Do you play better when you are alone or when someone is watching you?

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koalapanda

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I noticed something weird about my game. When I play alone at home, I play calm, I fold easy, I make good decisions.

But when my friends are watching me play, or when I'm playing live with people around, I start playing more aggressive, bluffing more, trying to look smart. And most of the time I lose.

Does anyone else feel like this? Do you play better alone or with people watching?
 
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I never play alone; there's always someone watching me.
 
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I think I play better when I'm alone because I can concentrate fully without feeling pressured. When someone is watching, it can sometimes be distracting. Poker is all about focus, patience, and making smart decisions. What about you? Do you prefer playing alone or with an audience? ♠️😊
 
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I prefer playing alone because I can give the table my full attention. In my opinion, playing to impress other people doesn't help me work toward my goal of becoming a professional poker player.
 
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i never play alone, i like to talk to friends and chat while i play i am way more relaxed
 
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koalapanda said:
I noticed something weird about my game. When I play alone at home, I play calm, I fold easy, I make good decisions.

But when my friends are watching me play, or when I'm playing live with people around, I start playing more aggressive, bluffing more, trying to look smart. And most of the time I lose.

Does anyone else feel like this? Do you play better alone or with people watching?
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A few years ago, I think I would have played more diligently if someone had been watching me play. But now, I wouldn’t change anything, because I believe I am playing optimally.
 
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I Live Poker said:
I never play alone; there's always someone watching me.
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Haha, that must be tough. No chance to play alone then?

Do you feel it makes you play better or worse when someone is always watching?
 
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ggdghfgh said:
I think I play better when I'm alone because I can concentrate fully without feeling pressured. When someone is watching, it can sometimes be distracting. Poker is all about focus, patience, and making smart decisions. What about you? Do you prefer playing alone or with an audience? ♠️😊
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Yes, exactly. When alone I can concentrate fully without feeling pressured.

When someone is watching, it feels distracting. I agree, poker is all about focus and patience.
 
YodaRdP said:
I prefer playing alone because I can give the table my full attention. In my opinion, playing to impress other people doesn't help me work toward my goal of becoming a professional poker player.
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I really like what you said. Playing to impress doesn't help at all.

If we want to become better, we have to play for the right decision, not for the audience. Good luck on your goal to become pro.
 
bleble2be said:
i never play alone, i like to talk to friends and chat while i play i am way more relaxed
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That is interesting, totally opposite from me.

For you chatting with friends makes you more relaxed. For me it makes me want to show off and then I lose. I guess everyone is different.
 
MAFNL16061986 said:
i can focus better on the playing when i am alone
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Same here. When I am alone I can focus better on the game.

No pressure, no need to impress anyone, just play my game.
 
Dougana said:
I prefer playing alone, but is not annoying is someone is watching me.
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I prefer playing alone too, but I get what you mean.

If someone watching is not annoying for you, that is good. For me I still start playing different when they watch.
 
R.Holynskyi said:
A few years ago, I think I would have played more diligently if someone had been watching me play. But now, I wouldn’t change anything, because I believe I am playing optimally.
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That is a great point. I hope one day I can reach that level too, where it doesn't matter if someone is watching or not.

Right now I still change my game when people watch. But maybe with more experience I will play optimal like you.
 
Without a doubt, I prefer playing alone. When I play with friends, we always consult each other, but it usually doesn’t help, and I lose more often.
 
I definitely play better when I'm alone, especially when I'm grinding sessions on Nexa Poker. Having someone watching over my shoulder makes me second-guess my decisions and pushes me to play more conservatively just so I don't look foolish making a hero call. Poker requires deep focus, and any external distraction just breaks that zone for me.
 
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I Live Poker said:
I never play alone; there's always someone watching me.
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koalapanda said:
Haha, that must be tough. No chance to play alone then?

Do you feel it makes you play better or worse when someone is always watching?
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I may be mistaken but I took their comment to mean that God or another deity was always watching over them. Could be wrong though.
 
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I don't think that there is any difference for me. I've played a lot of live poker during my lifetime so by default there has always been an audience with that. I understand completely how you have the desire to show off when you have an audience. I do it by making quips and jokes, not by changing the way that I play.
 
I play better when I’m alone because I feel more relaxed, focused, and confident without the pressure of someone watching me.
 
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I definitely prefer playing alone. Poker requires a lot of concentration, & I feel I make better decisions when nobody is watching or commenting on my hands.

When someone is watching, even casually, I sometimes become conscious of my decisions and start thinking about what they might say if I make a mistake. That can affect my natural game.

Playing alone gives me the freedom to follow my own strategy, take my time, analyze situations, and learn from my mistakes without any external pressure.

Especially during online sessions, I prefer a quiet environment with minimal distractions. For me, poker is all about focus, discipline, and making the best possible decision at every stage
 
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koalapanda said:
Haha, isso deve ser difícil. Sem chance de jogar sozinho então?

Você acha que jogar melhor ou pior acontece quando tem alguém sempre observando?
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It doesn’t really make a difference who I am, because I am always the same. I don’t determine the outcomes. Therefore, a "difference" only exists for those who are divided within themselves. You might have a clear idea of the best way to play—executing it perfectly—and yet never win, even while doing your absolute best; conversely, you might act without any real criteria and still come out a winner. The outcome remains the same, and the notion of what is "best" is merely a point of view. Now, just imagine someone who holds a specific concept of what is "right"—which is already a vague notion to begin with—and then changes that concept the moment they think no one is watching... well, here’s some bad news: everyone is always being watched by God, and He is more important than anything or anyone else.
 
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888NOX888 said:
Without a doubt, I prefer playing alone. When I play with friends, we always consult each other, but it usually doesn’t help, and I lose more often.
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Yeah totally get that. Consulting each other sounds helpful in theory, but in practice it just makes me doubt my own read.

I lose more too when I do that, so I just stopped asking now and trust my own decision.
 
Cardi said:
I definitely play better when I'm alone, especially when I'm grinding sessions on Nexa Poker. Having someone watching over my shoulder makes me second-guess my decisions and pushes me to play more conservatively just so I don't look foolish making a hero call. Poker requires deep focus, and any external distraction just breaks that zone for me.
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Oh man, this is so me. That second-guessing part is the worst.

When someone is watching I start thinking "what if I look dumb if I make this call" and then I fold something I should've called. It really breaks the zone.
 
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