On the walk from the station to the office, when I go for an evening run (and sometimes when I should be listening to whatever Mrs Brett happens to be wittering on about). The old grey matter just keeps milling over hands I have played and situations that have cropped up at the tables. So I have to ask myself - given that I am a cerebral type, given too much pondering and cogitation, why then do I find myself thinking so little at the table?
I’ve been playing a very mechanical style of late and not thinking as deeply about what my opponent’s actions mean. Oddly this has not led to horrible results, I’m still ticking away at a reasonable win rate, but I’m not getting into the heads of my fellow players and I’m starting to feel like a bit like a robot.
I am sure this is due to infrequent and short poker sessions. It’s getting harder and harder for me to get some good table time - my youngest is growing up and she needs more and more of my attention, works been pretty hectic lately and my social life has been incandescent. The upshot of all this activity has been that far from firing up the tables when I get a spare moment, I have been sprawling on the sofa and watching TV or playing the Wii.
The problem with short sessions is I don’t have time to get a good handle on my opponents. It’s perfectly possible to play a tight mathematical game and still win - but the real joy is to get inside the heads of the people you are sat with, to make the hero call, to push someone off a hand when you just know they don’t have the cojones to call you. You can’t make these decisions unless you are really thinking about your game and the game of those around you.
So, I’m going to try to free up some more time, but until I can, I guess some poker is better than none!