Andrew Moreno is a professional poker player with 20+ years of experience. Andrew is a sought-after poker coach, as well as a member of the PokerOrg Player Advisory Board, and his primary focus is exploiting players in live tournament poker.
Today, I wanted to share with you something that I find valuable when looking to execute a good game plan for tournament poker.
I think a lot of us, rightfully so, spend a ton of time working on our games off the table in terms of studying theory and trying to find the right plays. However, not a lot has been said or thought about the actual execution of our strategy or the potential obstacles that we may face.
I want to share with you how to recognize when these problems arise. Then, I’ll share a process I use regularly to help me overcome those obstacles and execute my strategy in the face of adversity during high-pressure moments.
Awareness is the first step
The first thing you need to do is become aware of when it's happening, in the actual moment that it's happening. And that takes time and practice.
What you are looking for is what I call noise. Noise is any thought that gets in the way of you executing your strategy that you have so thoughtfully crafted. The noise sounds a little something like this:
- I hope that I cash this tournament.
- I really would like to make day two.
- This will be my biggest score if I make it.
- I'm on a downswing and I really want to make x amount of dollars in this tournament.
My noise may be different than yours. However, you will certainly have some so you will need to train yourself to find it. The noise, left unchecked, will get louder and louder and cloud your judgment.
The game plan
I've trained myself over time to notice when those conversations have arisen. That’s my cue that I am distracted and to get present. I say to myself, 'Oh, I am distracted by noise, that means I need to start my process.'
The best way I do this is to ask myself a series of questions. The questions that I ask myself could be the following:
How many big blinds do I have? I do the math, and then I calculate my big blinds. I look around the table, and I calculate everyone's big blinds at the table.
Then, I look at my position and think about my strategy regarding how many big blinds I have. Then I think about what I would do if someone opened in front of me.
- Would I be playing only jams?
- Would I be playing a jam or fold?
- Do I have flat calls?
- What hands make sense to jam at this stack depth?
- If it folds to me in this position, what's the worst offsuit ace I will open with?
- What's the worst offsuit king that I'm going to open with?
- Do I play any open jams on the stack depth when it folds to me?
And so on. You may not know precisely how you will play your range in many of these situations, but simply bringing yourself present and asking these questions will have tremendous value in returning to the present moment.
Because of that process, you can say, ‘Well, I don't know the worst offsuit ace I would open from this position.' And during the hand that's playing out, you can spend the next couple of minutes thinking about what you should be doing rather than just having that situation unfold in front of you and trying to figure it out in the moment.
I like to do that because it takes my mind off of these external factors from outside of the game. It immediately brings me to the present moment to exactly how many chips I have, how many chips everyone has, where everyone's seated, and what my strategy will be.
That is something that I found to work quite well, even in the highest-pressure situations. As the tournament progresses and the tension mounts, you will find the noise to be louder and more frequent. This process has helped me on all my deep runs stay focused.
Make it your own
I would also add that the questions you ask yourself when bringing yourself present aren't the most important thing. You don't need to ask yourself the exact questions that I ask myself. You just need to find questions to help you be present to play your best poker game.
If you know you play your best game when you do X, Y, and Z, then focus on those things to bring yourself present.
These types of questions help me. Feel free to use and change any of the questions I presented here. But I would also recommend that you at least add some of your own.
Contact Andrew on his coaching site, Amo4sho.com, and follow him on IG and X.
