Open Thread: Things To Do While Waiting

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Running a blog like this has upsides and downsides. One downside is that people know my name, and so it takes longer for me to get action. A lot of times I find myself just sitting, waiting on a game. In this week's Open Thread, tell me what you do during downtime.


What do you do during downtime? Let us know in the comments. These weekly Open Threads are a great opportunity for me to get feedback from readers, so please participate.

 

Comments

  1. Articles - During most of my downtime, I work on this website. I've put in a lot of hours on this one so far, I hope it shows!

    Books - I read poker books. Lately, I've been working on Sklansky's new book: DUCY? Exploits, Advice, and Ideas of the Renowned Strategist

    Rush Poker - I enjoy Rush Poker. I like to think I make money playing it, but I probably don't. Still, I enjoy sitting at like a .5/1 Limit game on Rush Poker and donking around with ten or twenty bucks.

    Strategy Videos - I've never been a real fan of strategy videos. I like DeucesCracked, though, for their Tommy Angelo videos. Bones also did a video for DC, called "Two Men Enter" which is a good primer to Heads Up SNGs. They used the RiskOriented Better Than Nash charts, so they know quality!

    Meditate - According to some articles I recently read, meditation can aid in concentration, and it will almost certainly lead to a higher winrate.

    Chores - Cleaning and cooking. If I think I'm going to have a lot of downtime between games, I make sandwiches for later, so that I won't have to stop my grind to eat.

  1. Browse Forums - Typically will read 2p2 forums or other poker related junk such as cardplayer.com. Also track how my sports teams are doing on espn.com.

    Chat - Talk to people about random things on AIM ranging from strategy discussion to railing a game.

    TV - I have a TV tuner and watch sports games while waiting.

    Chores - Typically online related things, such as getting tickets to a SF Giants game, reviewing my billing statements, or looking up start times for movies in the theater.

    While I am waiting for games I typically don't force myself to do intense thinking, especially if I just finished a set of games. I like to give myself breaks from the game b/c when I’m playing I’d like to think I’m exerting more thinking and energy into my heads-up games more than the average "regular."

  1. Yeah, I think I chat on AIM too much while waiting. I want other stuff to do!

  1. There is little to no question in my mind that you are a devoted poker player interested in improving your game and taking it to a different level. While a number of blogs and discussion groups exist that have improved my game, I have found that I do not benefit from them nearly as much if tackled during my downtime, and the inevitable long waits that come from playing poker online.

    You make some fantastic suggestions but i have begun going a different direction. That is to say, nothing else poker related when I am playing. As a freelance writer and poker player (not unlike yourself) I am not able to write fluidly in stops and starts. Rather, I use this time to apply for jobs at elance.com and other sites for the freelancer. It is a necessary evil to maintaining enough work, but something I can do in the background as long as I don't fail to proofread before sending.

    Additionally, I use a good deal of my time learning Spanish through tapes and flash cards. I find that it has nothing to do with poker, and while frustrating at times, it causes a real separation in my mind and I feel less tired as the cards begin their runs towards horrible.

    The books of Christopher Moore are just plain funny and I find I can reread them and keep myself in good spirits during a run of poor luck or bad cards.

    Finally, I work out people's time tells by simply watching and observing. This is a huge key in online games and something much easier to work out once you have mucked your cards.

    Great suggestions. Thanks.

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