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

[Sponger15SB]

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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.

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

[skp]

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]

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]

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).

[Jeff W]

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]

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]

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.

[James282]

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

[Jeff W]

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

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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.

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

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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]

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).