Adding flexibility to your sessions

March has been a pretty busy month IRL and i'm now playing catch up to finish up the month with a half decent hand count, despite a bad cold. My less than stellar state got me thinking about a few important issues that, if changed, could really add value to my game.

Up until now, i've always played with a very rigid structure. I'd get up, eat some breakfast, do some pre-session warm-up, load up 24 tables and play for about 5-6k hands. I've stuck to that because I knew it worked for me, and back in the days when confidence in my game was shaky, sticking to a rigid structure provided a nice safety blanket.

But much like opening hand ranges, if you stick to a static chart, you're really limiting your potential earn at the tables, so once you're comfortable with the basics, it's time to get dynamic and switch it up depending on game conditions. What does this mean in practical terms? Simply that i've started toying around with new ways to play my sessions.

Instead of a strict 24-tables 5-6k hand grind or nothing, i've started adjusting the number of tables based on my current energy state. For example, I might only play 12 tables, or shorter sessions, depending on my concentration. This way I can get more sessions in a day and bb/100 only gets better the less tables you play (although i'm not expecting a huge increase).

Even though there's nothing inherently wrong with marathon sessions, I think the benefits of shorter grinds are pretty obvious : less energy required to start, higher concentration (I usually play my best during the first 1h30 of a session), less mental fatigue after a session, etc. Much like anything in poker, it's important to keep things dynamic and fluid to maximize performances, both on and off the tables. These small changes could end up having a big effect on my bottom line, and i'm psyched to try them out in the coming weeks!

A tip guarenteed to improve your results

Athene has recently made a comeback to poker (www.chirenlive.com) and in his streams he talked about some of the core poker skills one needs to succeed. At first I thought he would speak of actual poker strategy, but I was pleased to hear that he wanted to go more in-depth about the one true poker skill ; controlling your mind.

One of the reasons Athene is one of the poker player I look up to the most is not his actual skill at the table (even though he is a solid player). What really makes Athene a pro is his work ethic, his stamina and mental skills, and the way he applies them in poker, gaming and life. This control is what makes him a truly amazing player in all games, poker included. 

It sounds like the simple stuff we hear over and over again, and it is, yet why do we keep screwing it up? I know this is the area I need to work on the most at the moment : practicing that mental sharpness to the point where I can apply it often and well.

Athene touched some nice subjects in the stream. One of the most important point that stood out for me is the importance of acknowledging your imperfections. We are not perfectly rational creatures and various situations that come up can alter our emotions, introducing subtle (or not so subtle) tilt.

Not looking at your results for a month was also a major tip that hit close to home. I firmly believe that looking at your results every session (or worse, during a session) can be a big leak. Unless you are a complete robot, the money will affect you emotionally (one way or the other), yet the actual money is completely meaningless. Not looking at your results for a month (or even a week is fine if you play significant volume) is one of the best tip for mental stability as a poker pro and it cannot be overstated.

While we can only go so far in controlling the actual emotional reaction, we do have absolute control over one thing : recognizing the emotion and acting accordingly. What this means is if you get stacked, if you get caught running a huge bluff, if you're on a losing/winning streak and it affects you in any way that you are no longer playing optimally, simply stop.

This is one the skill I feel I have really improved over the last month, and I have gotten significantly better at recognizing the early signs of poor concentration, and then stopping the session. Thus, what is one of the most important tips to improve your results? Know when to stop ; without this skill, top pros have gone busto, and ordinary players that possess it have built up nice little fortunes. Stay sharp and gl at the tables!