blonde poker

 

Whilst playing poker, many players can suffer from the boredom factor. Poker can, at times, be a long and time-consuming game, and whether you’re deep into a tournament, at the latter stages of an STT or nearing the end of a heavy cash game session, you mustn’t let boredom get the better of you.

Although it may sound pernickety, being able to detect and control your boredom is crucial. This may be the game you love, but various factors can always lead to a lack of interest in the table you are playing. However, if you are prepared for such a scenario, you can avoid any unnecessary hindrance.

One weakness that I witness in many a poker player is a lack of patience, and this can be a direct product of boredom. When we are focused and enjoying the game, our ability to remain patient and wait for the best opportunities becomes that much easier to attain.

It’s all subjective and dependent on how the potential monotony of a long session affects you personally, but here are just a few strategies you can adpot in order to combat boredom:

Live:

1. With live tournaments lasting throughout the night, it’s often wise to take an ipod, not just to eliminate the various distractions, but also to help retain your focus. However, don’t crank the volume up too loud as you could be liable to missing player comments, specific tells and verbal declarations.
2. When I’m not involved in a hand, I like to study my opponents. What do they look like when they’re bluffing, do they shake when they have a hand, what do they do when they’ve got rags on the Big Blind? These are all questions that could provide you with vital information at some stage or another, so use the time inbetween hands to make such observations.
3. Whilst you’re waiting for a hand to play, there are plenty of other parts of the game for you to consider. Are you going to need to make your move soon? Is everyone looking tired, can you nick a few blinds? How are you fairing compared to the average stack? – These are just three examples, but the list is virtually endless.
4. If I feel myself losing my concentration or even, heaven forbid, drifting off, then I either head to the bathroom for a cold splash of water across the face or nip outside for some fresh air.
5. When you’re not involved in a hand, simply chatting with another player at your table can keep you entertained whilst also teaching you a bit more about your opponent’s personality and character type.
   

Online:

1. As with live, ipods are equally useful for online play. Some of these freerolls and deepstack tournaments can last several hours and the slightest mistake can undo all your hard work. So, if music’s your thing, stick on the ipod to help you remain fully focused on the job at hand.
2. Unlike live, online play allows you the ability to take notes on your opponents. Use this luxury instead of allowing yourself to become bored. Study your opponents carefully, draw conclusions on their game and add your thoughts to the notes section. You never know when that one comment might come in handy.
3. Although I don’t like to condone it, if you really struggle with boredom, reading a magazine or watching TV may work for you, but, in doing so, you will inevitably miss a lot of the previously mentioned information.
4. Again, if you like to look away from the table when waiting for your go, then why not use the time productively by analysing your, and everyone else’s game in Poker Tracker? This is a device that can pick up information on your opponents when you’re not even watching, so take advantage of all that information to assess how strong your table is, how tight they play, what hands they like to raise with, and so on.
5. Make sure you take regular breaks. Playing continuously can not only create boredom and induce a lack of patience, but tire you out to the point where you lose your focus and begin to make unforced errors.
   

 

Of course, you may be totally impervious to any boredom factor whatsoever, but the truth is that very few of us are. Poker is a wonderful game, but nearly all us get bored and some point or another, even if it’s only for a moment. But when you’re playing poker, that moment where you experience a brief lapse in concentration could be the difference between winning a multi or going home, between winning that STT or starting another, or between losing the biggest pot of the night to scooping an absolute monster.

So, whenever you play, remind yourself of the potential for boredom and be prepared to use whatever device or approach you personally require to prevent it from occurring. It really could be the difference between winning or losing.