Common Poker Distractions and Staying Alert

Many people underestimate how demanding poker is. Sure, it's a card game, but it's a highly competitive card game that requires concentration and skillful playing. There are several different factors other than the game that can interfere with a poker player's ability to concentrate, thereby seriously affecting the quality of their game.

The importance of good nutrition is common sense as it applies to a person's daily life, but many hardcore poker players forego good eating habits to stay in the game. At a live poker room, your food and beverage options are fairly limited, and online poker players are unlikely to leave their computer long enough to make a real meal.

Five hours of coffee or soda may keep you awake, but it will not keep your mind sharp.

Furthermore, your body's resulting crash from a sugar high can also be debilitating for your mind, causing a prolonged lapse in the analytical skills necessary to play the game well. Another necessity that determined poker players often neglect is sleep, or even just resting.

 There have been a couple of very well covered stories about high profile celebrities that went on weekend long poker binges. They usually make the news because of the amazing sums of money these players lost in the poker room. These are not beginners either, just players that got too caught up in the game.

Sleep deficiency also significantly reduces your ability to focus on the game, which can result in major losses. While the previous two examples involve a lack of something, the next major factor that may distract you from playing well involves overindulging. Some players contest that a couple drinks can relax a player, but most professionals know better and many are totally abstinent at the table.

The problem with alcohol is that when it clouds your ability to reason, you are more likely to play sloppy and loose and less likely to realize the full affect the alcohol is having on your skill level so that it becomes a vicious circle of you drinking more and winning less.

One factor that has only recently appeared as a distraction at the poker table is the iPod and other mobile media devices. Men in particular are not good at mentally multi-tasking, which means an iPod can steal critical attention from your strategy.

As with any sport, your ability to focus is directly related to your ability to play. When you lose focus, for whatever reason, you are less likely to give both your hand and your competitors the intense consideration that is necessary for winning the game.

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