Player's Stories

Staying Focused
By Joe "Coyote" Terlisner

From the beginning of my short poker career I have learned one very important lesson...Stay Focused. Whether you're at a single table or in a full tourney, staying focused keeps you in the game. And in the game with chips, this is all that really matters, right?

About a month ago, playing in the late stages of a Poker Pages TOC Warm-Up tourney, I was able to come back from a 198-chip count with three tables to finish second. Previously, I was always going out thirty-something, except that this time the electricity went out on me and I could not muster up enough to get to the final table. Was it luck? Probably some, but I was also as focused as I had ever felt. One comment I pondered when it got to three handed was "a chip, a chair and a lot of luck." I guess it happens, but I was also playing well for the last week or two. My game had been improving and I was feeling in a groove.

From the time my chips had hit the bottom of their downward spiral I focused everything toward trying my best. Why it took a massive chip loss to start focusing more on the game is something I must work on. It should never have come to that. Everyone should be analyzing more often if they are giving 100%, compared to the 80-90% that they may be giving most of the time. This is a mind-set I have found is becoming more and more important to my poker play. Knowing that you have what it takes to compete and play well against anyone has to have a positive effect on anyone's game. Bringing to the table what it takes is something that the top players do all the time, and something the amateur players should be learning.

My 4-year-old expressed her loss of concentration the other day: When putting a puzzle together, she related back to a cartoon in which the characters had talked about frustration. They said when things are going wrong and you seem frustrated, people should "Stop-Breathe-Think." This is a lesson we should all think more about, and another reason I feel it's fine to watch cartoons at 29 years of age. What we all may need to work on more than anything is to analyze when we have become frustrated. Sometimes I don't realize this frustration-factor until I have played ten more hands. By that time, it may be too late and your chips end up sitting in front of someone else.

Playing well can be contributed toward many factors and knowing you are focused and playing well is one. Next time you enter a game, clear your mind and concentrate to your utmost, but remember to have fun. If you're on the computer, make sure that the TV or radio is turned off and no one else is around. When you're at the casino, forget about all of the experiences from the day and that guy that cut you off in the parking lot. Make your level of concentration go increase so your focus is higher. You should also find that your game will go beyond its norm. Good Luck.