Concentration shifts

Heads Up / Marcus Bateman / 07 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

One of the interesting things that unites all one on one gaming is the curious way that concentration shifts and moves over the course of matches. Players who seem unbeatable one minute suddenly seem in terminal decline the next, as big leads suddenly disappear and underdogs make huge comebacks. Complacency replaces skilled and dynamic thinking, and games turn on their head.

This effect is particularly pronounced in heads up poker. Not only does winning feel very easy in poker - especially when you have been helped by a healthy dose of lady luck - but the player who is stuck will often start focussing much more and start taking new and subtle lines to try and get back on track. As you can frequently feel like you are on top of the world and could beat said player with your eyes closed, this can very quickly become a huge leak, as your play stagnates at the very time your opponent's becomes much better.

Just like in professional sport, keeping up concentration is actually an extremely hard thing to do in one on one games. Maintaining a stable level of focus while both winning and losing is extremely hard, although there are a few key things you can do to help.

Firstly, don't play for long periods when tired, stressed, or under the influence. All of these are core things that drastically affect your concentration, and even if you come out of the blocks winning, will generally spell doom against many opponents in the long run. Secondly, make sure that you stay wary and vigilant when winning. It is very easy to just think an opponent is predictable and dumb if you win a lot early in a session, but this is often not the case. Make sure that you analyse each hand properly and don't just go on autopilot when ahead - stuck players generally either tilt and lose quickly or focus hard and become very dangerous, and in the latter case it is critical you keep on top of them and don't let them back in easily.

The real difference between players in any kind of long heads up match will always be concentration levels. Be it tennis, snooker, poker or boxing, the player who wins the most will be the one who keeps his head best when both ahead and behind, and it is a skill key to becoming a great heads up player.

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