I wanted to share some of the strategies I've been working on recently regarding piss play. I'm a mid-stakes Live MTT grinder, with a large bankroll. Suffice to say, I'm well experienced in how MTTs work.
I came across an interesting leak in my game that needed to be fixed. I never drink alcohol when I'm at the table so I have to drink water instead. But I drink a lot of water. I can't have a glass next to me without sipping on it furiously, and as a result I need the toilet a lot. Sometimes I have to go every level, causing insurmountable EV losses through missed hands. I went into the lab to develop some strategies to optimise my piss play, and would like your opinions.
1. Early/Mid Stage: Always go at UTG+(Number).
For those unfamiliar with the childhood rhyme, I'll explain it briefly here. If you're passing liquid, it's considered a Number 1, and solids are considered Number 2.
The earlier the Position of Hero, the lower the probability they will receive a hand in their Pre-Flop raising range. A good PFR from UTG and UTG+2 is 12-15%, meaning if Hero was to miss hands in these three positions, 61% of the time Hero would've been sitting around doing nothing anyway. Compare this to taking three hands out from BU to HJ, where only 25% of the time Hero would have a playable hand preflop.
In theory, we could just muck our hand in UTG, rush to the toilet and come back, but that fails to take into account the varying length of hands. If CO were to take it down pre, Hero would be in BB with his hand mucked and no chance to take it back.
To counter this, we introduce a toilet buffer of one hand, balancing the probability of playable hands, and the chance of hands being taken down pre. For urine breaks, Hero leaves after folding in UTG+1. For solids, Hero leaves the table after folding in UTG+2, owing to the increased length of break required. For slow defecators, we can look into LJ or even HJ absences to accommodate, but it's preferable to practise spending less time on the seat.
2. <15BB Stage: HODL
When stacks are getting very short and many players are in push/fold situations, holding on for as many hands as possible is tantamount. In the increasingly popular BB ante setup, missing BB and SB is unthinkable, but also we must see as many hands as physically possible.
I'm not suggesting making yourself uncomfortable, but on an FT where ICM is paramount, getting any chance to double up into a good spot when short is crucial.
3. All-In Counts are Free Real Estate
In live poker, when dirty stacks get pushed all-in, the dealer has to count them to ensure the correct values. This is free time to go to the toilet. Another hand can't continue until all the chips are settled, which can sometimes take a long time with inexperienced dealers, or messy stacks.
4. Avoid Caffeine
It's no secret that caffeine makes you need to go to the toilet more. Whilst you may feel more alert, you will miss out on hands by having to go to the toilet more often. Don't put yourself in that position.
That's my strategy for the moment. If anyone has any adjustments I should make, or scope for exploitative breaks, please let me know. The better this leak is plugged, the higher my winrate will be.
1) Drinking excess water can be both a cause pathology and an indicator of pathology.
2) Excess urination can be a symptom of pathology.
1) and 2) aren't necessarily linked, but that you satisfy both is indicative of a potential problem.
If you're drinking excess water you may be hyponatremic. If you're excessively urinating, you may be polyuric. They're both signs of untreated diabetes insipidus (among other disorders). Seek the advice of a medical professional.
If it's just a habit that you drink excess water which causes excess urination, probably try and cut back on that. A medical professional will help you determine whether it's a habit or otherwise pathological and provide further guidance.
