How to grind like Patrik? - Psychology in Poker and Gambling

Two Plus Two Forums Poker Strategy Psychology

How to grind like Patrik?

Post Reply Subscribe

...

06-24-2018 , 12:34 PM

Tuma

Worships Amon-Ra

Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 16,387

During 2000-2008, Antonius played 12 hours/day online and that was more than any other poker player according to him. That feat might not be close to attainable for most pros, but I am wondering if he had any habits that other players with great work ethic share. For instance, did he keep a schedule for when he would play, or would he grind without keeping time in mind at all? Do people find that playing longer sessions with less # of breaks to be better than shorter sessions that break frequently? How does one optimize their output?

Quote

06-25-2018 , 01:38 AM

Rexx14

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 7,215

I think Patrik is possibly an alien so isn't the best person to try and emulate. If he is in fact human, fairly unlikely, I'd suggest following his lead and taking supplements, eat well, play tennis, workout and be a pod. Fwiw I think he's stated he finds online games impossible due to tracking software etc.

Quote

06-25-2018 , 02:10 PM

Nepeeme2008

veteran

Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 2,913

Patrick was and is a physical freak. Plus, he seems to have the added advantage of being the type who could stare into nothingness and be happy. I always associated that with people who don't have much upstairs though.
If you think you can sit in front of a computer all day everyday in this day and age and not think you're wasting your life, go for it.

Quote

06-26-2018 , 03:56 AM

Phil Me Up

adept

Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 808

Having the physical/mental conditioning of a former professional athlete certainly helped/helps. The tennis grind is also very similar to the poker grind in many ways (psychologically/emotionally at least).

Also, 12 hrs/day, but how many days a week? And FWIW, 12 hrs/day if you grind MTT's online is not abnormal @ all. The video-game generation can stay glued @ a screen for long, long periods.

Quote

06-26-2018 , 05:14 AM

Rexx14

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 7,215

Very true. Twelve hours playing mtt online is pretty standard. It's actually pretty easy tbh because if you have heaps of them going at once initially there isn't any time to get bored, plus if you are going deep you end up shorthanded which intensifies the game a little. It's generally at the end of a session it's a bit harder to retain focus as you have less games going. It's fine if you're really deep but it's a lot easier to play fast and loose if you've only got a couple of games left and you're still a fair way from FT. Double up or die lol.

Quote

06-26-2018 , 10:03 AM

Tuma

Worships Amon-Ra

Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 16,387

Bobby Fischer was a tennis enthusiast and by all accounts also very good. I think becoming a sportsman also benefits a round-the-clock competitive drive.

Personally speaking, my biggest output leak is time management during break periods - I make half my day disappear without realizing it sometimes, and maintain a much more rigorous schedule for my sessions than for the breaks.

I'm also glad nobody recommended I should read 'Tools for Titans' or similar self help material....there tends to be 250 pages of filler in 'shortcut' books. I suppose I'm still curious about Patrik's method but it's not so important.

Quote

06-26-2018 , 03:17 PM

Phil Me Up

adept

Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 808

Do you play online, or live? US or other?

If you have access to stars, etc. try doing the daily small stakes MTT grind once every week / couple weeks. It'll train you to keep your ass in your seat, and limits your potential breaks to 5 minutes per hour (i.e. all tables break @ fixed times every hour, so you can run to the bathroom, or smoke a quick cigarette at most, before you need to be back playing). It'll condition you well for any potential live-play environments you find yourself in as well (which can be sluggish/grueling).

Quote

06-26-2018 , 08:40 PM

Rexx14

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 7,215

The hourly 5 minute breaks were the best thing ever introduced for online tourneys. Always use it and get up and move about, stretch etc.

Quote

06-26-2018 , 11:50 PM

Tuma

Worships Amon-Ra

Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 16,387

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Me Up

Do you play online, or live? US or other?

online and in the usa. we might be getting legal poker someday.

Quote

06-27-2018 , 12:46 AM

#10

Phil Me Up

adept

Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 808

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuma

online and in the usa. we might be getting legal poker someday.

No American provider has any regular micro S&G traffic (HU/45M/90M, etc.)? I'm out of the loop myself. W/ that said, assuming some of them have some traffic to take advantage of, you don't have to put alot of $$$ on there. You could pepper a marathon of those w/ some of their smaller/big-field dailies (assuming those exist) to fill out a day if you wanted to try it out.

Quote

06-27-2018 , 02:16 PM

#11

Phil Me Up

adept

Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 808

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexx14

The hourly 5 minute breaks were the best thing ever introduced for online tourneys. Always use it and get up and move about, stretch etc.

Yeah. Personally it trained me to be pretty efficient/disciplined w/ my breaks, which has translated over into live play, where I'll probably take 10-15 min every two hours, or 5-10 every hour, depending. Can't say I do many marathon sessions, but in terms of focus & maxing out the actual hours I do spend @ a live venue, it helps alot.

Quote

06-30-2018 , 03:53 AM

#12

TheGodson

veteran

Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 3,056

I think the best thing if you are a cash game player is to focus on the number of hands in a day. If I don't keep track I may end up playing for too long and start suffering from FPS.

Quote

07-18-2018 , 01:54 PM

#13

pucmo

adept

Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 1,187

You just need to run good and make a lot of money. Other than that, it is very hard, needing a premium motivation, or an addict.

Quote

07-22-2018 , 02:39 PM

#14

DalTXColtsFan

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 3,509

A more important question might be, "How to grind like Patrik Antonious without Norman Chad ending up with a mancrush on you"

Quote

09-14-2018 , 10:17 AM

#15

Chiggs

old hand

Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,698

Motivation is an interesting topic. The thing to realise is that motivation can be thought about on a macro and micro scale.

On a macro scale, it is supremely important you have a long term goal. For example it could be your 2 year goal to be the best reg at level X. The further out you can make this goal the better.

Why is this important? Because when you have a long term target you want to hit, that will propel you to grind. Spend some time to figure this out.

On a micro level, it helps to know how to use other people's motivation to inspire you. For example, communicating with hard working friends or watching "hustle"-type videos.

Quote

09-19-2018 , 10:16 PM

#16

wowsooooted

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 5,077

It was much easier to grind long sessions in 2000 - 2008 because the fields were so much weaker, if you were a pro the gap between you and the average player was much wider than it is now.

So motivation to play long sessions in those days was much easier than it is now as win rates and ROI was higher so it makes sense to play as much as you can when you have the best of it.

Quote

09-19-2018 , 10:21 PM

#17

Tuma

Worships Amon-Ra

Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 16,387

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiggs

On a micro level, it helps to know how to use other people's motivation to inspire you. For example, communicating with hard working friends or watching "hustle"-type videos.

Maybe a thread where people shared the contents of their motivational elixir is in order?

Quote

09-20-2018 , 12:06 PM

#18

Chiggs

old hand

Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,698

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuma

Maybe a thread where people shared the contents of their motivational elixir is in order?

Not sure if this is a troll or not but I actually think this could be useful

Quote

09-22-2018 , 08:13 PM

#19

pucmo

adept

Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 1,187

I have a clear goal to get to a level X and grinding up there a limit at a time, building a roll. The technical skills I mostly have, so I am just focusing on playing.

I don't know if I will make it and how long it will take and I don't care as there is nothing I can do about it but play. I do have some backups, though, including live poker, so there is no way for me to fail and whatever I achieve online will be good.

I am usually not motivated to play poker but I get motivated when I play. As long as I am resting enough (outdoor days/times), I am fine in the long run also. Just need to start the play and get into the flow and I am fine.

Quote

09-25-2018 , 01:20 PM

#20

Sir Huntington

banned

Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2,354

I'm sure it helped Patrick that he only played a few tables. It's a lot easier to put in long sessions while relaxing with 4 tables than playing 10+ tables.

Quote

10-01-2018 , 04:48 PM

#21

Rolco

newbie

Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 16

It really isn't hard at all to play online poker for 12 hours.

Quote

Post Reply Subscribe

...