+++Q&A with Jared Tendler!!+++

If you could put a number on the percentage of how much your mindset takes a part of your overall game what would it be?

How much would you say a good mindset is worth in terms of bb/100?

which pro has the best mindset?

Originally posted by TobyCS
How much would you say a good mindset is worth in terms of bb/100?

Wouldn't this be priceless in poker terms?

Do you recommend a sport, such as boxing or MMA to relieve poker related stress?

I read in Barry Greenstein's book that being sexually active really helps your focus when it comes to playing poker. How much truth is in that?

I've been told in the past that some japanese office workers were allowed a "tilt room" where they'd just smash stuff to relieve stress and the suicide numbers went down as a result to that. Is a tilt room, or area,(as seen on 2 months 2 million) a good suggestion?

Does a healthy mindset acquired through poker, really help you a tonne in real life too?

did you coach neverscaredb or did he read your book

First off, Pleno, thanks for the great welcome.

I'm happy to be here, and answer your questions. To everyone reading this, don't shy away from posting specific questions about your mental game. In other well style threads like this, I've offered answers to player's mental game issue/problems, and happy to do it here too.

Originally posted by TobyCS
If you could put a number on the percentage of how much your mindset takes a part of your overall game what would it be?

How much would you say a good mindset is worth in terms of bb/100?

It's tough to give general % because it's going to differ depending on the player. Take a player with a ton of talent/skill in playing who continually busts BR's because of major tilt problems. I'd say the important of their mental game is near 90%. All their skill is wasted bc they can't control their emotions.

In general though, I'd say the importance of the mental game/good mindset is somewhere in the 30% range. It's a big part of the game, but for many players, their actual skill in the game is most important. The mental game to me is what allows you to make the most of your skill/talent as a player. Though, it can't replace it.

Regarding BB/100 - again it will depend, but I'd say anywhere between .5 and 2 (depending on game - more for HU) is reasonable. Players with a lot of skill and terrible mental game, it's worth a lot more. One specific example I can give is Liz "RickJamesB1atch" Herrera who was winning at 3bb at 2/4 & 3/6 HU when I first started coaching her, and now she's winning 12bb playing as high as 50/100 - over a million hands. That's a dramatic example, and I can't take all the credit. She's the one of the hardest working players I've worked with. Which is part of the point, with tilt issues out of the way, she was able to make the most of her hardwork.

Originally posted by zilltine
which pro has the best mindset?

It's a flip between all the top players in the world. Without working with them I couldn't say, but from observation, most of the players at the top are solid mentally. I'm not sure at this point it's possible to get there without one.

Originally posted by martoman2k10

Do you recommend a sport, such as boxing or MMA to relieve poker related stress?

Sports are great stress relievers, and my recommendation is to do the ones that interest you. There isn't a sport that I would recommend more than another to relieve stress.

One thing to consider though too is the cause of stress in poker. There is stress that's part of playing a highly competitive game and everyone needs to relieve it. Then, there's excessive stress that can come from an extended downswing, losing in general, playing in big games, etc. Sports aren't going to fix the stress related to these problems. It can provide temporary relief, but not solve the underlying cause of why they produce so much stress.

Originally posted by martoman2k10
I read in Barry Greenstein's book that being sexually active really helps your focus when it comes to playing poker. How much truth is in that?

Not my area of expertise, and I haven't seen any research to back that up. Doesn't mean it's not true - obviously it was for him. I'm just not sure how much that would be true for everyone else.

Originally posted by martoman2k10
I've been told in the past that some japanese office workers were allowed a "tilt room" where they'd just smash stuff to relieve stress and the suicide numbers went down as a result to that. Is a tilt room, or area,(as seen on 2 months 2 million) a good suggestion?

In the short-run, something like this can definitely help. In the long-run, my approach is to solve the underlying causes of tilt. Otherwise, this is just a baidaid on the problem. An example of an underlying cause is a believe that a player is too good to lose to fish. On the surface it's totally illogical to think this way, because of variance. BUT, subconsciously, a ton of players believe it.

My approach here is to correct this faulty way of thinking, and once that happens, anger is no produced when losing to fish. That means, you no longer need to manage your tilt problem. There may be some minor frustration, but not major anger that would cause you to play poorly.

Actually being able to correct this faulty logic is a bit complex, at by far, my greatest skill as a coach. If you post an example of reason why you tilt, I'll take you through the process, so you can see what I mean.

Originally posted by martoman2k10
Does a healthy mindset acquired through poker, really help you a tonne in real life too?

Absolutely. Honestly, the most gratifying part of my job is seeing how working on your mental game in poker, not just makes you better in poker, but better in life. That sounds cheesy, I know, but what can I say, it's very cool when people share stories about how they've lost weight, quit smoking, or their family life is better.

Originally posted by ihufa
did you coach neverscaredb or did he read your book

Started coaching him a few years ago. Hard working, and talented guy. Didn't need a lot, but what we worked on made an impact.

Originally posted by JaredTendler

Originally posted by zilltine
which pro has the best mindset?

It's a flip between all the top players in the world. Without working with them I couldn't say, but from observation, most of the players at the top are solid mentally. I'm not sure at this point it's possible to get there without one.

Barry here, co-author.

During writing the book, one of the players Jared and I repeatadley would mention as having a good mental game is Phil Galfond. His blog is excellent and he has a real 'growth mindset' where deliberately puts himself in tough games to improve.

I'd say ultimately, it is the top pros who commit to working on their game and not get complacent who have the best mental attitudes (and suprise suprise, Hellmuth has to have one of the worst).

Originally posted by JaredTendler

Originally posted by martoman2k10
I read in Barry Greenstein's book that being sexually active really helps your focus when it comes to playing poker. How much truth is in that?

Not my area of expertise, and I haven't seen any research to back that up. Doesn't mean it's not true - obviously it was for him. I'm just not sure how much that would be true for everyone else.

Being sexually active is not your area of expertise? Poor guy

Originally posted by daveshoelace

Originally posted by JaredTendler

Originally posted by martoman2k10
I read in Barry Greenstein's book that being sexually active really helps your focus when it comes to playing poker. How much truth is in that?

Not my area of expertise, and I haven't seen any research to back that up. Doesn't mean it's not true - obviously it was for him. I'm just not sure how much that would be true for everyone else.

Being sexually active is not your area of expertise? Poor guy

co-author laying the smack down!

what would the the best way to prepare your body/mind for long sessions?i play mtts and felt a few time, when you play 8h+, do a mistake or just loose a standard pot, get frustrated, then start thinking too short about tougher situations.yeah, so pretty much what is the best way to train your endurance, just play?

The second most famous Barry from Sheffield ITT!!

Seriously - fantastic answers guys, can't wait to get my hands on the book.

The problem I have is when I know I'm going to have a losing session (tournaments) I find it insanely hard to concentrate. For example I have a 30 tournament schedule with lots of $200/$300's in, I usually go to the gym/swim beforehand and get in a really good mind frame, eventually I will be1 or 2 tabling a $26 at the end. I really find it hard to get the motivation to finish the session with the same mindset I started it with.

Another thing I have which I think is pretty huge and specific to me. Its hard to put it into words so I'll just tell the story. I was playing in a "deepstack" monthly tournament. Within the first 3 levels the average was 11,100 and I had 34,000. Half way through the next level I got really unlucky in two spots and I had 14,400. For me the tournament was over and instead of thinking "hey I'm above average" I just couldn't take my mind off thinking how many chips I had and that they should still be mine. I tilted off calling bets with any two cards and eventually bust before the end of the level. Whats the best way to keep myself composed in these spots? I literally think it could add an extra 7-8% on my roi.

yeah, have that problem sometime too, pleno1, people say that in poker you have to concentrate on the hand/situation you have right now, tho it is hard

Originally posted by pleno1
Another thing I have which I think is pretty huge and specific to me. Its hard to put it into words so I'll just tell the story. I was playing in a "deepstack" monthly tournament. Within the first 3 levels the average was 11,100 and I had 34,000. Half way through the next level I got really unlucky in two spots and I had 14,400. For me the tournament was over and instead of thinking "hey I'm above average" I just couldn't take my mind off thinking how many chips I had and that they should still be mine. I tilted off calling bets with any two cards and eventually bust before the end of the level. Whats the best way to keep myself composed in these spots? I literally think it could add an extra 7-8% on my roi.

99% of ppl have that problem. thats also why most dont succeed in areas where u constantly win and lose big parts of your "play" money. esp true for trading and poker.

read "fooled by randomness" by nicholas taleb. great book. my most favourite book btw. he also talks about your problem.

its like making 250k a year playing poker. u will be abover most poker plrs on the planet.
but if u had been up 500k and ran cold last 10k hands on nl10k hu, u feel like u lost. but in fact u won and still are way ahead of your competition.

i think awareness is a good starting point. being aware of the important facts and not being blinded by some swings or other plrs who made more or - in that specific case - by the fact that u had more chips before.

simply fooled by outcomes. its not about outcomes (and your chips on the table). its only about making right decisions over and over again. if u made the right decisions and lost the chiplead from 50k to 11k, so what. that was best u could do. u should be happy.

furthermore, u should be even twice as happy as u normally are when playing great. cuz u still have avg chip stack. and since u are at least semi-experienced plr, u know that trnys are won in the late stages. having chiplead early is nice, but just increases your chances of winning some % cuz blinds will go up a lot during the trny.
having a chiplead with 5 ppl left is a different story.

dont be fooled by randomness!

Originally posted by daveshoelace

Originally posted by JaredTendler

Originally posted by martoman2k10
I read in Barry Greenstein's book that being sexually active really helps your focus when it comes to playing poker. How much truth is in that?

Not my area of expertise, and I haven't seen any research to back that up. Doesn't mean it's not true - obviously it was for him. I'm just not sure how much that would be true for everyone else.

Being sexually active is not your area of expertise? Poor guy

I suppose I teed that one up for you, man. Tendler 0 - Carter 1.

Originally posted by phantommm92
what would the the best way to prepare your body/mind for long sessions?i play mtts and felt a few time, when you play 8h+, do a mistake or just loose a standard pot, get frustrated, then start thinking too short about tougher situations.yeah, so pretty much what is the best way to train your endurance, just play?

Preparing to play long hours isn't something that most players can do just by doing a few things before they play. It requires an overall approach to increasing mental endurance, and removing the things that typically take you out of an idea mindset. Once you are doing other things to increase endurance/remove mental flaws, any preparation that you do becomes much more effective.

What I'd suggest, is to first get a sense of the things that take you out of an ideal mindset. Tired, distracted, bored, frustrated, etc. Then, your preparation must include being ready to correct each of these things.

Increasing mental endurance, requires several things. I'll outline a few and if you want me to go into detail about any of them I will.

1) Training your skills to the level of mastery/unconscious competence
2)Forcing yourself to focus (you must be able to recognize the subtle signs that your focus is drifting, and work hard to stay focused on playing well and avoiding common mistakes.
3) Increasing mental endurance is just like increasing physical endurance.
4) Getting proper sleep and have snacks (no big meals). Avoiding burn-out.

If you want to start building a solid way to prepare to play right away, the most important thing to consider are your goals. Before you play, make a firm commitment to:

*Remain focused the entire MTT or time that you're playing
*Play close attention to signs that your focus is fading, and take immediate action to correct it.
*Make sure you play correctly/avoid mistakes when focus is off.

Setting these firm goals doesn't mean that you're always going to do it. If you fail, keep track of how long you were able to play with the level of focus you want. Track this number each time you play. As often happens, players lack the mental endurance to have a high level of focus for 8+ hours and they need to train it.

I know I've thrown a lot out to you, I'm happy to follow-up on anything I've mentioned.

Originally posted by JaredTendler

Originally posted by daveshoelace

Originally posted by JaredTendler

Originally posted by martoman2k10
I read in Barry Greenstein's book that being sexually active really helps your focus when it comes to playing poker. How much truth is in that?

Not my area of expertise, and I haven't seen any research to back that up. Doesn't mean it's not true - obviously it was for him. I'm just not sure how much that would be true for everyone else.

Being sexually active is not your area of expertise? Poor guy

I suppose I teed that one up for you, man. Tendler 0 - Carter 1.

Are you posting number of girls we have done it with there?

Originally posted by pleno1
The second most famous Barry from Sheffield ITT!!

Seriously - fantastic answers guys, can't wait to get my hands on the book.

The problem I have is when I know I'm going to have a losing session (tournaments) I find it insanely hard to concentrate. For example I have a 30 tournament schedule with lots of $200/$300's in, I usually go to the gym/swim beforehand and get in a really good mind frame, eventually I will be1 or 2 tabling a $26 at the end. I really find it hard to get the motivation to finish the session with the same mindset I started it with.

Another thing I have which I think is pretty huge and specific to me. Its hard to put it into words so I'll just tell the story. I was playing in a "deepstack" monthly tournament. Within the first 3 levels the average was 11,100 and I had 34,000. Half way through the next level I got really unlucky in two spots and I had 14,400. For me the tournament was over and instead of thinking "hey I'm above average" I just couldn't take my mind off thinking how many chips I had and that they should still be mine. I tilted off calling bets with any two cards and eventually bust before the end of the level. Whats the best way to keep myself composed in these spots? I literally think it could add an extra 7-8% on my roi.

Seriously, you're a Sheffield Barry?!

To your first problem - it sounds like your mindset gets off track because you end of focusing much more on results, than on the quality of your play. While financially, the end of a losing session, playing a tourny for a tiny amount, seems like a waste - as far as your learning goes - it's a tremendous opportunity. Why? Because its hard for you to focus and play the way you know you should. When that's hard, it means, that playing correctly at that time helps you train skills to the deepest level - Unconscious Competence (this is where you know something so well you never have to think about it, you just do it automatically). In order to reach that level, you must be able to avoid common mistakes. If you make a mistakes - it proves that you haven't yet mastered what is the correct way to play that particular spot. Instead, if you play correctly, even when the money is meaningless, you'll master these basics, and that allows you to move on to learning something new...because you can only focus on so much at one time.

To your second problem - it sounds like you get ahead of yourself, perhaps subtly feeling like you're in command of the tournament, maybe even that you might win, rather than staying committed to your strategy. Do you get nervous at that time?

Since I know that you tend to focus too much on results, I believe that's part of what happens here. Then as you start to lose, do you get a case of the "fuck its' - where you don't really care anymore because winning seems hopeless?

Post a few more details about what goes through your mind both when your accumulating a big stack, and on your way down. Then, I'll be able to figure out specifically what the cause is of your mindset getting thrown off track.