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Just wondering how everyone deals with distractions while playing poker?
I remember Shaun Deeb doing an interview for a P5's podcast while he was playing 17 tables. My game on the other hand goes down the toilet if I am playing 2 or 3 tables and the phone rings...
I do have quite a busy house with my partner, my son, 2 dogs and 2 cats and it feels like an extreme challenge trying to concentrate at times. There always seems to be a phone ringing, dog wanting attention or someone chapping the front door to see if I would like to convert to being a Mormon or join the latest super duper electricity/gas tariff.
I do on occassion lock myself away upstairs in the bedroom and play and generally do a little better (that is the plan for tomorrow nights £4k package final). However if I am playing for 5 or 6 hours it feels a little anti-social and can be boring being locked away in another room so this is not ideal either.
So do distractions bother you? Can you offer any advice on dealing with them?
I do have quite a busy house with my partner, my son, 2 dogs and 2 cats and it feels like an extreme challenge trying to concentrate at times. There always seems to be a phone ringing, dog wanting attention or someone chapping the front door to see if I would like to convert to being a Mormon or join the latest super duper electricity/gas tariff.
I do on occassion lock myself away upstairs in the bedroom and play and generally do a little better (that is the plan for tomorrow nights £4k package final). However if I am playing for 5 or 6 hours it feels a little anti-social and can be boring being locked away in another room so this is not ideal either.
So do distractions bother you? Can you offer any advice on dealing with them?
Comments
I do listen to music sometimes and it definitely can help, good shout on that one
Knew Jimi was bluffing when he said you were on holiday with ur latest squeeze.
Being a poker pro is generally incompatible with people in the real world. A poker pro leads a semi-nocturnal lifestyle, playing evenings/nights and weekends, because that's when most games run. Compare that to people with normal lives - they are at work/school from 9-5, evenings and weekends are for relaxing and socialising.
There's a reason why most pros are young males with no gf and no kids
Quiet room
Headphones on with some music
Jog round the park (already done the walk round the park with the dogs)
Pint of water (substituted for coffee)
Vanilla latte (substituted for a stockpile of smokes)
Dinner (Cadbury's cream egg easter egg & might throw a sandwich together)
For a player like you who takes his game seriously rather than simply doing it for amusement and a gamble on the side, it is important to focus with as near to 100% attention as possible on the game. Distractions do not allow you to do that....
The reason why I state this simple and obvious point is because Poker is about making money and is unique in the fact that you can lose money as well as win it. That means there is a risk element, just like if you were investing funds in the stock market. Up or down, down or up.
Now, bearing in mind that there is this risk element (and if you are playing mid-high stakes poker then quit a considerable one) then it has be treated as a priority. In other words, it doesn't matter about the wife or the kids, or the dogs, or the postman, or the Jehovah's witnesses knocking at the door. Poker time is poker time and it needs to have a designated time during which there are no distractions (unless of course there is some sort of emergency and you have to rush off).
Lock yourself away during Poker sessions. Try and play your most important sessions during the quietest times when nobody is around or they are busy doing something. If people are around then tell them you are doing the Poker and the priority it is and put ear muffs on if necessary to block out any sound (or headphones/earplugs for music if that works for you).
Only you can know what works for you. So make sure you find some methods, try them all out and stick to the ones that do. For me it is about space and quiet time. I tell people I am busy and I don't even move to answer the door or the phone. I turn off my mobile and I make sure I am not distracted by other things such as social media etc (and if I do look at stuff between games then it is Poker related).
I also find that getting up and walking around my room occasionally as well as stretching off my arms and legs helps my comfort level and allows me to concentrate for longer. Sometimes I splash water on my face and in my eyes to wake me up. Anything to improve my focus.
A combination of things usually works best. Hope something there helps :-)