Hey there,
may I just ask which book is it that you're reading at the moment?
-Primož
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Originally posted by Schnitzelfisch
Hey there,may I just ask which book is it that you're reading at the moment?
-Primož
I'm referring to Kill that frog.
Ok :).
I think you should take out of the book what you like and discard what you don't like ;).
I agree with you, I don't like planning my days in advance either! I much prefer the ability of choice and freedom. So stick to that!
However, there are a couple of very important concepts that are very useful:
-the lists system (getting things out of your head)
-doing the ugliest tasks first
-breaking tasks down
-prioritizing
-focusing on the important things that will get you results
-planning projects in advance (knowing what needs to be done, kind of breaking down)
And probably a couple more things :).
By the way, what kind of problems do you have exactly with focus and concentration? When do you have them? What do you think is the cause of them? Is it tiredness? Boredom? Are you not focusing on anything during the session? Too many things in your head?
GTD and Eat that frog will show you how to get the information out of your head into a system that you can use to store it, which will make space in your head, enabling you to maintain your concentration :). That is why I recommended the books to you.
Take care!
Yeah, I thought those things could be really useful. Will definitely try to come up with lists (I love lists, I make lists for everything).
One thing I kept thinking of while reading about prioritizing tasks, is this example. I want to play poker and finish my bonus because I have only a little left. I want to work on my game today because it will benefit me in the future. However, I have a few page essay due tomorrow night (I'm a full-time student). Which task is more important? Should I play when the games are good and start working on my essay when I already played some hands or the games aren't that good anymore?
Thank you for the time you're spending on helping me! 
And forgot to answer your question,
I lose focus too easily, and drift away. I don't think about hands as deeply as I wish. Sometimes I can't focus for 25 mintues, sometimes I'm fine playing for 2 hours. I noticed my focus improves a lot after eating a healthy meal right before. Part of it is definitely tiredness as I don't get much sleep during the week (and I'm a very deep, long sleeper). I focus on hands but I sometimes miss the most important factors that come to my head after the hand is done. Hopefully, getting rid of all unimportant stuff from my head and having more space to focus solely on the hands will help me!
haha same situation as you.
unless ridic tables at the highest stake you play/even one above than your usual limit, finishing homework >>>>>> playing poker imo.
otherwise you still have something in the back of your mind etc.
Originally posted by Schnitzelfisch
I see that Erik is too scared to talk to you so far ♦. Perhaps he doesn't like rainbows :(. But don't worry, I'm here to help you out as well ;).
Hey! You weren't supposed to tell anyone!! ♦
ALERT: MENTAL BITCHINN
One important thing to point out is that I always lack focus, both in real life and at the tables. I can focus for a short period of time then I drift away thinking of totally different things and I'll realize after a while that I'm not focused. When reading a book, I often have to reread every other paragraph. It is probably a factor of unhealthy routine.
It probably affects my game a lot, and I immodestly admit I have enough skill to beat NL100/200 for a decent WR if I focused more intense for a longer period of time. (Psstt, Erik. You don't have to introduce yourself. I know exactly who you are, muaha)
Hmmm, you already know who I am. Well see if I can figure out who you are? 
When it comes to your lack of focus, would you say that you have a hyperactive mind? By that I mean that you often find yourself lost in though, repetitive negative thought patterns and that your mind is often tired?
Originally posted by ErikStenqvist
Hmmm, you already know who I am. Well see if I can figure out who you are?
When it comes to your lack of focus, would you say that you have a hyperactive mind? By that I mean that you often find yourself lost in though, repetitive negative thought patterns and that your mind is often tired?
I do have a hyperactive mind meaning that I get easily distracted and my mind likes to focus on new things every few minutes.
For example, when I play on a new site or there's something new on the poker tables, I tend to focus a lot (which is a psychological theory isn't it).
I did have a negative thoughts problem not a long time ago. I'd just beat myself to death with negative visions which was draining mentally and emotionally but I don't think it had much to do with poker.
I eat healthy. I decided to exercise more, and probably get more sleep - do less unproductive stuff to get an additional hour of sleep in that time. That should be helpful.
Reposting my stats. Maybe someone will take a stab at berating me.
Promised positional stats (very detailed because one day I worked with A. Jackson's extensive DB analysis and they just stayed there):
Spoiler
And about somewhat low button winrate - it's due to February's badrun - compare to these January stats:
Spoiler
Some notes: My check/raise always used to be higher (around 10-15%) but I was experimenting a lot with calling more in the blinds and then check/calling flops when I'm rather ahead instead of just wasting my equity and turning my hand into a bluff. It's kind of a range visualization, but by doing it, I think I gave up a little on check/raising the worse parts of my range (and I'd fold the worst so my check/folding range expanded a little, including worse hands that I could have c/r for bluff).
Low MP/CO 3bet - just not paying enough attention during the game (lack of focus problem). Definitely working on it.
Also, wanted to increase my squeezing a bit.
EDIT2: These include HU as well as I start a lot of tables to get action going. Without HU, my winrate is about 6.8bb/100 and blinds -14bb/100 and -19bb/100 (LOL #HUFISH)
open wider CO. up to 26-27% at least.
could 3bet your button more too.
you seem way too fit-or-fold on the flop! you know gto wise you're supposed to c/f only 40-45%. (just never fold any gutshot, backdoor flush draw as a start).
oh, or is it your c/f flop AS PFR?
what are your fold to cbets by street?
your game seems solid.
Thanks a lot Ben. Hit me up on Skype, seems like we're in a pretty similar situation. Username is the same as here.
Check/fold is only as the PFR. I don't check/raise as the PFR as much as I would want to. I do it occasionally though.
I want to open CO wider but then I don't want my number to go up too much. It's kind of a stupid thinking. But playing solid is what you makes money at lower stakes, I just wanna build enough bankroll to move to higher stakes and then I can start playing more out of the box which will be more profitable than playing super standard poker.
My fold to cbets are pretty low, I think their too low and I lose when I call down three streets.
Flop it's about 35-40, and turn/river is about 35.
1.I do have a hyperactive mind
2.I did have a negative thoughts problem
3.to get an additional hour of sleep in that time..
1. If you have a smart phone like an iPhone and just search for any app called mindfulness. I would recommend you to start practicing it 10min 2 times per day or so. it might feel unproductive at first but this will help you tremendously in the long run. If you can find one you like just pm me and ill tell you some good one
2. Same here mindfulness will help with this int he way that you will have more control over where your mind wander and the awareness to catch it and bring it back to where you want i to be...
3. do you have trouble falling asleep. I know a great free Body Scan Sleep meditation you can download from iTunes.
Let me know what you think
Cheers!
Originally posted by mko101
Yeah, I thought those things could be really useful. Will definitely try to come up with lists (I love lists, I make lists for everything).One thing I kept thinking of while reading about prioritizing tasks, is this example. I want to play poker and finish my bonus because I have only a little left. I want to work on my game today because it will benefit me in the future. However, I have a few page essay due tomorrow night (I'm a full-time student). Which task is more important? Should I play when the games are good and start working on my essay when I already played some hands or the games aren't that good anymore?
Thank you for the time you're spending on helping me!
Hey again,
Tough question ♦.
Let's see.
You generally have 4 categories of things:
1. unimportant and non-urgent (like reading facebook, 9gag, news...)
2. unimportant and urgent (a friend calls you, someone wants to talk to you on facebook... (not always unimportant, but usually less important than your priorities))
3. important and non-urgent (exercising, nutrition, working on your game...)
4. important and urgent (paying the bills, grinding the bonus, doing the essay)
Generally, you want to be doing the 4. and 3. the most, then doing 2. and avoiding 1.
From the specific example, I'd say that working on your game is under 3., and the essay + bonus are under 4.
So I'd say that essay and bonus should have a higher priority. Since the essay is due until tomorrow evening, I think you can easily work on bonus first while the tables are good, then when they stop being good/tomorrow morning work on your essay.
Work on your game when the essay is finished + tables are bad ;).
And forgot to answer your question,
I lose focus too easily, and drift away. I don't think about hands as deeply as I wish. Sometimes I can't focus for 25 mintues, sometimes I'm fine playing for 2 hours. I noticed my focus improves a lot after eating a healthy meal right before. Part of it is definitely tiredness as I don't get much sleep during the week (and I'm a very deep, long sleeper). I focus on hands but I sometimes miss the most important factors that come to my head after the hand is done. Hopefully, getting rid of all unimportant stuff from my head and having more space to focus solely on the hands will help me!
Yep, getting rid of the unimportant stuff will definitely help you with that. What you could also do is write down what you forgot to pay attention to during the hand after the hand. If you do this frequently, you might see some patterns emerging and you can think about how to fix them :).
What's your sleep schedule like at the moment?
It's great that you've realized that healthy meals improve your focus, now you just have to eat them ;).
-Primož
Also posting my pop-up, as the detailed stats might be too much to look at.
Preflop
Post + Cbets
Hi mko101, how are you, well I hope?
Just a reminder to try to keep your thread up to date if you can, especially after making such a nice intro.
What happened with the essay by the way, did you breeze it?
Have fun,
Mal.
Straight A, so like 95%!
Posted my stats, no one seemed willing to comment.
But up to date - currently on worse downswing since idk when, probaly like last january. And my graph doesn't look like a straight up arrow anymore 
Originally posted by mko101
Also posting my pop-up, as the detailed stats might be too much to look at.Preflop
Post + Cbets
I think the main thing that stands out is that your EP/MP stats are very similar, we can get away with opening wider from MP and should so that our ranges progress, so would try to go a bit wider from MP, but could be a sample issue.
You are absurdly tight from the cut off, you really need to open wider here, any reason why you are playing so tight? Your cut off % is how your MP % should be.
Also 15% limp/call ? lol
You have a 175 donk bet range, which is a decenty high amount, do you have a solid game plan behind it?
Originally posted by pleno1
I think the main thing that stands out is that your EP/MP stats are very similar, we can get away with opening wider from MP and should so that our ranges progress, so would try to go a bit wider from MP, but could be a sample issue.You are absurdly tight from the cut off, you really need to open wider here, any reason why you are playing so tight? Your cut off % is how your MP % should be.
Also 15% limp/call ? lol
You have a 175 donk bet range, which is a decenty high amount, do you have a solid game plan behind it?
Thanks, Patricioo!
MP/CO are low because I used to hate playing OOP. Besides, a very stupid reason - I steal a ton because they fold too much. Then if I widened my MP/CO, my stats would go up to 29/26, 30/27 - and it crested a totally different psychological mindset other players have vs. you. I didn't wanna deal with wider ranges-more mistakes-more variance kinda stuff.
I don't know why my EP is "so" high. It's around 12-13% unless there's a fish in the blinds.
Play solid, win money.
Limp/call - not sure. It might be a misclick, and them I'm like, ehhh fuck you. Let's see the flop. Or me completing on the SB, then calling a raise after 2-3 other players called.
Donk bet - same. I donk bet VERY often after I complete or limp. Any pair, any draw, any backdoor, any board that might miss my opponents often enough and I have outs vs. their continuing ranges. About raised pots, I donk only to exploit someone's passive tendencies or if it makes them spazz.
Thanks for taking your time!
Hey again,
did you manage to improve your prioritizing? Did you perhaps run into any problems? Btw, still waiting for your sleep schedule ;).
-Primož