Updates: Sleep Problems and Work Hours

Someday I'm going to make a list of rules like the ones Agent Gibbs has on NCIS.  I won't always carry a knife but I'm sure that two rules will be on my list:

1. Don't miss a hand.
2. Never play tired.

I'm mentioned number one before, and it's pretty obvious.  I don't want to come back to my desk just in time to see my big pocket pair folded because my time ran out.  It's happened to me and it's a sick feeling.  One hand like that at the right time can be the difference between missing the money and making it to the final table.  I watched my queens get autofolded with only 12 players left.

I've mentioned trouble sleeping more than once.  It really hit me today how big a deal it is.  I knew how important it was to get enough rest, but last night I really felt it.

I was really tired when I played the 1829 tournament last night and it was a mess.  I didn't make any huge mistakes, but just a few small ones can make a big difference. If I don't pay attention to the stack size of someone sitting next to me, I'm missing valuable information on how he might react if I make a big bet.  A very short stack might be forced into going all-in regardless of what I do.  I made a couple inattention mistakes like that and I was knocked out pretty quickly.

I took a nap of a little over an hour before the 2214 tournament.  When I sat down to play I felt like a different person.  It really emphasized the difference between playing rested and tired.

I cashed in that tournament  (10th of 55), but more important, I felt great.  It was the first time in several days that I wasn't tired while I was playing.  I had so much energy and focus that I was disappointed to get just the minimum cash.  I was fired up and ready to play for a few more hours.

Regarding my work hours, it looks like I'll hit my goals two weeks in a row.  My granddaughter is spending the night tonight (Friday) but I planned for that and got a lot of work in early in the week.  As I type this its 0330 on Friday and I've worked 28.25 hours so far. Even considering my granddaughter's visit, I shouldn't have a problem getting the last 11.75 hours in, because I'll get some time in today before she comes over, and Saturday is completely open.

I'll have to hit the studying hard this weekend to make sure it's at least 25% of my time. That number is really important, in fact, it's just as important as getting my total hours in.  Many of the pros that you see on TV study all the time.  Jonathan Little, the co-author of Bluffs, has his own coaching site, to which I am a subscriber.  Even so, Little has subscriptions to five other coaching sites.

Little is one of the top players in the world but he often talks about all of the things that he learns from other players.  Study is that big a deal.  If the guy sitting across from you at the poker table has a good grasp of the math and theory and you don't, as the little girl on Full House used to say, "You're in big trouble mister!"

I will be playing the 2314 tournament tonight.  My granddaughter will be asleep by then.  It's the best available tournament and runs only once a week.  I try to never miss it.  Other than that, when I'm not sleeping today I'll mostly be studying.  I need to make sure that I get my 25% (at least 10 hours) of study time.

This weekend I'll be working on two things

1. Math (flash cards for review and memorization of different situations)

2. Bluffs, concentrating on the chapter on continuation betting.  I already have a C-betting cheat sheet on a clipboard, ready for the 2314 tournament tonight.

By no means am I limiting myself to 40 hours a week, or to 25% study.  I've had plenty of jobs (or more than one job) where I worked more than 40 hours a week.  For now, since my sleep problems are messing me up, I'm happy with the twin goals of 40 work hours with at least 25% study.  Those two numbers are an acceptable minimum.

As always, your questions and comments (see the box below) are always welcome.