Do you ever make decisions based on how long the tournament has been running?

Sometimes after playing a tournament for several hours, I notice I start thinking differently about certain spots because I’ve already invested so much time into it. I know the time already spent shouldn’t affect the decision, but it can still feel difficult to ignore. I’m curious if other players experience this, especially in very long MTTs. Do you treat every decision exactly the same regardless of how long you’ve been playing?

Nope.

Sometimes. Depending on the day .. and if the games are in the evening, I tend to get less distractions and am more relaxed .. I have more distractions with the early afternoon games so it’s a lil harder to stay focused especially if I’m babysitting so I play a little less careful sometimes so my decision basing is what’s going on around me because two and three hours is a long time to be playing, but I’m retired so it gives me something to do that I enjoy.

mammadduke said:

Sometimes. Depending on the day .. and if the games are in the evening, I tend to get less distractions and am more relaxed .. I have more distractions with the early afternoon games so it’s a lil harder to stay focused especially if I’m babysitting so I play a little less careful sometimes so my decision basing is what’s going on around me because two and three hours is a long time to be playing, but I’m retired so it gives me something to do that I enjoy.

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"I have more distractions with the early afternoon games so it’s a lil harder to stay focused especially if I’m babysitting so I play a little less careful sometimes" -----Haha, maybe the solution is to teach the little ones how to play poker. If they get their own PC, you can play peacefully while they ‘practice math’. Win‑win!

Yeah man, that’s a super common mental leak in long MTTs — it’s basically the sunk cost fallacy creeping into your decision-making. You’ve already put in hours, so your brain starts telling you that folding or making a conservative play is “wasting” all that time, when in reality the time invested has zero bearing on the EV of the hand in front of you. I’ve definitely felt it too, especially deep in those marathon online majors where you’ve been grinding for 6–8 hours and the idea of busting feels unbearable. The danger is that you start justifying marginal calls or spewy bluffs because you don’t want to “throw away” the session, but that mindset is poison — the cards don’t care how long you’ve been sitting there.

Nesehorn156 said:

Sometimes after playing a tournament for several hours, I notice I start thinking differently about certain spots because I’ve already invested so much time into it. I know the time already spent shouldn’t affect the decision, but it can still feel difficult to ignore. I’m curious if other players experience this, especially in very long MTTs. Do you treat every decision exactly the same regardless of how long you’ve been playing?

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Something similar happened to me, but when I used to open more tables that I could actually manage.
I used to risk more in order to be able to close a table, and this was just throwing money.
Now I stick to a number of tables that doesn't stress me.
You could try to planning your session considering the time that you can play without losing the focus.
Although I didn't understand if you start to play more loose or too conservative.

Yes, I think the amount of time can affect you a little, especially after playing for many hours. But I try not to let it influence my decisions. I try to analyze each hand based on the situation and the probabilities, without thinking about how long I’ve been playing.

Fatigue is hard to shake off, but the outcome of the hand itself can always vary, especially when the bubble or the ITM spots are near. Basically, if you play your hand correctly, you haven't made a mistake—whether you win or lose.