NLHE - Do you ever let your mood or boredom effect your poker play? (1 Viewer)

Mojo1312

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Week before last, players were competing with one another on who could spend the most amount of time in the tank. It was like watching the grass grow. WTF? You have two cards, there is five on the board. The best five cards wins. Do you really need three fucking minutes to make a decision?

One of those nights where everyone was behaving like lives laid in the balance. Your first born and the woman you love are tied to the railroad tracks. A train is coming. You can only save one. Who do you save?

I punted my stack halfway through the night. By evenings end I was playing aggressively in an attempt to drive the action. In for $660, out for $660. Miserable fucking time. I could have learned how to read braille or paint like Leonardo Da Vinci in between hands.

Last week, I showed up carrying some anger from the workday. I made it clear by the way I was shoving my chips across the line that I was there to gamble. In for $1050, out with $885. How I walked out down only $165 is one of life's great mysteries. Not for a lack of trying, that is for sure.

Anyone else find themselves in similar situations at the poker table?
 
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boredom/ impatience is one of the great leaks in most peoples game.

I think Its one of the few things in my opinion that separates the good players from the bad.

Read all the poker books you want, crunch all the numbers you can. It won't make a long term difference. In my opinion, only the players that can manage the 'boredom/ impatience' will be long term winners.

I put myself in the " struggles with impatience' group.

edit: and I see this is a NLHE question so yeah.. all of the above REALLY apply.
 
Even though I've mastered it and rarely lose.
confused-no.gif
 
I struggled for a long time with boredom, impatience, and playing tired. It's still something that I have to keep a close eye on, especially when I don't play as often as I want to (like the past 18 months).

It sucks to look forward to that weekly or monthly opportunity to play, then being card dead and spending the night folding. Especially when other players are calling three bets with 73o vs AA and flopping magic. :rolleyes:

Ultimately I think that's what you have to do if you want to be long-term profitable: be self-aware enough to recognize when you aren't playing your A game, and disciplined enough to correct the problem or rack up and go home.
 
One of those nights, where everyone was behaving like lives laid in the balance. Your first born and the woman you love are tied to the railroad tracks. A train is coming. You can only save one. Who do you save?

Your Avatar fits this statement perfectly. When I see you avatar I always think of the old silent movies where the villain always ties the girl to the railroad tracks.
 
I find NLHE to be very boring, so I try not to play it. Even though I've mastered it and rarely lose. My fun at the table is more important than profit, so I play circus games.
Exactly this. I can't play NLHE because it is soooo boring. And a NLHE tourney? Snooze fest zzzZZzZZzz. Mixed game poker please, or I can just sit in the corner working on macrame, which is more exciting than NLHE.
 
boredom/ impatience is one of the great leaks in most peoples game.

I think Its one of the few things in my opinion that separates the good players from the bad.
I think discipline might be the biggest difference between a successful pro and the rest of us.
As a tournament player, I'm blown away by how I can play my perfect A Game for hours, then have one lapse in judgement, one loss of patience, and piss it all away. I mean, most of my losses can be explained away by bad luck or bad decisions that can somehow be justified or understood. But some real percentage of the time, maybe 10-20%, I'll lose because I choked - because I did something that I would never ever do, given proper consideration. And those are the longest car rides home.
But to answer the question, yes, boredom probably explains 75% + of my cash game losses.
 
Anyone else find themselves in similar situations at the poker table?

I'm in a monthly NLHE Tourney league. I've been a member since its inception about 10 years ago. I'm bored with tourney's, and especially bored with NLHE tourneys. Its been that way for a few years now. I have suggested more than once that we have a mix of NLHE and circus game tourney's. I would say half of the league is strongly against it, and the majority of the league is fine as is. Two months ago I was playing and I realized that this isn't for me any more. We have enough subs. I have simply opted out of any NLHE tourney's for the rest of the year. @mike32 is hosting a 5 card draw tourney next month. I'll play in that.

I made this decision even though I was top 5 or 6 in points. If I'm not having fun, why play. The players that I enjoy hanging out with, I get to see in the cash games.

I can't play every weekend. I figure I'll take the weekend off when there is a league game and hang out with Colleen.

Basically, to answer your question @Mojo1312 Yes. I'm in a similar situation. How I handled it is that I quit the league and will focus on cash games.

I don't mind playing NLHE cash if its in a mixed rotation of games. I get bored playing the same game all damn night.

Now saying that, I'm hosting a $20.00 friends and family NLHE tourney on FRI. My oldest is in town and asked me to host. Old Fashioneds and Lemon Drop martinis will be flowing. Were playing 7 handed. @Marc Hedrick and his lovely wife is joining us. Marc and I will really be the only two players that play more than once a year lol. We'll laugh, party, and have a blast! Plus the Parks and Rec chips will get to hit the felt!
 
I'm in a monthly NLHE Tourney league. I've been a member since its inception about 10 years ago. I'm bored with tourney's, and especially bored with NLHE tourneys. Its been that way for a few years now. I have suggested more than once that we have a mix of NLHE and circus game tourney's. I would say half of the league is strongly against it, and the majority of the league is fine as is. Two months ago I was playing and I realized that this isn't for me any more. We have enough subs. I have simply opted out of any NLHE tourney's for the rest of the year. @mike32 is hosting a 5 card draw tourney next month. I'll play in that.

I made this decision even though I was top 5 or 6 in points. If I'm not having fun, why play. The players that I enjoy hanging out with, I get to see in the cash games.

I can't play every weekend. I figure I'll take the weekend off when there is a league game and hang out with Colleen.

Basically, to answer your question @Mojo1312 Yes. I'm in a similar situation. How I handled it is that I quit the league and will focus on cash games.

I don't mind playing NLHE cash if its in a mixed rotation of games. I get bored playing the same game all damn night.

Now saying that, I'm hosting a $20.00 friends and family NLHE tourney on FRI. My oldest is in town and asked me to host. Old Fashioneds and Lemon Drop martinis will be flowing. Were playing 7 handed. @Marc Hedrick and his lovely wife is joining us. Marc and I will really be the only two players that play more than once a year lol. We'll laugh, party, and have a blast! Plus the Parks and Rec chips will get to hit the felt!
Cliff notes @detroitdad hates nlhe, especially in tournaments. Quit nlhe tournament league as ten year member. Also @detroitdad hosting nlhe tournament this weekend.
 
Also @detroitdad hosting drinking party which happens to have a low-stakes nlhe tournament this weekend.
FTFY.

And I have to agree with @detroitdad. I still enjoy NLHE cash games, though not as much as circus games. But NLHE tourneys bore me to tears.

I've been with a very casual weekly group since 2009. I used to play every week but these days I'm a lot more sporadic. When I show I usually do well, but it takes alcohol and good conversation to make it enjoyable. The NLHE tourney itself just isn't that much fun for me anymore.
 
Your bankroll looks more like a critical heart patient trace.... are you monitoring the inflow of pennies between hands?!?! I'm calling bullshit, lol!!!
Why would I lie on the Internet?
 
As much as I would like to say no I admit that I do....
We all do, some just more often than others.
Except Phil Ivey... He is an oak.
 
FTFY.

And I have to agree with @detroitdad. I still enjoy NLHE cash games, though not as much as circus games. But NLHE tourneys bore me to tears.

I've been with a very casual weekly group since 2009. I used to play every week but these days I'm a lot more sporadic. When I show I usually do well, but it takes alcohol and good conversation to make it enjoyable. The NLHE tourney itself just isn't that much fun for me anymore.
I think I like nlhe tournaments because of the boring nature of the game. I feel more comfortable drinking and bullshitting when I don’t have to overthink my decisions every hand. I can relax and wow the crowd with my great stories.
The opposite happened recently when I believe @WedgeRock tried to exploit my drunkenness by calling “no peek SOHE” late in a cash game where bourbon was freely flowing. I don’t recall ever playing this before, and I commend him for a creative way to separate the bon vivants like me from their money. I had to concentrate like an mf’er to remember how I had split my hand but I got through it.
 
I think I like nlhe tournaments because of the boring nature of the game. I feel more comfortable drinking and bullshitting when I don’t have to overthink my decisions every hand. I can relax and wow the crowd with my great stories.
The opposite happened recently when I believe @WedgeRock tried to exploit my drunkenness by calling “no peek SOHE” late in a cash game where bourbon was freely flowing. I don’t recall ever playing this before, and I commend him for a creative way to separate the bon vivants like me from their money. I had to concentrate like an mf’er to remember how I had split my hand but I got through it.
I can barely remember an Omaha hand when I'm sober. No peek SOHE while drinking would separate me from my chips insanely quickly.

(Note to self: do not sit at @WedgeRock's table if we ever end up at a meetup together. Instead, laugh at the victims from afar.)
 
I can barely remember an Omaha hand when I'm sober. No peek SOHE while drinking would separate me from my chips insanely quickly.

(Note to self: do not sit at @WedgeRock's table if we ever end up at a meetup together. Instead, laugh at the victims from afar.)

Wedge is awesome to have at the table with you. He thinks he's good ;)
 
Boredom, anxiousness and focus I would say are the biggest challenges to overcome in NLHE cash games or tournaments.
The deepest runs and largest cash outs I’ve had personally are when I’m able to control my angst, stay focused and not let the grind bore me.
I like NLHE tournaments as long as they are in “freeze out” format. Cash games are much more interesting and less boring if your playing for stakes that stimulate your “sting” tolerance a bit.
Try sitting down in a cash game a little out of your comfort zone or buying into a $500 tournament with a 1 million guarantee sometime, I’d be willing to bet you wouldn’t be bored.
 

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