One theme I’ve noticed among poker blogs is that if you read enough of them, you’ll come across people who are taking extended breaks from the game or are getting out of it entirely.  And a lot of these people are the same ones who, three or four months ago, couldn’t stop playing and talking about poker. 

The reasons for why they are taking huge breaks or leaving the game behind always varies.  Some people have suffered too many bad beats or lost a significant amount of money while others are trying to spend more time focusing on their jobs or education. 

And just today, I came across an article where a person named PokerPeaker was explaining their theory that players should try and treat poker like distance running.  In other words, if a distance runner ran every single day at break neck pace then they’re going to get burnt out.  Likewise, he summarized from his own experiences that those who play poker everyday, all day, are going to get burnt out too.

Going further he believes that, like running, one can peak while playing poker during certain times of the week too.  His losses always came on Mondays and Tuesdays while his winnings took place over the rest of the week making his peak Wednesday through Sunday and his resting periods on Mondays and Tuesdays.

I think that this is certainly a very interesting perspective on the game of poker and one that probably reigns true for just about anybody.  After all, someone who plays poker hardcore for five months straight and takes no breaks is going to go a little insane with the game after a while.  And just like the bloggers who are shutting it down recently, I think the same thing may have happened to them.

Being a former collegiate distance runner myself, I am starting to subscribe to PokerPeaker’s theory that treating poker like distance running may be the best way to go in terms of enjoying the game over the long haul.