It’s hard to find time to play poker. We have jobs, families, friends and other responsibilities that keep us away from the poker table. We deal with it the best we can by setting aside a little time every week to get our poker fix. The question is, “Are you using this time effectively?”
The problem with setting aside a block of time like 10 hours a week is that you’re likely to spend all that time playing. There’s nothing wrong with playing for 10 hours a week, but it won’t improve your game. You have to spend some time reviewing your play and learning new strategies if you want to improve. Here’s how poker players should manage their time:
All time is not equal. An hour spent playing poker, for example, is worth more to your development than an hour spent at the bar. So the first thing we have to do is turn your time into units that reflect the value of any given activity.
Here’s an example:
Playing Poker = 10 units
Reading or watching videos about poker = 3 units
Reviewing Play = 6 units
Now instead of saying that I want to invest 10 hours a week on poker, I can say that I want to invest 90 units. This system forces me to evaluate the usefulness of any activity.
Time units won’t be the same for all players. A new poker player should value learning poker more than playing poker and intermediate players should value reviewing their play more than playing. Let me explain.
A new poker player knows the rules of the game but may not understand vital concepts like position, pot odds or the Gap Principle. This type of player should spend more of his time reading poker books and watching poker videos than playing the game. Here’s how new players should unitize their time:
Playing Poker = 3 units
Reading or Watching Videos about Poker = 10 units
Reviewing Play = 6 units
The vast majority of new players’ time should be spent learning the game and reviewing their play so they can focus on winning strategies and principles. To accomplish this goal, new players should make learning and reviewing more valuable than playing.
An intermediate poker player knows basic concepts as well as more advanced ones. Intermediate players know when to bluff and when to let a hand go. They’re well versed on the math of the game and just need a little fine tuning to take their game to the next level. Here’s how an intermediate poker player would unitize his time:
Playing Poker = 6 units
Reading or Watching Videos about Poker = 3 units
Reviewing Play = 10 units
Intermediate players already know a lot about the game so they don’t have to spend as much time learning. An intermediate player’s time is better spent reviewing his play to see where he’s making mistakes and how he could have extracted more value or controlled his losses.
Expert players are masters of the game. These players can put their opponents on accurate hand ranges and know how to exploit weaknesses in their opponents. These players often get some or all of their income from the game. Here’s how an expert player would unitize his time:
Playing Poker = 10 units
Reading or Watching Videos about Poker = 3 units
Reviewing Play = 6 units
Expert players don’t need to spend a lot of time learning the game, but they should still spend some time watching videos and reading to keep up with the way the game is changing.
When expert players review their game, it should be to make sure they had accurate reads on their opponents and were exploiting them fully.
Of course, the majority of an expert’s time should be spent playing poker since that’s how they make their money.
* * *
Unitizing your time isn’t time management, it’s time maximization. You should spend your time where it does the most good and the best way to do that is by assigning different tasks different values according to worth. Give it a try and let me know if it improves your game.
Ready to try out your new poker skills? Play for real or free at:
