kinda wake-up tournament.
I mix that up with sometimes some small holdem tournaments or whatever seems interesting to me (might be courchevel or Omaha hi/lo).
Pretty often I take a nap late in the afternoon and start playing again in the evening.

I definitely will not play when tired or if I just don't feel the motivation.

Lately I ran pretty deep in the bigger 11, which actually for me lasted almost all night (lasted almost 10 hrs for me) .
In cases like that I will for sure not play the other day.

If I don't feel like playing MTT, I might just play some ZOOM or hyper turbo STT.

So, I'd say, mix it up with some other games or even something not poker related and avoid playing when tired or not motivated.

I think everyone gets bored after a while. I do and losing streaks tend to make things more boring. I take a break, sometimes up to a few weeks away from poker. After that I am usually ready to start all over again. This is hard to do if your living depends on playing poker. For me it's very challenging entertainment.