How do I put in more hours/week. (Long/Introspective) [Archive]

Jeff W

08-27-2005, 02:48 AM

Over the past 8 weeks I have played 100 hours. I have averaged 12.5 hours/week. I do not have another job and I don't have any responsibilities. My hourly goal for each week has fluctuated from 20-25 hours, but I have probably met it only once or twice in that time period.

I'm looking for ideas on how I can consistently put in more hours. My short term goal is 25 hours/week. When I was at school, I was regularly putting in 30-50 hours a week while completing senior year for a physics degree. I know that I can competently play many more hours than I am.

Here are some ideas I have on how I can play more hours:

1. Use the tilt blocker program and setting Pokertracker to update once/minute.

The former to prevent me from knowing how much money I have at the tables and the latter to prevents me from looking through my results in PT without dealing with lag every minute. Both of these will make poker less stressful and I should have less reason to procrastinate.

2. Reduce the time I spend watching Television and web surfing with parental controls.

I'm not sure how to implement a fail-safe solution to this problem. My general idea is to lock myself out of watching television or surfing the web during certain hours of the day(20-21 hours/day). Anyone have specific ideas how I can accomplish this?

3. Maintain greater emotional control while playing through mindfulness.

I was making progress on this issue by using basic Zen mindfulness techniques. I need to get back to mindfulness and meditate daily to keep me centered.

4. Self-accountability through written records.

This worked moderately well for me in the past. Earlier this year, I kept a calendar on my dresser and mark down how many hands I played on a given day. I plan to resume this practice and I will evaluate how well I adhered to my regimen.

Thanks you for listening to my long, introspective post. I appreciate any advice you can provide. There is no better time than today to begin righting the ship.

baronzeus

08-27-2005, 02:50 AM

I've done both 1 and 3 personally. 1 was done in combination with 3 for the beginning of August, This made me a far better player and increased my winrate drastically.

shant

08-27-2005, 02:53 AM

[ QUOTE ]
1. Use the tilt blocker program and setting Pokertracker to update once/minute.

The former to prevent me from knowing how much money I have at the tables and the latter to prevents me from looking through my results in PT without dealing with lag every minute. Both of these will make poker less stressful and I should have less reason to procrastinate.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the second post today I've read of people checking their PT stats while they play. I had no idea people did this. I think you should do both Tiltblocker and the 1-2 min update, I do both. I'm about to be back to being unemployed and want to put in 20-25 hours per week also. Maybe we can set-up a challenge or some sort of thing to keep eachother in check?

toss

08-27-2005, 03:44 AM

Sometimes the only way you can get yourself to play more hours is to just do it. This past week I averaged 10 hours a day 4-tabling... completely on autopilot... while watching TV... posting on 2+2... and reading The Intelligent Investor...

If I played 10 hours straight paying complete attention to the tables I'd go crazy.

Sniper

08-27-2005, 04:40 AM

[ QUOTE ]
This past week I averaged 10 hours a day 4-tabling... completely on autopilot... while watching TV... posting on 2+2... and reading The Intelligent Investor...

[/ QUOTE ]

I will quote from King Yao's Weighing the Odds in Poker...

"If you are playing online poker as you read this, STOP. Either play the game or read the book. Don't do both at the same time!"

fimbulwinter

08-27-2005, 04:45 AM

lately i've been doing 50-60 a week. a good way to do this is written records. the feeling of chalking up 11 hours in the book and xls file the doing the data analysis and financial moving at the end of the day is great.

fim

krazyace5

08-27-2005, 05:04 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Sometimes the only way you can get yourself to play more hours is to just do it. This past week I averaged 10 hours a day 4-tabling... completely on autopilot... while watching TV... posting on 2+2... and reading The Intelligent Investor...

If I played 10 hours straight paying complete attention to the tables I'd go crazy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This may sound stupid but in April my winrate started suffering, I just thought I was going through a downswing, etc, etc. Anyway I was thinking about it last week and realized that was about the time I got my laptop and wireless router. I started playing in the living room instead of the computer room, watching tv and dealing with the kids, etc.

So this week it was back to no tv and alot more focusing
on my game while I am playing, so far this week is the best I have had in a few months and I am sticking to the computer room for now on.

Oh yeah, I also discovered the blackhole of 2+2, oot. Its kinda like having to slow down to see a car wreck. I quit wasting my time there and started spending more time in the strategy forums.

Justin A

08-27-2005, 01:10 PM

I've recently started trying out your first suggestion and I like it. I don't need TiltBlocker because I'm always jumping around tables so much that I forget how well I'm doing anyway. I just use the little computer clock on the bottom right of the screen and tell myself I'm not allowed to look at results until a certain time x hours in the future.

For you Tilt Blocker users, does it tell you when you get low on chips and need to reload?

MarkL444

08-27-2005, 01:46 PM

just buy in for 75-100BB

shant

08-27-2005, 01:46 PM

[ QUOTE ]
For you Tilt Blocker users, does it tell you when you get low on chips and need to reload?

[/ QUOTE ]
No, but I buyin with 50BB and I've never been in a hand and ran out of chips.

arkady

08-27-2005, 02:52 PM

50-60 a week? goodness........how!?

I have a similar problem to Jeff's, I really cannot put in more than 13hours a week. Just can't...:(

toss

08-27-2005, 04:48 PM

[ QUOTE ]
lately i've been doing 50-60 a week. a good way to do this is written records. the feeling of chalking up 11 hours in the book and xls file the doing the data analysis and financial moving at the end of the day is great.

fim

[/ QUOTE ]

50-60 hours a week without crack?

geormiet

08-27-2005, 09:32 PM

I can totally relate to the OP. This summer I had about a 3 week period where I actually put in a good number of hours. I was able to do it because I set a schedule of playing 9-12AM and 2-5PM 5 days a week, and forcing myself to play these exact hours, no more, no less.

Sometimes the games were not great, but it was by far the easiest way for me to put in 6 hours a day. It was also a great feeling to be "done with work" at 5PM and hang out with my friends like a normal person.

Some events happened that threw this schedule out of whack, but as soon as I get settled down again I will try to get into the habit again.

chezlaw

08-27-2005, 10:39 PM

Ban yourself from posting until you've played the required number of hours for the day.

chez

wuarhg

08-27-2005, 11:02 PM

Something you can do with Pokertracker that I do. Mine never lags so I just resize the window from the right to the left until all I can see is how many hands I have played for the day. I've stopped looking at daily results recently, I just look at weekly and monthly. When I have finished playing I just shut the "stats" window down and do something else.

You can check your VPIP, went to sd, won at, pfr easily, but you have to use the horizontal scroll fast so you don't see your results.

ggbman

08-28-2005, 12:43 AM

I find this thread to be quite interesting. For you guys who can't get in more than 15 hours a week, i'm curious what you find yourself doing for the rest of the week. If i didn't have a job and that's all the time i spent playing, i would probably be bored out of my mind.

I found i averaged about 25 hours/week last month, but felt i wasn't playing as much as i could be.

shant

08-28-2005, 12:54 AM

[ QUOTE ]
If i didn't have a job and that's all the time i spent playing, i would probably be bored out of my mind.

[/ QUOTE ]
Here's some of the activities I did while not working and playing less than 15 hours/week:

-Went to gym
-Went to beach
-Riding my bike
-Riding my skateboard
-Watching TV
-Reading
-Getting drunk
-Shopping
-Walking around with no set agenda
-Getting drunk

I can't wait to get back to it.

johnnycakes

08-28-2005, 03:22 AM

Sheesh, I have a regular 40 hr/wk job and manage >20 hrs/wk.

Do you hate money?

Nigel

08-28-2005, 04:10 AM

I'm not following the PT train of thought. What exactly are you doing with PT? You're checking your PT results more frequently? Isn't this counter to the Tiltblocker concept?

I must be stupid, but I'm not getting what you are getting at. Can someone clarify for me what it is that I am not understanding?

Nigel

Lucky

08-28-2005, 05:15 AM

Let me guess. You've gone thru a downswing, poker is painful, you're not playing, etc. Drop down a level, grind it out. Just do it. Stop whining. You dont need inspiration, you need perspiration.

Jeff W

08-28-2005, 05:41 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Let me guess. You've gone thru a downswing, poker is painful, you're not playing, etc. Drop down a level, grind it out. Just do it. Stop whining. You dont need inspiration, you need perspiration.

[/ QUOTE ]

Where in my post did I whine or mention a downswing? I wrote a positive, constructive post outlining 4 changes I will implement to better myself as a man and a poker player.

Jeff W

08-28-2005, 05:44 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not following the PT train of thought. What exactly are you doing with PT? You're checking your PT results more frequently?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I'm setting my PT to update 1/minute while adjusting it's CPU priority to below normal. This makes looking at stats unbearable because the program freezes constantly while it imports.

Nigel

08-28-2005, 05:49 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm not following the PT train of thought. What exactly are you doing with PT? You're checking your PT results more frequently?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I'm setting my PT to update 1/minute while adjusting it's CPU priority to below normal. This makes looking at stats unbearable because the program freezes constantly while it imports.

[/ QUOTE ]

But why are you looking at your stats constantly? Doesn't that go against the whole tiltblocker concept? Why not just import to PT at the end of each session?

Sorry Jeff, I feel like I might just be missing entirely what you're trying to say on this one.

Nigel

Jeff W

08-28-2005, 05:51 AM

[ QUOTE ]
But why are you looking at your stats constantly?

[/ QUOTE ]

Compulsion. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm going to stop doing it.

SippinSoma

08-28-2005, 10:57 AM

1. Prop bet. Currently, Madtown and I have one running where we have to average 1k hands/day/week. At the end of the week, if one of us is under quota, we have to shell out $10 for every 100 hands under.

2. Come up with a schedule. TimM and Krishan have posted about their schedules.

3. Read Mastery by George Leonard.

krishanleong

08-28-2005, 11:03 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I was regularly putting in 30-50 hours a week while completing senior year for a physics degree.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is ridiculous. Amazing too. I wonder if it doens't skew your definition of long hours a bit. I think 30hrs is very very good for a pro. Anything above is phenomenal.

12.5 on the other hand is a bit weak.

Krishan

Justin A

08-28-2005, 12:51 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm not following the PT train of thought. What exactly are you doing with PT? You're checking your PT results more frequently?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I'm setting my PT to update 1/minute while adjusting it's CPU priority to below normal. This makes looking at stats unbearable because the program freezes constantly while it imports.

[/ QUOTE ]

But why are you looking at your stats constantly? Doesn't that go against the whole tiltblocker concept? Why not just import to PT at the end of each session?

Sorry Jeff, I feel like I might just be missing entirely what you're trying to say on this one.

Nigel

[/ QUOTE ]

He's saying he's taking measures to make sure he doesn't look at his stats. He probably needs to continuously import while playing so that Playerview can update.

Nigel

08-28-2005, 01:30 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm not following the PT train of thought. What exactly are you doing with PT? You're checking your PT results more frequently?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I'm setting my PT to update 1/minute while adjusting it's CPU priority to below normal. This makes looking at stats unbearable because the program freezes constantly while it imports.

[/ QUOTE ]

But why are you looking at your stats constantly? Doesn't that go against the whole tiltblocker concept? Why not just import to PT at the end of each session?

Sorry Jeff, I feel like I might just be missing entirely what you're trying to say on this one.

Nigel

[/ QUOTE ]

He's saying he's taking measures to make sure he doesn't look at his stats. He probably needs to continuously import while playing so that Playerview can update.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, gotcha. I just thought from his post there was some de-tilt strategy he was using by checking PT more often, and that sounded backwards, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was missing that may be a good idea to incorporate myself!

Nigel

TimM

08-28-2005, 01:46 PM

I don't use an overlay or keep PT running while I play, but I do obsessively look at the cashier to see how much I have on the tables. If I change tables I always buy in for the exact amount I took off the previous table. I'm not sure I could stop if I wanted to.

Sponger15SB

08-28-2005, 07:17 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Here's some of the activities I did while not working and playing less than 15 hours/week:

-Went to gym
-Went to beach
-Riding a stolen bike
-Riding my skateboard
-Watching TV
-Reading
-Getting drunk
-Shopping
-Walking around with no set agenda
-Getting drunk

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

Klepton

08-28-2005, 11:48 PM

this is one of the most amazing FYPs ever

MaxPower

08-29-2005, 12:25 AM

Are you planning on playing for a living for a long time? If you can't get motivated to play, maybe you should think about whether you really want to be a pro.

I work full time and still play as much as you.

Some people need struture. I might have the same problem that you are experiencing if I played for a living.

Why dont you schedule your playing time?

Jeff W

08-29-2005, 01:59 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Are you planning on playing for a living for a long time? If you can't get motivated to play, maybe you should think about whether you really want to be a pro.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see that I have any choice. Even at 12 hours/wk, I'm making way more than I would make at a 40+ hour/wk job. I think that if I can reduce the emotional swings of the game and make a commitment to myself to put in hours, I will be fine.

This isn't so much a problem with playing poker as it is a problem with self-discipline and self-esteem. Hopefully I can use poker as a platform for fixing these issues.

[ QUOTE ]
Some people need struture. I might have the same problem that you are experiencing if I played for a living.

Why dont you schedule your playing time?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm going to give it a shot starting tomorrow. I will make a 25-hour schedule for this week(Monday-Friday) and I will stick to it. I will update my progress next weekend.

SippinSoma

08-29-2005, 02:08 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to give it a shot starting tomorrow. I will make a 25-hour schedule for this week(Monday-Friday) and I will stick to it. I will update my progress next weekend.

[/ QUOTE ]

Looking forward to it.

astroglide

08-29-2005, 02:29 AM

i play 40-60 hours per month and i have a full-time job, twinkle toes.

i have my PT window open while i play and it updates every minute as well. i don't see the problem with it.

Sponger15SB

08-29-2005, 02:37 AM

[ QUOTE ]
i play 40-60 hours per month and i have a full-time job, twinkle toes.

i have my PT window open while i play and it updates every minute as well. i don't see the problem with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, we all can't be Mr. Perfect.

skp

08-29-2005, 02:50 AM

What the heck is the tilt blocker program?

BTW, I too play about 10 to 12 hours a week. Much of this is because I have a busy law practice, family, other past-times etc. But even if I were jobless, single and a couch potato, I am not sure that I could play more than 20 hours online a week. Too friggin' boring, man. If you are kicking ass at 12 hours a week and having fun doing other things in your life...well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

bobbyi

08-29-2005, 02:42 PM

You need to examine why you aren't playing enough hours. Somehow, that is completely absent in this thread. Are you not playing at all on many days? Averaging only three days a week where you actually play? Are you playing as many days a week as you think is appropriate, but your average session is too short? If so, is it because you consistently play short sessions, or do the lengths vary a lot but average out to something too small? If you are playing sessions that are too short, why do you stop? Is it because you often start without having eaten first (maybe first thing in the morning) and you need to stop after a couple hours for lunch and then don't get started again? Is it because you procrastinate starting a session and often don't until late at night so you have to quit after a few hours because you are tired and want to sleep? And so forth.

"I'm not playing enough hours/week" is very vague. I think that you should stop thinking in those terms and figure out what the specific problem is and tackle that.

MicroBob

08-29-2005, 03:16 PM

If he's like me...it's because he's spending too much time dorking around on 2+2 and not getting around to opening the tables.
Seriously, it's a stupid addiction and I need to grow the hell up.

Like him, I need to be playing more hours (although I'm more than 12 per week thankfully).

bobbyi

08-29-2005, 05:01 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Ban yourself from posting until you've played the required number of hours for the day.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'd like to officially encourage Jeff not to do this /images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Jeff W

08-29-2005, 05:23 PM

Bobby,

Good post.

1. I play short sessions. I usually play 1-2 hours at a pop. I have a very short leash(too short) and I suspect that I mistake taking bad beats+losing in unavoidable situations for tilt and quit sessions early.

2. I miss 0-1 days/week, but I often miss sessions. When I miss a day, it's usually because I have underwent some hardships during the week. I suffer from a semi-conscious belief that I am entitled to win every time I play and so I become frustrated when I lose and my results do not reflect my self-image. This leads to taking sessions/days off inappropriately under the guise of "playing my best at all times" when I should be playing through hardship and developing mental toughness.

I know I have quite a lot of psychological baggage for someone who has been playing limit hold'em for a year, but all these problems are correctable.

autobet

08-29-2005, 05:25 PM

I have my TV right next to my monitor in my bedroom, so I can play poker and listen to the TV at the same time. I also have the TV on when I am playing in the living room on my laptop.

I'm sure I would put in less hours too if I had to seperate TV from poker.

4thstreetpete

08-29-2005, 10:25 PM

I'm having a hard time putting in the hours as well. I've actually missed about a full week this week.

Sometimes I don't understand why it is so hard to put the hours in online. When playing live I've had many sessions where I've played for over 16 hours straight and once about 22 hours. I wish I could do it online but if I play more than a 3 hour session I just have to quit.

At home I'm spending too much time just donking around, checking 2+2 etc.... Hopefully having this week off will help me put more hours in later. Maybe that's what you need too. A break once in a while is nice.

2ndGoat

08-30-2005, 07:07 PM

<<I'm going to give it a shot starting tomorrow. I will make a 25-hour schedule for this week(Monday-Friday) and I will stick to it. I will update my progress next weekend. >>

Sucks that it has to come to this, given one of the reasons that most of us that quit the real world was to work without a schedule.

I've been dealing with low-hour-syndrone myself, but as of last week, I've found the cure for me is that "persperation not inspiration" deal. I've set schedules but I never keep to them.

Good luck with your efforts.

2nd

Justin A

08-30-2005, 11:29 PM

[ QUOTE ]
<<I'm going to give it a shot starting tomorrow. I will make a 25-hour schedule for this week(Monday-Friday) and I will stick to it. I will update my progress next weekend. >>

Sucks that it has to come to this, given one of the reasons that most of us that quit the real world was to work without a schedule.

I've been dealing with low-hour-syndrone myself, but as of last week, I've found the cure for me is that "persperation not inspiration" deal. I've set schedules but I never keep to them.

Good luck with your efforts.

2nd

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah but at the same time it's nice to be able to make your own schedule, and at the same time have the option to not make a schedule at all.

MicroBob

08-31-2005, 01:17 AM

exactly.
if something comes up....or you need to juggle things around...then do it.

If you want to get out of town for a stretch...then take your job with you.

My GF and I are arranging a couple of upcoming vacations.

Me = Well, my schedule is whatever the hell I want it to be. I can go wherever and whenever.

Her = She only gets so many days off per year. And there's not very much flexibility to allow her to take more. She has requested off for my birthday way ahead of time to make sure she gets it approved. She also has to take a certain number of days off before the end of the year or else she loses them.
Her boss is a pain in the ass...and is condescending.
And this is a job that she actually enjoys and thinks is pretty decent.
It just happens to come with all the typical burdens of a normal 'job'.

In other words - putting yourself to a set-schedule to play your poker is hardly the end of the world and also hardly makes it significantly less-good independence-wise than it was before.

James282

08-31-2005, 06:22 AM

The richer you get, the less you'll feel like playing. At some point, you need to take a look at why you play. Do you play because you want financial security in the future? Because you love living the free and easy life? Something inbetween?

Complaining about not putting hours in is ridiculous IMO. Do it or don't do it, but don't force yourself to if you don't want to. You're not a little kid who needs to be forced to do his homework. You're an adult with a job. Work 10 hours a week, 30, whatever. Set your own hours and stick to them, bcause we're not going to be able to help you with this.
-James

Budget Boy

08-31-2005, 10:07 AM

I notice a lot of internet players put in pretty light hours. I play live and put in over 100 hours a month in addition to my fulltime job, and if I didn't have a girlfriend I would play a whole lot more. I think this has to have something to do with live vs online play. Multi-tabling online must just be a lot more mentally draining. If you're making a decent living playing online poker 13 hours a week though, good for you.

Surfbullet

08-31-2005, 03:09 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I notice a lot of internet players put in pretty light hours. I play live and put in over 100 hours a month in addition to my fulltime job, and if I didn't have a girlfriend I would play a whole lot more. I think this has to have something to do with live vs online play. Multi-tabling online must just be a lot more mentally draining. If you're making a decent living playing online poker 13 hours a week though, good for you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Multitabling online is far more strenuous IMO, and at times more boring. I personally have put in 10-14 hour marathon sessions live that break only because all of us have to go to class....whereas my longest online session is maybe 4 hours or so.

Surf

edit: it's also tempting to play light hours when you can log 1000 hands in 2 hours or so.

Jeff W

09-01-2005, 12:42 AM

[ QUOTE ]
At some point, you need to take a look at why you play.

[/ QUOTE ]

I play because poker is far superior to my other career options(none). I have no resume to speak of and I earned <3.0 GPA in college, so my occupation outlook is limited.

Eventually, I want to earn enough money so that I can start generating passive income while still maintaining a comfortable bankroll.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, I am driven to become an excellent poker player. I have never felt confident in my abilities and I need to put in a ton of hours to get to the point where I will feel happy with my game and my accomplishments.

[ QUOTE ]
Set your own hours and stick to them, bcause we're not going to be able to help you with this.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, you are right. I feel confident that I will work all this out.

Unfortunately, a member of my family has taken seriously ill and I must travel to Florida for the next two weeks. I will meet my 25 hr/week goal for this week and both of the next two weeks despite this setback.

Forbillz

12-07-2005, 10:09 AM

Interesting stuff here. I work probably 50 hr/wk and play poker about 20 hr/wk. I usually play 2/4 x4. The times when I find I'm getting a little drained, I usually either play live 10/20 at the local casino (yes my bankroll more than supports this...I'm just at 2/4 b/c I'm still working on improving my game) or I enter a few more tourneys than usual. Something to break up the monotony.

Also, FWIW, I'm also a TV on guy. Its 90% for noise though, and when I want to "really" focus, I'll just throw on one of the digital music channels. I too look at PT stats a lot, as well as whether I'm up or down at each table. However, I don't feel that I let it affect how I play hands (maybe I'm naive).

Chobohoya

12-07-2005, 11:20 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I play because poker is far superior to my other career options(none). I have no resume to speak of and I earned <3.0 GPA in college, so my occupation outlook is limited.

Eventually, I want to earn enough money so that I can start generating passive income while still maintaining a comfortable bankroll.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, I am driven to become an excellent poker player. I have never felt confident in my abilities and I need to put in a ton of hours to get to the point where I will feel happy with my game and my accomplishments.

[/ QUOTE ]

One thing that may help you motivate yourself is taking a part time job--- even looking for one might help you focus yourself better.

I've been working a sort of grunt job, that I definitely don't "need," though the contacts will be useful down the road, and I'm playing more hands per available time than I ever did in college. It really helps to get home, look in PT and say "sooo.... Even though I only played 3 hours today, I made twice as much as I did all week at work." Sometimes the best way to motivate yourself is finding the outside stimulus that you need.

Lately I've been thinking more about variance and its effects on earn. I think it's safe to say we all play better when happy. I think it's also safe to say that we all get happier when we run good. None of this is going to surprise any one, but I think most people underestimate the fact that their running bad cripples their earn or conversely, their running good more than doubles it. Long term effects of this multiply not add: If running bad makes you feel really bad, you might drop down in limits for XX thousand hands. During that time, you play worse at a limit lower than normal. So your theoretical earn is a fraction of a fraction of what it "should" be. Don't fall into this trap! I think shot-taking as outlined in a number of very good, very thoughtful posts is far riskier than it seems at first by the same reasoning as above. If you run hot at first and THEN lose your stake at the increased limit, you're missing not only your earn from your normal game, but also you lose whatever fraction from tilt or time taken off.

The other side of this is that if you run hot for a sustained period, your BR doubles or triples, and you move up. When you move up you have a greater amount of confidence, which not only makes you play better, but withstand swing better as well. This means that you earn at a rate larger 2+X for longer! There are many posters here who took shots, had their BR skyrocket, and have since still been crippled for weeks or months by swings. How many more never even skyrocketed, but instead have stayed at 2/4 or 3/6 for months or years because of being burned?

flair1239

12-07-2005, 11:41 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Sheesh, I have a regular 40 hr/wk job and manage >20 hrs/wk.

Do you hate money?

[/ QUOTE ]

Same here.

I honestly don't understand the whole mindset. I do 20-25 hours a week with a fulltime job.

I also know a couple other semi-regular posters around my age here who do the same. I really don't consider it a hardship. Even if you are 8-tabling (I only do 4), I still think there is no excuse for not at least hitting 24 hours a week.

I mean is it really that hard to play (2) 2.5 hour shifts 5 days a week?

aslowjoe

12-07-2005, 03:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
This worked moderately well for me in the past. Earlier this year, I kept a calendar on my dresser and mark down how many hands I played on a given day. I plan to resume this practice and I will evaluate how well I adhered to my regimen.

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I put in a lot of training for triathlons. Then came poker. More and more it is hard to put in the training time. My biggest success comes when I journal my work and tally it each week.

Dont sweat it. You are one of the most intelligent poster on this forum, your success is inevitable.