Session Length

Hi all,

A small amount of background:
I am a $25NL player with only 4000 hands under my belt and I am starting to play regularly. I have a full time job and a family and so time is limited compared to some of FTR's members. I have thought about organizing my time to 10 hours per week playing 1 hour sessions in the evening 5 days a week and 2-3 hours on Sat/Sun.

I was just wondering how long other players regular sessions last? Is there a problem only playing 1 hour a day or should I try to do less sessions for a longer period? What reasoning is there for playing longer sessions?

Thanks for any comments.

Hey Hornstar,

I also have problems playing proper sessions due to family commitments etc.
I can normally only play few hours in weekend and the odd 1hr in week here and there.
I tend to stick to S'nGs if i know i've only got an hour or so. get about 3 tables going and that normally lasts an hour.
I find that if i play the cash games i start trying to force hands as i know i only have 20mins left to play ot whatever. Easy way to lose money.

Roll on the weekend when i can sit for few hours and play 6max(only $25nl at moment- no time to build anysort of BR).

Good luck and all that!

Basically, what Willburforce said. However, I wanted to add that I feel I play my best poker (I am predominantly a 6max ring player) after an hour or so, where I have reads on any longlasting players on my tables, my HUD has enough stats to start becoming meaningful, and I'm in "the zone" or whatever you want to call it. So if I have an hour or less in which to play, I'll either load up an SNG (a turbo if I have under an hour) or I'll maybe load a few tables at a lower than usual buyin and just have fun, maybe try out different ideas, but either way I'm limiting my losses.

Last night I started up a £50NL 6max table when I knew I was tired and lost £12 on my first hand (here's a tip, actually - never try to bluff on your first couple of hands - you never ever get believed). It was only a stunning run of cards - AT or better 8 times, my aces all hitting and my QQ setting - that allowed me to make £28 in the next 12 hands, after which I wisely quit. Even if I'd not felt that bed was looming, the fact that I'd have only had, say, 45 mins at most meant I knew I was unlikely to be playing my A game at any point during the session.

As long as I can spot weak players I'll stick around for as long as I can.

And yes I think it takes more than 1 hour for you to learn all the players at a particular table.

I try to play at least 3 hours straight playing cash tables. I loose most when I quickly play some tables before going out, before dinner etc. After 3 hours my concentration wanes and I need a break otherwise I make mistakes. If I need to fill a short time span then I just play a low buy-in turbo SNG but try to stay away from the cash tables.

i usually play cash for about 2 hours or so at a time. i also play cash during an entire tourney when i play one.

Thanks for all the comments.

I think I may have to change the setup to playing less sessions for a longer period. After thinking about this properly and looking at some of my sessions it seems I tend to lose a little money in the first 30 mins then make it up and more over the next 1-3 hours.

Thats it then, I think less sessions for a longer period s better. Thanks again for your comments/opinions, they have been very helpful.

I'd like to add that when I have only an hour or less and don't feel like playing an SNG, I'll just play a LHE ring game. For me, limit takes fewer reads to beat, and I can get them faster, so naturally with less time this is a good thing. Also, limit takes less concentration to avoid mistakes, so if I don't have time to get into the zone, this is also a good thing. But then again, limit used to be my main game for over a year, so maybe this solution only works for me because of that.

I like at least an hour. I think I do best in 2-2.5 hour sessions but 1-2 hours is more common.

If I dont have an hour i often play micro stakes omaha H/L or razz instead.

I would suggest that playing less days but more hours / day might be a better option for you if you are limited by the number of hours but not by when they are. You probably dont have control over that though. Provided you arent usually playing less than 45 minute sessions you should be ok.

Oh and dont rush yourself. If you know you have to go out in 45 minutes then do something else. Dont sit down at a table and try to force a quick buck.

I usually start playing at 9pm every night, and play through till 6am.