Multiplication tables

I cashed in my last live tournament.  It was a small cash (about two buy-ins) but it's better then not cashing.

One of my strengths is that I'm very good at honestly analyzing my play.  I know that when I sit down for a live tournament, there are areas where I'm very weak, such as reading tells.  There are other areas where I'm always one of the best players at the table, especially at final tables or any other time that blinds are high.

There is one area where I need to improve. I've never seen it mentioned in any poker book, or on any forum or coaching site, but I know what needs to be done. I need to work on my multiplication tables.

Poker requires doing a lot of math at the table. I've been working on keeping track of the pot size.  If I'm in a pot with four other players, that's a lot of betting.  With betting and raising on multiple streets, someone could put money in the pot 10 or more times during a hand. I have to keep a running total going in my head.  That's a lot of addition.

Many players, including me, often bet in fractions of the pot size.  My standard bet in many situations is 1/2 of the pot. I can't make that bet unless I know how much is in the pot.  I'm always doing addition at the table, and I'm much better at keeping track of the pot size than I was a couple months ago.

When blinds are high, everything changes.  At high blinds, half of the pot might be a significant portion of my stack, so I need to use a different metric. How much of my stack I'm willing to commit matters a lot more than the percentage of the pot.  That's where multiplication comes in.

I need to know my M, the number of orbits that I can play before I run out of chips.  For example, if the blinds and antes total 20,000 and my stack size is 200,000, my M is 10 and I need to be looking for a good spot to shove.  I will shove with an M as high as 30 in some circumstances, but with an M or 10 or less a shove is often the only option.)

Keeping track of my M is as important as keeping track of the pot size.  If I know my multiplication tables into the twenties and beyond things get a lot easier.  If I have 16,000 chips, the blinds and antes total 275,000 and I know my multiplication tables, I know that 16 X 17 = 272,  My M is 17, no math required.

I'm with my mother-in-law now.  Studying or working on anything is very difficult here.  I can lose my train of thought very easily.  Remember, because I have ADD and am easily distractable my ideal study environment is total silence.

This is the second day of a five-day stretch with her and I try to maximize the use of my time while making sure that her needs, including companionship, are taken care of.  Even with half-concentration when we're sitting in the living room together with the TV on, I don't have to worry about losing my place or forgetting what I was doing when I have a flash card in my hand.