Sorry it took so long for part 3 to arrive. I first played Politiken Cup (a big open) and at the moment I am playing a closed grandmaster tournament in Gothenburg (Sweeden). The problem with chess is: 1) It takes forever to play a game (2-6 hours) 2) At this level (GM) a lot of preparation goes into the games especially if you don't work (very much) between tournaments. Here I have spent an average of 4 hours for preparation before each round. 3) You need to eat and I have no kitchen so I am eating out 3 times a day (takes time too). 4) You get so restless it is really hard to think about anything but chess - guess I should quit this stupid game (2 from 4 in the tournament is not what I had hoped for). Ok enough dilly dally, let's go!


11) Describe what you do before you play. How do you warm up, if you do?'


I go to the office (in the centre of Copenhagen) and switch on the computer. Then I open my journal (brief poker diary) and make of list of what I am working on at the moment. I then make a reminder of say 3 things that needs special attention. Could be something like this:
A) Stay quiet! I am really trying to stay silent while I am playing - not disturbing the others and making sure I am not tilting.
B) Make big folds! I am trying to be better at folding strong second best hands.
C) Then it could be some specific line I want to try or incorporate in my game. Example could be to check call the flop with a draw and then donk the turn (Leatherass likes this line).
Then I review my genereal brief notes (remember ranges - theirs and mine) and make a few breathing exercises… then fire up hold'em manager, the poker client and the tablescanner and 10 minutes later 6 tables are flashing on the screen.


12) What is your average session length? How many sessions do you play per day? How many hours do you play per month on average? Are any if these shorter than your goal? If so, in what ways are the problems listed in question 5 related?


Dunno really (don't have HEM with me). But I guess 2 hours is normal. I think I play around 50-70 hours per month (depends on how much I travel). I want to play much more - but I really have too much to do at the moment. Life is more important than poker so I prioritize a lot of other things before poker. But in general I play poker, if I have nothing else to do. I have a plan to play 100 hours per month, but so far I only succeeded in Januar this year. I have a bad habit of win-quitting - Say I am up 2k after 700 hands and I really feel like going home. To prevent this I have made a rule: I have to play at least 1500 hands when I am at the office. Resultoriented thinking, fear and just maximizing happiness EV (instead of monetary EV) is the chief cause of the win-quitting problem. I am trying to rationalize myself to keep playing but it is hard so having a rule helps a lot.


13) What are the reasons you would quit a session prematurely? Are the problems listed in question 5 ever the cause.


Oops more or less answered that already. I do something quit because I feel I can't play my A-game anymore. A typical scenario goes like this: I am down a lot and keep on playing (want to win it back and the games gets steadily softer during the night) then comes a very bad beat and I realize that I am now too annoyed to play on. It could go like this: I start out being down 3K - I win some back and is only losing 1K then I lose a stack at 600NL with a set against a runner draw or something and I kinda lose faith.


14) Describe you work ethic. Is procrastination or burnout ever a problem?


Hell yeah. Procrastination is my middle name... or so it seems sometimes. I find it really hard doing something (deliberate practice) without doing something else first - like playing a blitzgame on ICC or reading the listings on the stock exchange etc. It has always been this way. I think I am wasting something like 2 hours a day on ridiculous things. Guess I am just very lazy... I do actually use a reward system for myself - say if I do this I can have a beer with Hallberg or watch that movie etc.
Burnout is not a big problem - I still have a lot of things I want to do and places I want to see - so no time for burnout. Sometimes after a very bad session I don't feel like playing the next day, but usually it only lasts a few hours. So no burnout here yet.


15) Describe what you away from the table to improve technically as a player
I read books, read forum posts, watch videos, discuss hands, analyze a few hands and think (sometimes a lot) about poker.


Next part is coming within a week! Cya guys