Becoming A Winning Player (Time Management)

[Maulik]

I'm en route to beocming a winning poker player, but I invest too much time playing, any given night. I probably play 500-1000 hands any night of the week, I want to be able to invest my time in a better manner so I'm getting more value for the time I spend playing. So, I'm looking for some sort of reccomendation on how much maximum time to spend any night to play, so that I'm soaking in what I'm learning, etc. I hope this post makes sense, if its confusing or not crystal clear as to what I'm asking, please yell at me...

[TStoneMBD]

there really is no set time frame for how much time you should be spending developing your game. the problem with that knowledge is not quantifiable, and therefore nobody can tell you to cut back on (x) hours or (x) BBs in exchange for (y) time on twplustwo. personally, id say that a good goal to achieve is to make sure that you have read every thread in the mid-high stakes forums, and any other high profile threads in other relevant forums before playing each day. i think a good rule to set for yourself is learn first, play second.

[tek]

I understand what he is asking. There is a bell curve to playing efficiency. On one of the Tilt episodes (I know, I know...) Matador was alluding to "the fog that sets in".

Simply speaking, after a certain point you are not going to play your "A" game. When I first started playing (live--I don't play online) I would get caught up in the action and turn what was going to be a 6 hour session into a 25-30 hour session...When time gets away from you, the mind does get foggy and the body gets exhausted. One bad play can turn a profitable into a nightmare. I've done it.

When you feel the A game slipping, stop. It's a subjective thing and different for each of us. One thing I've noticed for myself; I can tell when it's not going to be a good night and I will leave with a small loss. I can also tell on good nights if I've hit a wall with respect to profits. We all want to keep playing when in the proverbial "good game", but at a certain point the next rack of chip profit is coming as hard as chiseling granite with a hammer and screwdriver.

The key is to recognize when to leave and to have the discipline to do it. Stay too long a couple of times and you'll learn...

[TStoneMBD]

yah sorry, after rereading his post i realized that he was talking about something entirely different. i dont know where i got the impression that he was talking about spending his time on twoplustwo, lol.

good post btw. now that i know what hes talking about i agree with you.

[STLantny]

Thats a fukin great question. I started playing online on oct 11, at .5/1 built up a 5 figure roll as of jan 11. I kind of stopped playing as much due to school and moving into a new place. But along the way, this is a question I have pondered, and imo, there's no right answer. As long as you dont go to extreme, ie only playing 10 hands a night, and studying/working for for 6 hours on your game, or play 3000 hands, and never read a forumn thread, you should be fine. Im taking the rest of Feb. off and will start treating it as a real job on March 1. Ill put in 30 hours a week of play, 10 hours at the gym (to keep in shape), and treat my freetime as I always have, in that Ill read up on the forumn/books when I get a chance. Also I reccomend the #twoplustwo irc channel, as its real easy to play 4 tables, post a hand to the channel and get some quick critique while playing.

[STLantny]

oh ya, geez, after re-reading everything, i got the same impression as Tstone. To answer your real question. Just get hooked on coke. You can play a lot w/ good clarity then.

















JK

[Wally Weeks]

[ QUOTE ]
So, I'm looking for some sort of reccomendation on how much maximum time to spend any night to play, so that I'm soaking in what I'm learning, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm in a similar situation as you as I have only been playing and studying poker for about 4 months. I'm still at the point where I'm learning something new and fixing leaks in my game almost on a daily basis. Since I'm new to the game, my understanding has been increasing at an exponential rate. While I realize that I'm learning a lot because I'm new, it seems right mix of play and study can maximize this process.

I think the right approach is dependent on the individual, but a good overall goal is to organize your card playing, studying, and peer participation (i.e. posting on forums, talking to other players, etc.). Personally, I have been mostly reading on the forums rather than posting since I'm still so new to the game. I dislike sounding like an idiot so I refrain from comment mostly. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've been treating poker like college meets a hobby. Since I'm not pulling an income, it feels like I'm taking an "extended learning" course that doesn't count as credit toward my degree. The college aspect means that I put structure on my learning. The hobby aspect allows me to enjoy learning and playing the game in that "oh so boring" tight-aggressive way.

John Feeney talks about how he learned how to play poker in his book "Inside the Poker Mind." Feeney said that if he had to learn poker from scratch, he would have put more organization on his learning. He believes that it would have allowed him to move up in limits faster.

Regards,
Wally

[Maulik]

wally weeks- your post provided lots of insight, things along this line are exactly what I need to do.

perhaps, play one day, study a book the next is what I should consider doing. I valued all the posts so far, so please keep them coming.

Thanks.

[flavaham]

I think it's all about the game and how you feel. If you are losing and don't see that trend changing for the better, get out of there. Period. If it's 15 minutes in or 15 hours, just get out when your game (or the game in general) goes bad. I think you said it yourself; Quality not quantity. If you feel like you start to run bad get up and take a break. If you still run bad after that just call it a night, post some hands on here and try again tomorow.
-g

[Wally Weeks]

[ QUOTE ]
wally weeks- your post provided lots of insight, things along this line are exactly what I need to do.

perhaps, play one day, study a book the next is what I should consider doing. I valued all the posts so far, so please keep them coming.

Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Maulik,

I've been somewhat ad hoc with my approach. As I improve and my learning starts to plateau, it will probably be more advantageous to set some sort of concrete schedule. Also, it's probably a good idea to not play a day or two out of the week; sure poker is interesting but you can burn yourself out overdoing anything. Moderation is your friend.

When I started studying poker a few months ago, it was clear that structure wasn't necessary. Besides, I thought that I'd either get bored of it or think that the effort wasn't worth what I was going to get out it (i.e. didn't think that I really had what it took to be a decent player long term).

In order to get good at things you have to be serious whether learning to play the piano or poker. At least that's my attitude. I don't want to be the very best player, I just want to be proficient enough to hold my own. Aspiring to be the best at anything with such a steep hill to climb is really just ego talking.

Regards,
Wally

[Steve S]

This isn't a serious post, is it?

[helpmeout]

On days where you have to work/study wake up an hour earlier and study poker, you dont have enough time to play but you can study for an hour or so.

When you get home after a long day you can study for an hour or so because playing tired sucks.