Lover of trading, tacos, 3D/AR/VR, cryptos, and most things Japanese

#poker #flow I’ve been reading a lot about the psychological state of flow lately. According to Wikipedia, “Flow, also know as Zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.” My dad has recently given me two books that talk about it at some length.

The first book, that I’m about halfway through, is “Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World”. It talks a lot about how games allow us to get into and maintain a state of flow for long periods of time.

The second book that I just finished is “DRiVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”. This one talks about how we need purpose, autonomy and to strive for mastery for optimum performance, particularly at work. It also talks a lot about intrinsic vs. external motivation.

We all feel best when we’re experiencing flow, when we’re in “The Zone.” It’s the perfect blend between facing a challenge and having the skills to be up to that challenge. Poker does that for me. It allows me to find that flow, to be fully in the moment, to face and hopefully surmount the challenges of playing tough opponents. Without the tough opponents, where I’m constantly trying to figure out if they have the best hand or are just bluffing, poker becomes pretty routine – just wait for good hands and play them. But, when facing a creative opponent, all sorts of other factors come into play. What cards does he/she have? What cards do they think I have? Are they good enough to be thinking about what I have? Are they good enough to be thinking about what I’m thinking about, and how can I best level them?

There are infinite levels in poker, if the players are good. The first level is, “What cards do I have?” The second level is, “What cards do I think my opponent has?” The third level is, “What cards to I think my opponent thinks I have?” And so on and so on. This is what makes the game so challenging: figuring out what level your opponent is operating on and then going one level above them. It can backfire though, and you will often here players lamenting, “I ended up leveling myself” when they’ve taken it too far.

During last night’s session, there were two other good players at the ring game I was playing. (Ring games are full tables of nine players.) Six of them were fair players, not totally ramming and jamming with any two cards, but the two players that I had previously noted were solid are what made the game really interesting. This meant that there were fewer huge pots to be won, the three of us pretty much controlled pot sizes so they didn’t get too bloated and we didn’t risk much on any given hand. We generally avoided playing against each other most of the session, each knowing the other was a good player and capable of making plays. These are the types of opponents I seek out when I want to play for realz.

Unfortunately for me, I was tired and didn’t stay more than a couple hours because of it. That’s another important skill to have – knowing your limits and staying within them. I had found a table I wanted to keep playing at, but my mental state just wouldn’t allow me to keep playing. I could have pushed on, caffeinated up, and kept going, but I knew my game would ultimately suffer if I did, so I quit. I was up 40k and tired, so I left. Perhaps the real challenge would have been if I was stuck 40k, but I’ve left games before when I’ve started losing, so I don’t think it would have taken much for me to do so again. All in all it was a good session and I just wish I could have played longer. But there’s always another time to play, another session, another game.

I also experience flow when I’m getting a good workout on at the gym. I’m totally focused on the exercise, the challenge of lifting the weights just one more time. The feeling of fatigue and the great pumps I get. I’ve realized that I need to spend time exercising every day to feel right. I put in a team request for permission to join a local gym so that I can make working out a priority in my life again, and should find out Monday whether it’s been approved. I expect it will be, and am looking forward to getting back in there. The bet I have with Greg about whether he can get to 191 before I get to 195 is still on, and he’s been busting his butt and making steady progress. I definitely need to step up my game in that department. I did get a few good walks in this week, so I’m not feeling like a total lump of ooze, but getting back in the gym will really help me take it to the next level.

What are your thoughts on flow? Where do you find it most in your daily life? What do you do to achieve it? I’d love to hear your comments, leave ’em below. 🙂

I’ve been forced to learn the lesson of patience quite a bit lately. My time at the hospital has mostly been spent waiting: waiting for privs, waiting for doctors, waiting for school, waiting for the courts. I’m doing everything I can to get out of there as soon as possible, but some things are just beyond my control. This bothers me, as I much prefer to be in control, as I think most do. But the fact of the matter is, I’ve done all I can do, and it is enough.

The waiting game has carried over to my poker play. Yesterday was a prime example. I played a 200 hand session, about 6 hours, and was card dead most of the time. I saw only 29% of flops, and played only 10 hands to the river. Of those, I won 56% and the session ended up being my most profitable yet on Full Tilt – I netted 200k on the day, a personal best since switching to the site. So again the lesson of being patient, waiting for my spots, and then striking when all the stars are aligned payed off. Positive reinforcement at work!

Had I been in a different mindset, more aggressive perhaps, I would have been playing more pots and maybe picking up more with bluffs, but my head just wasn’t in that space yesterday. So I just waited. I waited until I had the best of it, and capitalized on those scenarios. I may have left some value on the table, but I didn’t throw away any.

As in other spots in life, patience has its rewards. I’ve learned to be patient with my family, patient with my son, patient with those I’m forced to interact with every day due to my situation. And being patient, as a patient, is inherently self-referential too and gives my inner geek a bit of a giggle. 🙂

#poker
James “SplitSuit” Sweeney has another great video on the different types of poker players and strategies for playing against them. He talks about Loose-Aggressive (LAG), Tight-Aggressive (TAG), Ultra-tight (NIT), the two types of Fish (Aggressive and Passive) as well as Unknowns. It’s a 40 minute video, but well worth the watch if you want to improve your game. Check it out