Poker Web Watch / Dave Allan / 03 November 2009 /

One of the biggest problems encountered by many players when they first start playing online is how easy it is to be distracted. Although there are distractions in live card rooms, such as sports being played on screens around you, easily available alcohol or the odd glamorous looking member of staff, it is nothing compared to the near endless number of things it seems possible to find to do when playing online.

From browsing Wikipedia and forums, to having a film running in the background while watching a football game, to searching for new music while playing solitaire, or simply the checking of poker blogs and news sites, the number of possible ways to let your attention leave the game when playing online are huge. Despite what it may feel like at the time, these distractions can really make a sizable dent in your performance at the tables, and being able to focus on the game as much as possible is a critical skill.

Most people underestimate the amount of effort and concentration that goes into being a winning player. Pros do not refer to it as 'grinding' for nothing, and thinking that you can just play on autopilot while doing other stuff is a recipe for disaster at all but the very lowest stakes. A lot of being a winning player is the attention to small detail. Timing tells, brief comments from an angry player in the chat box, a player making over shoves or too small a bet in a hand that does not involve you - all of these details can be quickly lost when your attention drifts elsewhere, and mistakes in dealing with key players will start to leak into your game, with obvious consequences on your win rate.

Although extremely tempting when playing online, it is crucial to keep your focus on the game as much as possible, for as long as possible. If you are going to do anything to distract yourself, try firing up a few more tables than you normally play - at least it will still be poker that you are focused on, and it may well increase your win rate if you can keep your concentration up on them. Poker is a hard enough game to win at without letting your mind slide onto other things, and although it often does not feel like you are missing out on much, most of the time you are, and this is a bad result for everyone except your opponents.

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