Just thought that was a funny story.
BALANCING LIFE AND POKER
But tcarr89, why do we need to balance? Isn’t any time not spent surfing 2+2 –EV?
WHY BALANCE?
We should balance our lives for several reasons, both to improve our play at the tables and to maximize our general well-being.
1.)
We literally play better. A refreshed, well-rested mind functions much more effectively than one that has been drained through consecutive hours and days of work. This is particularly important in high-pressure situations, like multitabling. Brain function also declines as time passes, so shorter sessions will in general yield better results.
2.)
Reduces vulnerability to tilt. Grinders with more balanced lives will inevitably tend to handle variance better, all else equal. When all that matters to you is the number that pops up when you click the cashier button, you’re gonna be in trouble when that number is going down. Also, if you have other things you can do with your time and you’re in a solid physical and mental state, you will be more empowerd and more apt to quit when you’re down a few buyins and/or you can recognize that you’re not playing well.
3.)
Allows us to put poker into perspective. For most of us, poker isn’t everything. In fact, for most of us, it’s still “just” a hobby. Only a slim few will be able and willing to play professionally, and it may be even
more important for those professionals to have their lives In order. Also, 2+2 is in general a very young, bright, successful community, and many of us are college students enjoying the best years of our lives. Almost all of us are in or could be in our peak physical condition and we need to be able to recognize when enough is enough. Stressing balance and variety is important because, well, there’s other things out there we need to experience.
4.)
In case the games dry up. This one is self-explanatory and controversial/may not even ever happen, but if the games do dry up what the hell will someone who only had poker do with themselves.
HOW DO I BALANCE MY LIFE?
Okay you seem pretty smart tcarr. How do I know if I’m balanced and how do I bring more balance into my life?
1.)
Sleep. This is a no-brainer, but if you aren’t getting enough sleep you need to focus on this first. Most of us carry sleep debt and this is devastating for poker player. Sleep is important for three primary reasons. First, we commit new information to memory while we’re sleeping. Let’s say in a given day you play a good, thinking session, review it afterwards, and read/post in some threads on 2+2. You need to get a good night’s sleep that night in order to convert those short term memories into long-term memories and to really retain the information and learn from it. Second, sleep loss or sleep deprivation almost always causes irritability, impatience, and moodiness. This isn’t good for dealing with a high-variance game such as poker, especially if you are keen to tilt. Finally, performance in almost every area declines dramatically with more and more sleep loss. This means to think and play at your best, you need to be well rested.
2.)
Diet and Exercise. Of course, you fatasses. Being in shape isn’t a necessity, but it will definitely help your game, plus maybe you’ll get some secks if you’re in shape (we’ll talk more about secks later). What the hell does being in shape have to do with the inherently mental game of poker? Workings out helps pump blood through your system, and forces more oxygen to the brain. Thus, working out before a session will help you feel refreshed, awake, alert, and will help you make better and quicker decisions. Being in good shape will also improve your posture and endurance, allowing you to play longer sessions more comfortably.
3.)
Social interaction. This one’s also pretty obvious but slightly less important. Online poker is obviously a very antisocial hobby/profession and doesn’t leave much opportunity to socialize. Contrary to the somewhat accurate 2+2 reputation/mantra, social health does have several benefits. Friends and family are a great way to alleviate the stress of losing 5 buyins on a given day. Also you’ll likely want people to help spend all the manies you make from the pokers. Go out and pick up girls with Greg or maybe split a 6-pack with a friend once in awhile (be careful if you try to finish it between just the two of you though, drink responsibly ;-) ).
4.)
Other hobbies. Having other things you can do with your life will also allow you to take your mind off of poker when you need to. Obviously everyone’s different, but I like getting outside in the fresh air and playing some golf when I get the chance.
In general, the higher stakes you play and the more volume you play, the more important it is to have a good physical, mental, and (especially) emotional state when you sit down. Thus, you should work on cultivating a good balance now as you move up the limits, so that you are more able to quickly deal with the higher steaks once you get there. This is light years better than trying to pick a diet, address your sleep disorder problem, make friends to hang out with, AND stress over learning to beat a new limit all at the same time.
It also seems like all the pros have other hobbies, for instance Daniel Negreanu is a huge NHL fan and Phil Ivey loves video games and finished 3rd in the World Series of Golf (final tabling ldo).
Thanks for reading guys, hope I provided a bit of insight. I don’t expect an incredible amount of discussion on this topic relative to some others, but I think this is a good overview of the benefits and means of balance.
As a side note, see the documentary on Captain Zeebo’s life
here if you haven’t – they discuss his lifestyle and minor mental breakdown. I think it particularly applies to this COTW and it’s a little bit of motivation as well.
CLIFFNOTES: LEAVE YOUR ROOM FOR ONCE YOU LAZY P.O.S.
Two Plus Two
I was really looking forward to this weeks cotw
Linear Mode
