In the zone

Hi everyone I have a question for you. How do you stay focused? I mean a good tourney can take hours. How do you handle staying focused for such a long period of time.

I got out of kilter last Friday nite. Made a final freeroll table and missed the money. After that I could not win anywhere I went.

Realized yesterday That I was not focused on the action like I normally do.

What do you think?

yeah,i ususally just walk around and think of past wins to motivate me before the tourney,suprisingly i do well o and a good mental core and believing in urself is awsum too..
hope it helps when i did all that i took down a $26 HA pl tourney on tilt

im usually playing more than one table at a time so i can keep my patience, try to have a couple frees going so i can pay more attention to the buy ins or if i get itm in a freeroll

TY guys. I have an idea that I am going to get me a little cheat sheet for starting hands and try and go over that before tourneys.

Here is my cheat sheet I always have on my desktop.

If your hole cards are suited, start on the left, if not, start on the top.

Personally I stick to class 1 in the early stages, and only in position.

How and when you regulate your risk tolerance if the difference between Hero & Zero.

Good Luck.

I get off kilter too when I play well, but then finish poorly. My advice, take a break then come back with a refreshed attitude. No sense in playing when your not thinking clear.

I always find that for some reason when you are relaxed and eating you seem to play a lot better. Reason being that you are busy eating and you won't waste your time calling crappy hands

I have actually been spending alot of energy on this exact subject lately. For me I find napping before I play does wonders for my focus. This puts me in optimal mental shape and helps me play BETTER as well as LONGER.

I also feel I can keep my focus a little longer If I occupy my hands and senses. Shuffle a stack of chips with my left hand(right hand is already busy with the mouse). Turn on music.MUSIC NOT TV!!!! You don't want other visual distractions - just something to occupy the part of you that will naturaly wander off and get distracted.

Only you can figure out what really helps you. Everybody has there own little habits and demons that distract you and take your mind away from the game. You need to find a way to keep these at bay for as long as you can.

Theres no quick fix! You need to keep pushing on these little "walls" that hold you in. Just keep pushing and pushing and pushing, they will eventually start to move.

One last point, Take breaks and stretch. OFTEN. Close your eyes and stretch. Close your eyes and stretch. Close your eyes and stretch.

Hopefully this helps to get you thinking. GL!

I take my ADHD pill shortly before (dextroamphetamine).

Every break I get up and walk around outside and smoke a cig and of course use the bathroom.

That's all I got to offer.

I step outside and have a smoke, if I don't feel like one just get up and walk a bit. Shake off the blahs and the stupid mistake I just made. Sometimes it works, actually most times. Go over your plan for the tourney and then stick to it. You can't win em all, but you can finish with a positive outlook and know you played pretty much the way you intended, and if the poker gods are smiling on you, its a wonderful feeling. Good luck

CAMurray said:

Here is my cheat sheet I always have on my desktop.

If your hole cards are suited, start on the left, if not, start on the top.

Personally I stick to class 1 in the early stages, and only in position.

How and when you regulate your risk tolerance if the difference between Hero & Zero.

Good Luck.

Click to expand...

Where can I get a copy of this? I usually rely on the same theory, and this would help me stay on the straight and narrow.

worst thing is multitabling having to go to the bathroom...

gets me all stressed..

** Take a nap before u play in a majour MTT.
** Go for walk/smoke a tab/wash ur face during the break.
** Roll a fat joint.
** Find a cat and go kick it.

It is very important to take breaks every hour. That's why there is a break once an hour in online tourneys. Studies show the average human brain can't focus for long periods of time without a small break periodotically.

I personally lose focus when I play long sessions. I finish near the bubble a lot in MTTS because I almost lose interest after playing so long in lengthy tourneys. I find I play best during the first 3 hours or so of my session. After that I start to lose focus. It's something I need to work on. There are some sites that show you some mental exercises you can do to improve mental stamina.

you have to mentally ready

dont start a tourney too late when the finish is past youre usual sleep pattern

and as said, music helps a lot,

I am going to bookmark this. Great thoughts everyone.

Hey Murray-

CAMurray said:

Here is my cheat sheet I always have on my desktop.

If your hole cards are suited, start on the left, if not, start on the top.

Personally I stick to class 1 in the early stages, and only in position.

How and when you regulate your risk tolerance if the difference between Hero & Zero.

Good Luck.

Click to expand...

I like the idea of this graph but don't understand it. If I have J7 suited,which card do I look at first? If you go to the J on the left side and follow it to 7 it's group 8, but start at 7 on the left and follow it to J it's a blank. Can you clarify?

In long tourneys it is important to take a break. Most sites have a break every hour varying from 2 mins to 5 mins. If you have een playing for 4 or 5 hours you need to take a longer break. Harder said than done as most people are reluctant to get up and walk away for 10 to 15 mins. However it has been proven that a longer break helps to keep the mind focused.