Five Ways to Maintain Concentration at the Poker Table
One of the most crucial abilities a poker player may possess is the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time.
Improved focus during sessions will make a significant difference in your win rate and will set excellent poker players apart from mediocre players.
It may even be more crucial to focus solely on the game than to learn your c-bets, check-raise technique, or any other strategic idea.
We have put together five pointers for maintaining focus to give you the best chance of success. Although these suggestions are targeted at tournament players, cash game players would also be well to follow them.
1. Place your phone aside
What would you say, if someone asked, is the main source of distraction in your life? Many people would pick up their phones. Phones are a big distraction when trying to concentrate on a single job.
The majority of players put their phones aside and start to concentrate more during competitions, demonstrating that they understand the importance of paying attention. However, they are wasting money and preventing themselves from reaching later stages more frequently by failing to put the phone away early.
For years, Pratyush Buddiga, the coach of the Upswing Tournament Master Class, battled an addiction to his phone. He started his day with an hour of phone-free time, which helped him to break the habit.
Many of us grab for our phones as soon as we wake up, but you may begin to break the habit by beginning the day without it—and without the depressing content of the news, Twitter, etc. The feeling that you’re missing out on something may come at first, but it will pass.
Put your phone in “Aeroplane Mode” or just turn it off while you’re playing. Early in a tournament, the dopamine rush from reading texts and updates is simply too alluring. Put the phone aside to avoid this.
When your phone is not in your hand, attempt to range other players to maintain focus. Keep an eye out for showdowns; from one, you can discover a lot about a player’s tactics. Take whatever constructive action to prevent boredom from setting in.
More money = less phone.
2. Make use of music
If you find that music helps you focus, it might be a terrific tool. You can stay “in the zone” when you’re listening to music, or at least it helps you focus on the game rather than looking out into space or checking your phone.
Particularly when attempting to quit the habit of using your phone, music can be really helpful. Your mood can also be maintained by it.
The “Have a Great Day” playlist on Spotify is a personal recommendation if you decide to utilise music to help you focus.
3. Take use of your breaks
This is a pretty clear point. You usually get a break every two hours when playing live poker tournaments. Make the most of these pauses. Just take a time to get up, move your body, and walk. Your ability to concentrate will improve when you return to poker after the break.
Use your phone to its full potential during breaks as you will no longer be checking it while playing. During a pause, check your messages, Twitter, Instagram, or anything else you want. Before you go back to the table, get it out of your system.
4. Take it slow
One possible exception to not having 100% whole focus from the beginning is multi-day competitions, which can be quite taxing. Given the length of the tournament (four or more days), it can be taxing to focus intently on every detail from the beginning because there are a lot of days ahead of you.
In certain situations, the question of whether it’s acceptable to operate on “autopilot” on day one can be debated. It’s acceptable to play below par, pay attention to fewer cards, and conserve your energy for later. Just keep in mind that this is a personal choice because you are intentionally lowering your expected value at the moment by doing this.
However, if the event is shorter in duration, you should focus, avoid using your phone, range players, and listen to music from the beginning.
5. Consider practicing meditation
It’s highly recommended that you give meditation a try if you haven’t already. Prominent individuals worldwide, ranging from CEOs to poker players, attest to the efficaciousness of meditation.
With all of the distractions that live players face in a bustling casino, meditation can be extremely helpful. The general benefits, which include less stress, reduced anxiety, and increased blood circulation, are exactly what live players frequently experience.
Many phone applications offer guided meditations, which is probably the best place for newcomers to start. Fedor Holz, a tournament champion, is so sure of the benefits of meditation that he developed the Primed Mind app. 10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Sceptics is an excellent app as well.
A brief discussion on intentional practice
Deliberate practice, to put it briefly, is a method of learning that enables you to retain more knowledge and go deeper into a certain topic. “Practicing with focus” is one of the process’s primary steps.
To get you started on the subject, check out this excellent article: “How to use deliberate practice to reach the top 1 percent of your field.”
In summary
You shouldn’t be playing poker the same way that the greats do if they’re not doing it in other games, sports, or occupations. Steer clear of distractions!
You can try playing one table at a time online to see how it works, which will help you focus. Despite the downtime, attempt to maintain concentrated. In this post, Ryan Fee delves into the significance of concentrating on a single table.
