POKER - ELIMINATING DISTRACTIONS

              So I've been working on my game somewhat as of late. I've known for a long time that I have some serious leaks in my on-line play and I think I just found a major one.

     Without patting myself on the back too much, I can honestly say that I am a winning LIVE player in low-stakes NLHE (1-2, 1-3 and 2-5) and my low-entry live tournament play is probably in the plus column as well. With this in mind, I tried to figure out why my overall ON-LINE play seems to suck. Is it site selection? Game selection? Time of day?

     Site selection - I have played at Bovada, Ignition, BOL and ACR as I think they're the only ones available in my jurisdiction. My go to now is mostly ACR. They have a great selection of tournaments and cash games going at all levels. I also enjoy watching their players streaming on Twitch as it passes the time while I play. They also have a great community and I know a few of my Twitter friends play there (WECpoker,  ManInBlack, TonyBigCharles to name a few). But after thinking about it I think most of the sites are essentially the same as far as their offerings. Scratch site selection off the list.

     Game selection - I've played a mix of sng's and mtt's at all sites and can't see much of a difference, but then again I'm strictly a rec player. Scratch game selection off the list.

     Time of day - Certainly all of the sites have their busy times and the slower times, but that only affects game availability, in my opinion. Scratch time of day off the list.

     Then the light bulb came on! I found that when I make a casino poker trip, I'm going to play POKER! I know that when I settle in my seat I have no time limit and no DISTRACTIONS and no purpose except to beat the game. When I play on-line it's nothing even close to the same. Playing in a casino I have no one telling me to let the dog out, it's dinner time, feed the dog, or we have company! Playing at home on-line, I get all of these and many more, all serving to take my concentration from the game. 

     So to prove my theory that distractions were hurting my play I started with a polite request of my girlfriend - "I'll be playing poker today for about 10 hours. I let the dog out and I fed her. I have snacks and beer in the garage, and if we have company, tell them I'm playing poker. They'll understand". The response has been a hesitant "ok, win some money" (along with an eyeball roll) but hey, whatever it takes.

     I still play spur of the moment often, usually resulting in a desperate "double-up or get out" play. I've found that when I get serious, plan in advance, have no distractions, and use the necessary discipline, that I go MUCH deeper and actually have more success in tournament play. 

     So there you have it - One big leak plugged, many to go!

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