Paying Attention

[cassette]

So let's say you've been at a table for 20-30 hands and you feel like you have the general feeling for the players. You haven't taken notes on them all but feel like you generally know what's going on. Now, let's say you have folded 95% of the last 30 hands and are starting to get a little impatient. Is it better to try and keep your mind completley focused on the game while expanding your notes on these players (while hoping not to get any looser due to wanting to mix it up a little) or do you think it's better to check your email or listen to some music to take your mind away from the game a little and hopefully make you more willing to wait for the cards?

The reason I ask is becasue I always figured it would be a better idea to keep your head completely in the game but have been seeing a lot of pro's on TV and whatnot that don't seem to pay much attention to hands they don't play. And online multi-tabling seems to be pretty popular which again does not lend itself to paying much attention to your opponents. Thanks for any thoughts.

[Jes_Gru]

Depends largely on the stakes/opponents you are playing against. Small stakes players are usually not that tricky so you do not have to keep yourself completely focused.

I think you should try a second table. I found that it is a lot easier to be patient when you are seeing twice the amount of cards. Also get Poker tracker

Just a note about the pros, they might not seem like they are paying attention, but that's what makes them pros. They could probably tell you the number of your missed value bets, if you played against them.

[hankr]

I don't know how new you are, or what your objectives are.

I am 2-months new, and my objective is to be competent as I move up in stakes. Immediate winnings are far less important to me as I wish to develop and refine my game. To me, that means one table, and sitting thru the boredom of 10-15 straight folds. You can't be "at your best" playing more than one table (at least I can't).

It took me 8 weeks to turn an initial stake of $15 into $75 at the 1-2 cent tables. I've just "graduated" to 5-10 cent tables, with my first 3 sessions all winners. I find the caliber of play (not very good, it seems) very comparable.

But if your objective is to maximize winnings... then mutli-table may be for you. Playing 70% of "your best" at 2 tables may yield more money than 100% at one table. But to me, that approach is very automatic and misses the nuances of the game that only total attention to one table provides. I do not believe multi-table play is "good training" for higher stakes (where competition is better), if that is your goal.

I didn't answer your question, but may have given you some things to consider.