Coherent Babble

I just wrote this regimen up for a friend of mine who doesn’t really have any AFT (away from the table) study habits. He wants to start focusing on studying more and playing better. Don’t we all? Anyway, I designed this regimen which mimics my regimen pretty well and after writing it, I realized many people could benefit from it. So here ya go :)

This is a 3 step regimen that will inevitably help you have a better mindset while playing, focus more on learning/getting better, and just provide better overall habits. I think designing this regimen will help me as well because I don’t do these EVERY time like I should.

Step 1 – Design and follow a pre-session routine.

Mine goes something like this:

Make sure I’m not tired.
Finish any tasks that are on my mind (feed dog, take out trash, etc.).
Go to the bathroom.
Get a glass of water.
Close all browsers, AIM, and Skype.
Review pre-written notes about leaks I’m trying to fix or any helpful mantras, such as THEY ARE BLUFFING LESS THAN YOU THINK THEY ARE.
Open Pandora and PTR.
Open HEM, FT, and TableFinder.
Take a few deep breaths and clear my mind.
Play.

Step 2 – Design a post-session routine.

Mine goes like this:

Review all of the hands I marked during the session.
Decide if I played them well, if I know how to play it better, and if I should discuss it with a friend, my coach, and/or post to DC.
If necessary, post hand(s) to DC with reads and such.
Review the pre-session notes to assess if I improved upon my leaks.

Step 3 – Utilizing DC

Part 1 – DC Videos

Find a series that you want to watch (suggestions – Ghost Ship, Thin Red Line, The Riddler*, or anything by Baluga or jk3a).
Find time to watch 2 episodes each week, and ONLY watch the video, no internet surfing, messaging, etc.
Take notes on the video and think about how you can implement anything useful into your game. Also, if it’s a live play/video review, try to pause the video while watching when a spot comes up and think about how you would play the hand, and then listen to what the coach says.
If it’s a current series (as in you are watching it as it’s released each week), then post questions in the episode thread.

*I haven’t watched The Riddler yet, but the reviews seem to be good.

Part 2 – DC Forums

Make a point to respond to 1 hand each day on the forums. It only takes 5 minutes and each difficult hand posted will make you think about poker while not playing. Look at them as daily quizzes. Don’t read anything but the OP before responding.*

*If you don’t feel like actually responding due to laziness or being uncomfortable that you don’t know what the “answer” is to the hand, then just respond in your head. Read the OP, formulate how you would play the hand and why, and then read the rest of the thread to see what other people posted and why.