Tricks for Staying clear and Focused?

[IowaSkinsFan]

I sometimes have a problem being clear about the hand i'm playing and staying focused.

for example, i might min raise someone on the flop because i don't think their hand is strong. They call, and it seems like i forget they called and continue to bet into them.

I was thinking i should create a routine to go over everything that has happened before i act, kind of like a free throw shooting routine in basketball.

But does anyone have any suggestions to stay focused and clear?

[EricE]

Yeah, just keep a monolog going in your head. So and so was the raiser PF, he bet out the flop, ect. If you find yourself getting lost then its time to step away and go do something else...your mind isn't in it.

For me, the biggest indicator of not being focused is loses. If after a hand I lost I can analyze it and call it a bad beat or a tough break then I am fine. If I was behind all along, I examine if I really am up to poker right now. After several lost hands that you can't call a bad beat it becomes quit clear I just am not up to it right now... and I logout.

[RiverGhost]

There are plenty of herbs out there to help improve your concentration. I've recently made a ritual out of making herbal tea before I show up for a tournament. Yerba Mate is very similar to caffeine except that it doesn't have all the nasty side effects. Gotu Kola is also another herb worth looking into. I usually combine the two and take a toke or two after drinking my concoction. Obviously this isn't going to be a cure all but at least can go in with the intent of not making impulsive decisions. pay attention to everything around u. pay attemtion to what you are holding after you have assessed the situation.

[Aceofone]

But does anyone have any suggestions to stay focused and clear?

Remember why you are playing. To have fun. If you play solely to make money, I got news for you, there are easier ways.

Enter the session feeling optimistic, and good about yourself. Do whatever it takes to create this mental state.

[pgil]

dont min raise to try and scare someone off. when they call (which they usually will) you have gotten no useful information other than they werent on a stone cold bluff. plus, you may find yourself overvaluing their hand because they called your raise, forgetting that it was only a minraise.

[lamaros]

I make a habit of running the stats on any hand I think I misght have been bad beaten or misplayed. And I post others to FTR.

This makes sure that I don't just do things and let them go by without trying to pick up on mistakes. Looking at the game in that manner helps me keep the proper focus and aviod tilting. Once you get into the habit of examining every hand it'll be hard to break, and will help you keep your attention.

Regular breaks are must too, though I'm still not the best at forcing myself to do this. In ring this means I sit out every few hours or after a especialy bad hand, in MTTs this is the scheduled breaks. You have to get up and go away from your computer in these breaks; have a drink, go for a quick walk. If you don't break it up like this you can tune out a bit from too much staring at the screen(s).

One other things that really helped me alot that I saw someone mentino elsewhere:

Don't hold the mouse in your hand. Decide what you're going to do then get the mouse and do it, this helps make you think about what you're doing before you do it.

[m3laNcholy]

If you play solely to make money, I got news for you, there are easier ways.

Still havent found one. Honestly, I once tried to convince an employer to pay me $100/hour for sitting in front of a computer but he refused...so I turned to poker.

[dsaxton]

Yeah, the key is probably just being interested in the game. If you aren't interested, staying focused will be difficult, if you are, it should be fairly easy. If you're finding yourself getting bored, maybe take a break or try something different like Omaha or Stud for a bit.

[TalentedTom]

Saxton put it best, you gotta be interested in the game. If you are playing just ABC poker against morons then I understand that you can become bored, try and multi-task something or just listening to some music.