How manic is your online tournament schedule?
Are you the type of player who likes to hang thousands of dollars in buy-ins over the fire each Sunday and cross your fingers in the hope that they don’t get burned?
Do you fire up more tables than a warehouse worker at Ikea?
If so then the chances are your stress levels are pretty high and I think I have just the answer for you.
Can’t keep up? Here are 7 ways to simplify your online tournament schedule in order to crush it when it matters like the upcoming Pokerfest Series on partypoker.
1# Have an Eye on the End Game
The longer you play the more energy you will feel slip through your pores, until you are screaming for your bed like it’s a long lost love.
This online poker lark is a lot more energy sapping than people think, and so it makes sense to plan for this inevitability.
Rupert Elder believes a sensible way to approach this problem is to pad out the back end of your tournament schedule with some 180 man style tournaments because they can be very predictable in how long they last.
2# Trial and Error
If you really want to get the most out of your tournament poker then I strongly suggest you start learning how to monitor your performance after the event.
Casting a keen eye over your performance data, without the distraction of playing, will unveil some key insights into how you can reduce stress when it comes to your tournament planning.
Mathew Frankland believes there is a certain automation that can kick in with some players who will mindlessly click registration buttons day in day out.
He suggests having a real handle over what types of games you do well in, and what types of games that you don’t.
Perhaps you excel in Turbo type structures, perhaps short-handed tables are your things, or perhaps you love a good deep-stacked competition.
You cannot measure what you don’t manage.
3# Filters
Don’t be fooled into believing a full lobby screen doesn’t cause too many distractions just because you are an experienced player.
Any form of data can become too much data, especially when you are trying to free up as much space as possible so you can pay due cognizance to the action on the tables.
With this in mind Richard Trigg believes an absolute must for an online grinder is the use of the filtering system that is found on most online poker rooms lobby function.
Once you know what works for you then just set up your filtering system to just show you the games that interest you and block everything else out to free up more space in the mind.
4# Keep That Ego in Check
If you are not careful your ego can lay waste to your energy levels when settling in for a full night of online tournament poker action.
Scott Shelley believes being realistic when you are planning your schedule is a critical success factor when it comes to designing a good solid online tournament schedule.
“Don’t burn out. There have been times when I have planned to play whole festivals, but that approach doesn’t always work out. You need to ensure that you have downtime in between events so you can keep your focus high.” – Scott Shelley.
5# Multiple Monitors
For some players it’s critical that they focus entirely upon the job in hand, and for others there is the need for distraction. Poker players are all unique after all.
Chris Brammer is the type of player who falls into the latter bracket. Fully focused when he needs to be, but also sufficiently organized to be able to get to the other tools of his trade with simplicity.
With this in mind Chris recommends using two monitors when settling down for a session. The first is used purely for poker, and the second is used for Facebook, Skype, Poker Tracking sites or anything else that is not directly related to actual game time.
6# Priorities
Jason Wheeler plays 9 to 24 tables simultaneously and over 50-80 tournaments per session, so when the man gives you advice on how to simplify your tournament schedule you sit up and listen.
This is what he had to say on the theory of prioritization.
“The first technique I use is to separate my tournaments into daily and weekly categories. Each specific site will have a list of daily tournaments that I like to play and some weekly specials. So the first thing I do is determine my daily session and then add my weekly tournaments to that list so I have a clear view of what lies ahead.
“If the schedule looks big then I label each tournament as ‘must play’ or ‘nice to play’ and only add the latter tables when I have room throughout the day, which depends on how well the session has been going.”
7# Keep That Mind Clear
When planning to purge the soul on a festival of poker it’s important to keep your mind and body as sharp as they can be.
With this in mind Mark Radoja has the following advice.
“It’s vitally important to keep your mind clear. A tough schedule can weigh on you both mentally and physically.
“A routine is extremely important. Scheduled healthy meals and a little physical exercise each day can go a long way to keeping you sharp when the decisions matter most, and to keep you out of the autopilot zone.
“Finally, don’t forget to give yourself a couple of days off to do something you enjoy that’s completely non-poker related.”
Pokerfest – A Massive Amount Of Tournaments.
So there we have it 7 tips from the pros to help you keep your mind in check and get you ready to crush the next installment of Pokerfest! And we just know you’re going to love this Pokerfest more than ever, packed with Hold’em, Omaha, bounty tournaments, rebuys, turbos and much, much more plus low low buy-ins all ranging from $5 – or qualifiers from just $1 seriously what’s not to be excited about? Our prize pools are set to go as high as the $300,000 guaranteed Main Event on 16th March so really you won’t want to miss a second of the action. Check the full schedule here.
