Je ne les donne ici que parce que ce blog n'est ouvert qu'à des personnes de confiance, afin que vous, chers lecteurs, puissiez m'aider dans mes démarches d'amélioration personnelle. (Désolé, c'est en anglais)
QUESTIONNAIRE
JARED
TENDLER – MENTAL GAME OF POKER
(Mise à jour : Avril 2013)
1.
First
share with me first a bit about yourself, (education, interests, family, etc):
(Nov 2012) French player, 41 years old. Working as an engineer in a
big French company in the Defense business. I’m married since 12 years and have
a newborn baby.
Besides playing poker, I’m currently learning to fly small airplanes.
2.
Briefly
describe your poker history. How would you characterize your progress? What
game(s)/limit(s) do you play?
(Nov 2012) Started playing in 2006, at first 10c SNG and Limit HE
1c/2c. I gradually climbed the ladders, and am currently playing mostly NLHE
6max, from NL50 to NL200€
(Jan 2013) Moving down in stakes down to NL25 & NL50 following
downswing & lack of confidence.
(April 2013) Still moving down in stakes down to NL10 and NL25 in CG. Started playing SNG again.
3.
What
are your goals in poker? Short- and long-term.
(Nov 2012) I define my short term goals every month : what things
to study, and games to play with associated volume.
My long-term goals are defined & redefined every now and them.
My current goals are to be able to continue supporting my flying lessons with
my poker winnings. I have the fantasy-dream of being able to work part-time and
play more in compensation. However, I don’t think I have the mental fortitude
to be able to do this.
(Jan 2013) Short term goal is mostly to regain the confidence I had
last year.
4.
Do
you have personal goals facilitated by poker?
If so, please share as much as you are comfortable.
(Nov 2012) Learning to fly. It’s a very costly activity that I
couldn’t pay for with my salary. My flying lessons are paid for with my poker
winnings.
5.
List
and describe the problems you want me to help you address (up to 5). List them in order of importance to you or by
severity. Give as much information as you can, including the triggers, signs,
and what you believe are the causes.
(Nov 2012)
- I have very variable confidence in my play. My feelings range
from poker-god to doomed. When feeling good, I start fantasizing about quitting
my job and living the good-life. Then, a few days later, I feel like crap and
can’t figure out why I can’t win a hand.
- My typical opponents drive me crazy by the way they play and
never fail to suck-out. French players have the reputation of being bad … the
reality is way beyond. Phil Hellmuth Tilt …
(Dec 2012)
- I have little endurance, especially online. After a while, my
mind starts drifting and gets distracted.
- I am infuriated when I play badly and see it.
(Jan 2013)
- Motivation is hard to find when I’m running bad for a long period
of time.
6.
What
have you tried to do to fix any of these issues? What level of success have you
had?
(Nov 2012) I have a blog (that I started when I first started
playing back in 2006) in which I record my results, as well as my goals,
feelings, dreams, … This helps me be accountable for my results. Therefore,
unlike many of my friends, I don’t just blow-up and spew away my bankroll when
running bad.
When running bad, I don’t sober too much over how unlucky I am, but
try to find leaks and technical mistakes I make. I also often make changes to
my game (which is not always a good idea). Often, I change the type of game I
play (switching from cash-game to sng) or go down in stakes.
(Dec 2012) I’m not always very constant in my work-ethics,
especially during long loosing/breakeven stretches when I tend to get a bit
discouraged.
7.
Do
factors outside of poker ever affect your play?
If yes, how? Does poker ever
negatively impact your life? If yes,
how?
(Nov 2012) My work is time consuming. I often come home somewhat
tired (around 8pm), and play in the evening. Playing tired is not a good idea
as it makes me play on autopilot and make tons of errors. However, I often feel
compelled to play anyway in order to put in some hours.
Poker affects my professional life : I think about poker a lot
during work hours and I spend my lunch time working on my game rather than
spend time with my colleagues. I try to avoid making it affect my family life,
but it certainly does from time to time because I’m not as available.
8.
Why
do you play poker? What motivates to
play, why you love it, what you get out of it?
(Dec 2012) At first, it was the challenge to compete vs other
players, and understand the fundamentals of a fun game. After some time, it has
become the opportunity to have a nice side income.
I love the game because it makes me think about the best way to
beat my opponents and I love the feeling of winning. I like to be recognized as
one of the best, and I like to give advice to friends. I realize that this last
thing is probably a mental game issue.
9.
List
your three to five biggest distractions while playing. Describe why these are a
problem.
(Nov 2012)
Poker forums
Skype with poker friends
Baby crying
Wife asking me to do stuff
The first 2 keep me from being focused. The 3rd and 4th
tend to irritate me because I must choose between ignoring the request (wrong
thing to do, obv), and answering therefore stop playing. Since I don’t have
that much time to play, I feel as if it’s ruined opportunity.
10.
How
do you decide when to play? Do you have
set times or is it flexible or random?
(Nov 2012) I play in the evening (after diner), and during
weekends. In the evening, it’s mostly between 9pm and 1am (variable). On
weekend, it’s very random according to my agenda.
11.
Describe
what you do before you play. How do you
warm up, if you do?
(Nov 2012) I often just start playing. I have been trying to
implement a pregame routine since 6 months, but I fail to do it regularly.
Things in my pregame routine include reviewing last session, making
sure I have no interruptions in the near future, having distractions shut down
and notes/HM ready, and some deep breathing.
(Jan 2013) I created a “Session Log” based on the Process Model. It
includes checklists of things to do during warm-up, session, and cool-down. For
warm-up, beside the checklist, I write my goals for the session, and make an
assessment of my mental state, with empathize on anger/tilt, fear, motivation
and confidence components.
(April 2013) Having trouble using the session log in a regular way.
I must put it as a goal for next month.
12.
What
is your average session length?
How many sessions do you play per day?
How many hours do you play per month on
average?
Are any of these shorter than your
goal? If so, in what ways are the problems listed in question 5 related?
(Nov 2012) Average session length is about 1h30. I play generally
one session per day, except on weekend where I can play 2 or 3 sessions per
day.
I play about 50-60 hours per month. I play less when I’m not
feeling in tune with my game.
I wish I could play more, but reasonably, I don’t have the time to
do it. I could perhaps spend a bit less time working the game, and a bit more
time playing.
(March 2013) With the bad run, the average monthly hours is
decreasing severly in the last few month.
13.
What
are the reasons that you would quit a session prematurely? Are the problems
listed in question 5 ever the cause?
(Nov 2012) Tilt issue. I have learned to quit quickly when I feel
that tilt is creeping up. I also tend to quit after loosing 3 to 4 buyins. Lack
of confidence is often a reason I quit a session early, or even that I don’t
even start a session.
(Jan 2013) In frequent tilt status, I tend to quit very early these
last few months. My average number of hours played has dropped significantly
because of this.
14.
Describe
your work ethic. Is procrastination or burnout ever a problem?
(Dec 2012) I believe I work more on my game than almost all my
poker-playing-friends and relations (except those that play poker full-time). I
do lots of thinking, reading, math, …
I have never burned-out, though I’ve been close several times (and
currently am very close).
Procrastination is a problem I have with lots of things, it’s less
a problem with poker than with most of the other things (including work, family
stuff, home-stuff, …)
15.
Describe
what you do away from the table to improve technically as a player.
(Nov 2012) Discussions in forum, read books, view videos, do equity
calculations, listen to technical podcasts.
16.
Do
you ever act without thinking in a way that’s negative? If yes, why? What is
the typical situation when it happens?
(Dec 2012) I think it’s rare, and can’t think of time when it
happens (outside of poker).
(Jan 2013) When playing poker, sometimes I am on autopilot and take
decisions that are stupid or that are wrong (though I don’t always realize it
immediately)
17.
Describe
your mindset when you are playing your best.
(Nov 2012) Confident, but not overly confident. This happens when I
feel my opponents are reasonably skilled.
(Jan 2013) I am thinking about my decisions, do quick mental math,
and base my decision on the equity I think I have rather than on the money at
risk. I’m OK with loosing quite a few buyins if I believe I make the right
plays. I also am in tune with the flow of the game and anticipate well what my
opponents are likely to do.
18.
Do
you ever get down about your ability as a player? If so, can it happen after
one bad session?
(Nov 2012) Yes, and it often
happens after a bad session (but more often, it takes a series of bad
sessions). I start to doubt my game, and feel I have to adjust.
(Jan 2013) Currently (my biggest & longest loosing/breakeven streak so far), I am feeling
very low about my ability. I am afraid not being able to win again.
19.
How
well do you typically handle pressure situations in poker or elsewhere (if
different than poker)? Describe.
(Nov 2012) Lack of courage
at first. It often takes some time before I get the nerves to act.
(Jan 2013) I often am subject to the “Monster Under the Bed”
syndrome. I start to play weakly and passive, and keep on folding.
20.
Do
you have any specific memories in poker that you still think about or that pop
into your head randomly? (Bad hands, tournament bust outs, or others.)
(Nov 2012) No
21.
Does
thinking about poker ever keep you up at night, or prevent you from enjoying
your life? If so, what are you thinking about? Do you ever get stuck thinking
about mistakes?
(Nov 2012) Rarely, but it
happens. I often replay a hand time and time again thinking about what I should
have done. It’s often because of a mistake I made, especially if I think it’s
an obvious mistake.
(Jan 2013) It can also be after a big lost pot when I try to find a
way I could have avoided it.
22.
Hypothetical
question: You have the ability to magically make any of the issues in question
5 disappear. Which one would you choose? Why? What do you think your game would
be like without it?
(Dec 2012) It would be the variable confidence. I would like to be
with a permanent medium-high-confidence : not too high where I invariably go
crazy, not too low where I feel quite depressed and don’t play much. Having a
medium-high confidence allows me to get in volume and work on my game.
23.
List
and/or describe your mental strengths.
(Dec 2012) Don’t know
(Jan 2013) Not really a “mental strength”, but my bankroll management
skills are probably my biggest assets, and have kept me from going broke.
Maybe being stubborn is in some way a mental strength when it comes
to poker : I keep coming back to the game, even during bad times.
24.
Do
you take notes on your game after a session? If yes, describe.
(Nov 2012) I try to do it
more and more. I take note of my raw results (including time played and nb of
hands). I’ve recently started journaling these as well as adding notes about
mental state, and goal achievements. I often fail to record these info after
the session.
(Jan 2013) I failed to keep this habit. Failing to keep my pre/post
game routine may be part of the reason I can’t get over my downswing … but I
can’t seem to get my head to it ! Will try though !
(April 2013) Still having problems keeping my journaling of the
sessions.
25.
How
much is your evaluation of your ability as a player influenced by results?
Describe.
(Nov 2012) A lot ! Most of
the time, I evaluate myself according to the raw results. Occasionally, I feel
good about myself after a bad session (knowing I played well but got unlucky).
Rarely the opposite.
(April 2013) Trying to
evaluate the impact of variance after sessions helps in mitigating the
influence of the results on the evaluation of my play.
26.
Do
you exercise? If yes, on average how often and generally what do you do?
(Nov 2012) No, or too
little.
(Jan 2013) Started playing some tennis, about an hour each week.
Also climbing 6 levels of stairs twice a day. Not much, but better than nothing.
I will need to restart running a bit starting in the spring (nice
weather is a booster). I have never felt as good as when I used to run 4x a
week some years ago.
(April 2013) Procrastinating
with exercise …
27.
How
much do you sleep on average per night? Is sleep ever an issue? If so,
describe. What, if anything, do you notice about your play on days when you
don’t sleep well or long enough?
(Nov 2012) Between 5 and 7
hours per night, more on weekend. I often take a 20 min nap after lunch. If I
slept less than 6 hours and don’t take a nap after lunch, I am tired in the
evening.
28.
Do
you eat or drink anything when playing? If yes, describe what is typical.
(Nov 2012) Rarely. When it
happens, it’s mostly during live home-games. If any candies are around, I’ll be
the one eating all of them.
29.
Do
you smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or use any other drugs when playing? If
yes, what and how much on average? What effect, positive or negative, do you
think it has on your game?
(Nov 2012)
No drugs, no cigarettes.
Alcohol, sometimes, during live home-games, but rarely more than a
couple of beers or a glass or 2 of wine. Even a little alcohol has a huge
impact on my game : I feel like a poker-god, but my plays are totally absurd
when I get the chance to review them.
In live friendly games, when the stakes have little impacts to me,
or I feel I outclass my opponents, I can drink much more (and inevitably loose
money).
30.
Do
you have any medical illnesses at this time? If yes, how does it affect any of
the issues in question 5?
(Nov 2012)
No
31.
Do
you have any current psychological issues that have been diagnosed by a doctor
or someone in the psychological field? If yes, what, if anything, is your
current treatment and how do you think it affects any of the issues in question
5?
(Nov 2012)
No
32.
Estimate
the amount lost per month as a result of the problems you want to address. Also
estimate the percent of time you play your A-game.
(Dec 2012)
Difficult to estimate, but let’s try :
Lack of motivation to play when feeling low : 15 hours not played :
45€ (base 2bb/100 nl50, 300hands/h)
Overconfidence, playing too loose and too high : 5 hours per month
average : 60€ (base -4bb/100 nl100, 300hands/h)
That’s about 100€ / month, directly due to mental issues.
Since I stop too soon when not playing well, I spend most of my
time playing my B or A game. I’d say about 40% of the time, I play my A game,
50% my B game, and 10% my C game.
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