I don’t generally have time play a lot (maybe an hour here or there). But I enjoy learning and thinking about poker. So, I play here because it is fun and the only poker venue available for a quick session here and there. My chip count on Replay has always been on upward trajectory, though on a couple of occasions with bad bankroll management I lost 100m here or there. After going from 300m to over 1b in about 2,000 hands, now I am down to 800m after another 4,000 hands.
Lately, I have been playing badly, not just running badly, and I am trying to figure out how to play at my best level instead of going on autopilot. For example, I know which hands are good to bluff with, but instead I will bluff with something completely bad/random. Or I know that the player betting almost always has me beat, but I will call anyway. The play chips obviously don’t have any value, but it feels like I am interested in learning the game at a theoretical level but not even trying to actually do it.
This may in part be due to better competition at the highest stakes (and I do think playing HU or 3-4 handed is part of it), but it is also a pattern I notice in myself. When I was in school, if I have an A- with no effort, I will do as little as possible instead of trying to get an A. Or, if I am playing a sport I will practice enough to be one of the better players and then stop practicing altogether without trying to be the best possible player.
Maybe that just went beyond poker strategy, but does anyone have tips/advice for how to stay focused and motivated? I enjoy playing and am capable of making good decisions, but in the moment it’s like I just don’t care. Maybe it is time for a break.