This one I’m guilty of, and I think that I may not be the only one. I’m referring to playing poker, specifically tournaments and sit and gos, when I have obligations/plans coming up in the very near future. An example that occurred just a few days ago went something like this; I entered into a sit and go (partially out of tilt - but we can save that for another post) about one hour and fifteen minutes before a planned outing with my family. My play throughout the first 45 minutes was solid, and I was actually the chip leader with 5 left in the sit and go. Then I started looking at the clock, and K 8 started looking like AA. My game turned very aggressive, as I was trying to knock out players quickly so I could take my money and run. I’m not an aggressive player, and my dwindling chip stack was evidence of that fact. Long story short, I ended up making my obligation on time, but finished 4th in the SNG.If you think you have enough time, think about all the possible scenarios that could push your tournament longer than it normally may take. Obviously, if you’ve been playing a fair amount of the same type of tournaments, you have a general idea of how long they take - however, there are exceptions to every rule, and crazy things can happen at a poker table to either A) end a tournament early, or B) extend a tournament.
By putting a time limit on your tournament, you are essentially putting pressure on yourself. Good poker players try to put pressure on other players, but if you are already doing it for them, it makes their job that much easier. Why put extra pressure on yourself? Make sure you have ample time to play your brand of poker, and do your best to avoid playing if you have plans in the near future - plans that could affect the way your endgame plays out.
A couple more quick reads you may want to check out are posts from High on Poker and Adam Labare. High on Poker discusses community knowledge while Adam discusses ways not to act like an idiot in poker.
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